It looks like the Honor Committee isn't the only University judiciary body attempting to make major changes in the way it operates.
Sunday night, the University Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to send six changes to its 12 Standards of Conduct to the Board of Visitors for approval.
The Board adopts the University's Standards of Conduct, which describe behavior generally prohibited for enrolled students. Each standard contains its own internal jurisdiction where it can be applied, and several standards involve different jurisdictions for different clauses.
While the UJC is charged by the Board with the job of adjudicating the Standards, the Standards can only be revised or amended by vote of the Board.
According to UJC Chairwoman Lissa Percopo, the most significant of the six changes will split the current Standard One into two separate Standards.
The proposed change would place physical and sexual assault in a completely different Standard from "conduct which intentionally or recklessly threatens" a person's health or safety.
The significance of this split is that in the past students found guilty of conduct that threatens a person's health or safety may have on their disciplinary record simply "violation of Standard One of the Standards of Conduct" which includes in its wording "physical and sexual assault."
In such a situation it "is grossly unfair for that student to have that wording on the top of their disciplinary record," Percopo said.
The other five revisions are more phrasing changes to "quantify" parts of the old Standards which Committee members believe need to be better defined.
"It's not that we're trying to change our jurisdiction, these changes look to fixing wordings that have, in the past, caused confusion and created loopholes or roadblocks which have inhibited us from obtaining the truth or taking appropriate action," Percopo said.
She said the last time the Standards were revised was in 1991 when the Board approved the addition of Standards Six and Nine which involves violations of University rules and residence guidelines as described in the University Record.
In 1998 many of the same revisions the UJC is hoping to pass now were approved by the UJC but never sent to the Board.
The six revisions will be presented at the Board's Jan. 18 meeting. At that time the Board can either approve them or ask the UJC to research the changes further.
In that case, the next opportunity for the proposals to be passed would be at the next Board meeting in mid-April. The UJC ends its term April 1 so the next Committee would have to re-present the proposed changes if the Board does not approve them next month.
"I definitely think these are positive changes that needed to be done to clarify the Standards," said Tillman Breckinridge, UJC vice chairman for trials.
"There's nothing incredibly radical about these changes. I was happy to see all 21 judges vote for them. Hopefully that unanimous decision will weigh into the Board's decision," Breckinridge said.
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