At the Board of Visitors meeting held earlier this month, the members voted to pass two resolutions defining the relationship of the Board to the University Judiciary Committee and to the Honor Committee.
Both UJC Chairman Paul Gigante and Honor Committee Chairman Thomas Hall said to the best of their knowledge, these resolutions are the first written articulation of the powers granted to the two Committees by the Board.
"They have given us a clear view of the expectations and responsibilities" of the Committees, Hall said.
The resolution concerning the Judiciary Committee reaffirms the UJC's authority to "investigate, adjudicate and administer the Standards of Conduct."
It also lists the four principles the UJC must follow, which govern the training of support officers, notification of accused students, review of sanctions by the vice president for student affairs and consultation with the general counsel, the vice president for student affairs and the Board.
"Mainly, everything that is included in this resolution is what we've been doing in years passed and will continue to do," Gigante said.
"But, it's very important that we keep it in writing so future committees never lose sight of our principles," he said.
"Many of our cases have potential legal ramifications so it's especially important that we utilize the General Counsel's Office," he added.
The Office of the General Counsel handles all legal matters for the University and provides legal advice as needed.
The resolution concerning the Honor Committee reaffirms the authority of the Committee to "administer and enforce the Honor Code."
It also lists three practices the Committee must follow, regarding the training of support officers, notification of accused students and consultation with the Honor Advisor and the Office of General Counsel.
"The powers of the Honor Committee are exactly the same as before," Hall said.
"The resolution is really about training and making sure that the Committee follows due process and uses the resources available to it," he said. "It is simply a written reinforcement of current practices."
Both resolutions begin by stating that "the Rector and Visitors are responsible for 'the government and management of the University' and invested with statutory authority to 'regulate the government and discipline of the students' (Va. Code 23-76)."
"Obviously, the Board has the final say because basically, they control everything at this University," Gigante said.
But Gigante said student self-governance is very important aspect of the University to the Board.
"I'm sure the Board would never think about changing the system we have worked so hard to build and maintain," he added.
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