The Honor Committee discussed procedural changes involving a streamlined investigation process last night.
The proposed changes include scheduling investigation panels to take place between 15 and 20 days after the start of an investigation, restructuring investigations so that the reporting witness and the accused student are interviewed twice, removing the automatic assignment of an Honor advisor to a reporting witness and creating a form outlining the necessary information about the process for involved parties.
The proposed restructuring would also include a reworking of the investigation panel hearings "ending appearance at the hearings by counsel, advisors, investigated students and reporting witnesses," according to the proposal.
The Committee's by-laws state that an investigation panel now includes a 15-minute presentation by each counsel, an opportunity for both the reporting witness and the accused student to speak and time for panel questions.
Investigation panels are composed of three Committee members who decide whether or not they will accuse a students based on the standard that "more likely than not" an honor offense was committed with dishonest intent and that the act in question was serious.
"These are not nibbles anymore," Vice Chair for Trials Jay Trickett said of the proposed changes.
Trickett said the changes will significantly alter the roles of several parties currently involved in the process.
"We want to shift the role of the reporting witness ... from that of a party in an adversarial relationship with the accused to that of a witness reporting a case," Trickett added. "The Honor Committee, in its representation of the community, will actually prosecute the case."
Engineering School Rep. Justin Starr said he was "concerned" about adequate investigator training.
"As a Committee member I can think of questions investigators may not think to ask," Starr added.
Graduate Arts and Sciences Rep. Maria Fitzpatrick said she worried about taking away advisors from people who may be experiencing the system for the first time.
"They won't really know what's going on," she said.
According to Trickett, this proposal came out of a concern for "legitimacy" within the University community regarding Honor.
"The scariest thing about looking at the future of the Honor Committee is the question of legitimacy [on] two fronts: the student body and the University community," Trickett said. "The community as a whole's view towards the system is one of outright distaste."
Committee Chair Alison Tramba said voting on the proposal will take place within a few weeks.
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