By Whitney Gruenloh Cavalier Daily Staff Writer In an attempt to discover ways to prosecute racial and discriminatory events and crimes, last night the University Judiciary Committee's ad hoc Committee on Hate Crimes met with City and University officials to discuss possible legal solutions.
The meeting's attendees considered ways to handle the conflicts of the First Amendment's protection of speech in relation to the hate crimes and hate incidents.
"Words are very difficult to punish because we value words so highly, and rightly so," Commonwealth Attorney of Charlottesville Dave Chapman said. "With that in mind how can we be most effective in bringing people about?"
Possible solutions offered at the meeting included the addition of a 13th Standard to the UJC's current Standards of Conduct or the installment of a single sanction for offenses motivated by hate.
"Between those two options the enhancement approach [of the single sanction] would be easier to justify if challenged," said U.Va. Law School Professor Bob O'Neil. "The thirteenth code is harder to write, harder to enforce, and harder to defend."
UJC Chair Tim Orsmby, however, said criticisms of the single sanction "enhancement" policy include worries of "jury nullification and problems with appeals" and that it may only cause a "scarecrow effect" where the incidents of intolerance motivated by hate would still occur, despite the threat of expulsion.
Also in attendance were student representatives from the Honor Committee, UJC ad hoc Subcommittee for Sanctioning of Hate Crimes, Queer Student Union, and the Coalition of Hispanic/Latino Leaders.
"The recent incidents are obviously an issue that affects UJC and have triggered a lot of response from the University," Ormsby said. "We take the incidents very seriously and our ultimate goal is to get something done in the UJC context."
Meeting attendees expressed a consistent concern with the lack of descriptions and information surrounding incidents of hate given to police.
"Descriptions have been very vague," Chief of University Police Paul Norris said, also in attendance at the event. "It is hard to respond quickly to events if we are not getting good information, and our goal is to educate students on what they can do."
Norris, Chapman and other meeting members emphasized calling 911 or reporting events online as soon as they occur.
The UJC wants what is "best for students and the student body in general," Ormsby said. "We are open to suggestions."
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