As the semester comes to a close, members of the University Judiciary Committee are working to improve outreach programs and maintain strong levels of internal diversity.\nSo far, UJC has succeeded in diversifying the organization, Chair Will Bane said.
Two years ago, 83 percent of the students who took the test for joining UJC were white, Bane said. This year, however, the organization is "perfectly representative in all of the statistics for racial demographics," he said.
Bane expects UJC's diversity efforts to continue, especially because the committee is starting to institutionalize many methods that were used this year, such as partnerships with minority organizations.
UJC made progress in its diversity goals through both internal and external efforts, Vice Chair for Trials Halley Epstein said.
Having a body of voting members representative of several different demographics and points of view could be one reflection of UJC's success in this area.
"Diversity isn't just about race or ethnicity, but it includes different perspectives from different schools in the University," she said.
UJC also has devoted much of its efforts during the semester to educating community members about the role the organization plays at the University.
Those educational efforts included UJC's first-ever mock trial in March. Members of the committee acted out a fictitious case in which a student was suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol.
"It was helpful in showing that the committee is not a punitive body but rather an educational organization that aims toward rehabilitating students that might have committed transgressions," Epstein said.
In addition, the trial demonstrated to students the importance of being part of a community that values respect, safety and freedom, Epstein said. UJC plans to build upon the perceived success of this event with another mock trial in the future, she said.
The committee's future educational efforts, however, are not just limited to mock trials.
UJC, for example, is working to establish liaison programs with the Greek community, student-athletes and first-year students. Bane said he feels these three groups need special attention and stronger education efforts from the committee. Some of the programs may run at the beginning of the next academic year, he said.
The committee is also planning on creating educational videos for its website, intended especially for new students and their families. These videos would include the history of UJC, information about the University's standards of conduct and a description of what a trial would be like.
Bane said he hopes these videos would help new students feel better informed of the standards of conduct by the time they arrive to the University.
UJC also plans to translate some of its documents - including the standards of conduct - into various languages.
Overall, these efforts may reflect the committee's desire to remain proactive throughout the year.
"We're not just going to wait for students to come to the activities fair," Bane said. "We're going to be working to make sure people are constantly hearing about opportunities"
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