Linnea Kedziora
Contributing Writer
For the 2019-20 school year, changes are being made to the student conduct board. According to Mitch Joseph, director of Student Rights and Responsibilities, the student conduct board is a system for the use of students when they are either “working to resolve conflicts” or “meeting to resolve issues that may be incongruent with our College community’s values, as found in The Scot’s Key.”
The student conduct board is a part of the overall conduct system which handles interactions with students in the case of a policy violation. A panel hearing only happens when a student has found themselves with multiple reports of violations or is in a more serious situation that could result in separation from the College. Otherwise, the student in question will simply meet one on one with a conflict resolution officer.
Joseph stated that when a panel hearing is necessary, the panel will consist of three volunteer members of the campus community comprised of faculty, staff or students. Students were recruited to be on the board through emails and meetings, and then were selected after an application process.
The makeup of the panel depends on the type of issue. More sensitive situations such as Title IX violations will typically be comprised solely of staff and faculty, but typically a panel will be one faculty member, one staff member and one student. While it is possible to have a panel with no students on it, there are no panels of all students, since students were just reintroduced the conduct board in spring 2019 after several years of being excluded. However, Joseph pointed out that an all student panel may be possible in the future.
The most significant change to the student conduct system since this time last year is the reintroduction of students to the hearing process. Students applied to be a part of the board last semester, and, ultimately, some joined the team. However, this semester they will begin working on conduct panels in cases of misconduct. Joseph would like to remind students that he considers the conduct system to be a platform that aids students in learning experiences rather than a campus organization that intervenes when a student is “in trouble.”
Nick Shiach ’20 is one of the students with experience on the conduct board. He was asked by Joseph since they both served on Campus Council’s Conduct Committee. “We meet as a group every month or so to brush on procedures and maintain committment,” Shiach said.
Regarding the responsibilities involved during a hearing, Shiach explained, “First, we read any and all reports and statements from people involved, such as witnesses and victims. We then meet with the student(s) or organization who faces violations to ask questions and discuss what happened. We then talk privately as a panel to determine responsibility and, if we hold a student or group responsible, what the sanction should be.”
Overall, Shiach emphasized the importance of students serving on the board.
“It is important that students serve on this panel to offer a student’s perspective and to make sure the panel properly represents the campus community and the values we wish to uphold,” he said.