The University Judiciary Committee recently released statistics from last semester's 53 tried cases, revealing nearly two-thirds of the cases involved alcohol.
According to UJC Chair Tim Ormsby, 34 of the cases brought through the Committee last semester involved alcohol, although only 30 constituted alcohol-related offenses.
"'Alcohol-involved' signifies any cases in which the person was drinking at the time," Ormsby said. "'Alcohol-related' is when the offense itself was an alcohol offense."
Six of the cases brought to the UJC last semester were DUI offenses, six were drug-related and six were physical assaults.
Three of the UJC's 53 cases resulted in suspension, a sanction defined by UJC by-laws as "exclusion from classes and other privileges or activities or from the University, as set forth in the notice of suspension, for a definite period of time."
Out of this year's 53 cases, 12 were handled by the First Year Judiciary Committee, while the remaining 41 cases stayed with the regular UJC.
According to Ormsby, the number of cases that went through the FYJC does not accurately reflect the percentage of cases that involved first years.
"First-year cases can only be for first years and must occur in first-year living areas," FYJC Vice Chair Merriam Mikhail said.
Cases involving first years outside the first-year living areas fall under the jurisdiction of the UJC.
Otherwise, the FYJC has the same procedure and sanctioning power as the UJC.
"The thing about the FYJC is that it is made up of first-year judges who understand the first-year experience and are living in the mindset of first years," Mikhail said.
More than 75 percent of last semester's cases were filed by deans, while students accounted for 13 percent. Others cases were filed by the University Police Department and other parties.
The UJC held 25 trials last semester, some of which were cases left over from the previous semester.
In addition the UJC conducted 10 hearing panels, trial alternatives for minor cases that do not require the presence of the complainant or accused. During a hearing panel, three judges decide on a sanction using only the Investigator's report.
A hearing panel requires that the student has pled guilty, that it is the student's first offense with the UJC, that both sides have agreed, and that the trial chair has given approval.
"It saves a lot of people time, but we spend the same amount of time deliberating on the appropriate sanction," Mikhail said.
The UJC has 26 cases still pending, which will be heard during the current semester.
"There were so many that were filed at the very end of the semester," Ormsby said.
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