Two days before she was scheduled to appear before the Board of Visitors to present proposed changes to the University Judiciary Committee's Standards of Conduct, UJC Chairwoman Lissa Percopo was informed yesterday by Board officials that her presence would not be required at the Friday meeting. The Standards revisions will not be formally voted on until the Board's April 5 meeting.
On December 5, the UJC unanimously voted to send six changes to its 12 Standards of Conduct to the Board for approval.
The current committee's term ends April 1. According to Percopo, this will be the fourth consecutive UJC that has worked on making changes to the Standards of Conduct but has been unable to pass them in its term of office.
The Board is responsible for adopting the University's Standards of Conduct, which describe behavior generally prohibited for enrolled students. Although the UJC adjudicates the Standards, the Standards can be revised or amended only by vote of the Board.
Some UJC members have expressed disappointment that the revisions will not be able to be enacted during the current committee's term of office.
Max Wiegard, UJC vice chairman for first years, said the revisions probably would first have to be approved by the new UJC members before going to the Board on April 5. If the new UJC members do not approve the current revisions, they may have to wait until next January before enacting revisions to the Standards.
University Rector John P. Ackerly III said the decision to bump the Standards revision vote to the spring was because of a shortened amount of time given to the Board's Student Affairs and Athletics Committee, the committee in which the UJC revisions would be presented.
Ackerly said several factors contributed to the Board's lack of available time, including Board members being in and out of town to attend the presidential inauguration, the Missouri-Virginia basketball game and the scheduling of a meeting in which Board members will meet with potential University donors.
Instead of hearing the proposed revisions during the Student Affairs and Athletics Committee time period, the Board will hear a presentation from the African-American Peer Advising Program and a report from the Fraternity Working Group, as well as remarks by William Harmon, vice president for student affairs, and Director of Athletics Terry Holland.
According to the Board's agenda, no formal action is required on any of these presentations.
Paul Gigante, UJC vice chairman for sanctions, said the UJC will work hard to educate the new members after they are elected in the early spring and before they take office in April to gain their support for this committee's proposals.
Gigante said one reason the Standards of Conduct revisions have taken four years is that in the past, committees have not done a lot of transition work. He said he is determined not to let that happen this time.
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