Members of Hoos Against Single Sanction submitted a proposal last night to the Honor Committee's single sanction ad-hoc committee. At the same meeting, Asian Student Union President Patrick Lee said he was concerned about the diversity within the ad-hoc committee.
HASS president Sam Leven introduced the proposal to the committee as being "pro-Honor."
"We don't want to be from the outside fighting you guys," Leven said. "We actually consider ourselves to be promoting honor."
The proposal would delete any mention of the single sanction, currently expulsion, from the Honor Constitution and add a multi-tiered system of penalties, including expulsion, to be outlined in the Committee's by-laws. Juries would have the power to make a recommendation of the penalty to be imposed on a guilty student. The trial chair and committee observer would have the right to decrease the severity of the jury's recommendation in extenuating circumstances.
Leven said proposed changes also include deleting non-triviality as a criterion of an honor offense because "once you have a multi-tiered sanction system in place there should not be an exemption made for trivial acts."
Leven added that he thought the changes would increase student reporting to between 30 and 40 percent.
Based on a survey conducted in 2002, student reporting is at about two percent, Leven said.
HASS's proposal also includes a provision that would put the proposal on the election ballot as a recommendation in spring 2007 and would be voted on as an actual constitutional change in spring 2008.
"That would make sure that the argument couldn't be made that this was just pushed through," Leven said.
During discussion of the proposal, committee members voiced concerns about legal liability, confidentiality issues and the amount of discretion Committee members could exercise over the jury's proposed sanction.
Third-year College student Daniel Lautzenheiser said in the event the chair and observer changed the sanction, jury members "would go back to their dorms and other clubs and say we heard the facts, we debated for three hours, we voted and we were nullified."
Members also discussed when to hold a community forum meeting but did not come to a consensus.
ASU President Lee asked the committee, "If you want input why are you holding this on the fourth floor of Newcomb?"
Lee also said he thought there was a lack of diversity on the ad-hoc committee.
Andy Paradis, fourth-year Commerce student and Inter-Fraternity Council president, said anyone could apply to the ad-hoc committee. "I felt like the publication effort was very strong."
Ad--hoc committee chair Laura Holland said the body will meet again Nov. 15.
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