The first steps toward the formulation of stronger sanctions by the University Judiciary Committee against hate crimes within the University community were taken last night at the first meeting of the UJC's ad hoc committee for hate crimes.
During the spring elections, 70 percent of students who cast ballots voted in favor of a referendum which sought stronger sanctions on individuals convicted of hate crimes.
According to committee co-chairs Mai Hassan and Eli DeJarnette, the meeting aimed to outline the structure of the committee, set goals for the committee, and clarify the role of the committee within UJC.
"The idea was to investigate possible ways of amending the UJC sanctions to deal with hate crimes," UJC Chair Tim Ormsby said.
To provide prospective, former Student Council president Noah Sullivan summarized the intentions of the former Student Council members to get the UJC more engaged in addressing hate crimes at the University.
"We wanted to find a way, as a community, to address this problem," Sullivan said. "We sought to do something specifically against hate crime and work towards creating a more diverse and equitable student body."
The committee considered several possibilities for how it might conduct its research into hate crimes within the University -- including researching currently existing laws concerning hate crimes at other colleges in Virginia and the national level.
"It's important that we find viable solutions that fit the framework of the UJC," Hassan said.
There was also discussion as to whether or not the committee should take a role in educating the student body about hate crimes.
Second-year College student Greg Jackson suggested that the committee devote half its resources to educating the community about hate crimes.
Other members thought that the committee should maintain a sharper focus on creating legislation to be presented to the UJC.
"We should focus on why the legislation is important, what the obstacles [to the creation of relevant legislation] are, and how to overcome them," second-year College student Jessica Childress said. "I don't see diversity training as part of the UJC."
The ad hoc committee on hate crimes tentatively plans to meet on a bi-weekly basis beginning early next fall.
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