With elections beginning tomorrow, the University Board of Elections held two separate forums for Honor and University Judiciary Committee candidates in Jefferson Hall last night, giving them the opportunity to voice their opinions on a wide range of topics.
Candidates running for seats on both committees responded to questions posed by the UBE dealing with issues pertinent to Honor and UJC.
Six of the eleven candidates running for Honor were present, including College students Nikki Cowing, Rebecca Menges, Sara Page and Ben Sachs. Steve Ander represented College student Hunter Jamerson, who is currently studying abroad in London. Engineering student Nick Staubach and Graduate student Elisabeth Epps also were present.
College students Joe Schilling, Leslie Brooks, Jade Craig, Tim Ormsby and Angela Carrico were present at the UJC forum.
The first issue raised dealt with racial spotlighting within the Honor system, referencing the disproportionate number of cases that are initiated against minority students. All the candidates agreed the issue is a concern. Sachs said the problem of racial spotlighting is widespread.
"The problems with racial profiling at U.Va. aren't limited to Honor," he said. "They're everybody's problems."
The candidates stressed the importance of education as a way to address the issue.
Another contentious issue was whether or not the candidates are in favor the single sanction. Cowing, Sachs, Menges, Ander (representing Jamerson), and Staubach said they supported the single sanction, acknowledging that while it is not a flawless system, it is the best way to maintain the community of trust at the University.
"In my economics class, we joke that capitalism is terrible, but it's the best system we've got," Sachs said. "I think single sanction is similar."
Ander, representing Jamerson, said the single sanction can be thought of in terms of a parking ticket.
"If there were multiple sanctions, and a parking ticket was $4,000, no one would illegally park," Ander said. "But a parking ticket being $20, people would do it just to chance it."
Page and Epps, however, said they did not think it was the most appropriate measure.
"I think this is a high pressure situation, and we're not perfect people," Page said. "People make mistakes."
Faculty relations was another issue raised during the forum. With 70 percent of cases initiated by faculty, several candidates spoke of the need for stepped-up dialogue between the Committee and faculty in the form of roundtables to increase the faculty's confidence in the honor system.
A question about whether or not disenchantment with and general apathy for student self-governance is a problem at the University was submitted by the Pep Band. Both Honor and UJC candidates addressed the issue with mixed opinions.
Sachs said he thinks students are re-capturing their faith in student self-governance. Cowerson, on the other hand, disagreed with Sachs, citing the low turnout at the forum as evidence of a general apathy amongst the student body.
Brooks offered a different view of student self-governance.
"Students may not care now, but if it was taken away, they would definitely care," she said.
Both Honor and UJC candidates stressed the need for increased education and better outreach efforts as a way to engage students.
Hot topics raised during the UJC forum included extending the statue of limitations, increasing education efforts, expanding the Committee's jurisdiction to Charlottesville and Albemarle County and reapportionment to allow larger schools such as the College to have more seats on the Committee.
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