Editor’s Note: The Cavalier Daily Editorial Board interviewed 12 candidates for the position of University Judiciary Committee representative. Each interview lasted approximately 30 minutes, and all candidates were asked the same baseline questions. The endorsements below are based solely on the content of these interviews.
In this year’s election for University Judiciary Committee representative, the Editorial Board endorses four candidates — third-year College student Zach Davidson, second-year Engineering student Griffin Franzese, first-year College student Titus Ngouepo and third-year College student Calvin Pan. At a time when UJC continues to see an influx of complicated and severe cases, each of the four candidates expressed their eagerness to reform the body’s internal processes to meet its demanding burden. Furthermore, each candidate recognized the need to enhance UJC's profile within the University community. Through specific proposals for outreach initiatives, the four candidates articulated clear plans to connect with both students and alumni, ensuring a UJC that is both representative of students and capable of serving the University.
Davidson, current vice chair for first years, articulated a vision for UJC that emphasizes its independence as a student self-governance organization. As co-chair of the Endowment and Alumni Relations Subcommittee, he has worked to ensure UJC’s financial stability and independence by focusing on developing relationships with UJC alumni and working to fully fund its endowment by the end of this year. Davidson also demonstrated an adept comprehension of UJC’s case processing issue and advocated for streamlined internal changes in order to cut down on case processing times. Furthermore, he recognized the immense value of UJC’s semesterly statistics reports, while also advocating for an internal audit system to effectively implement changes to their case processing system based on those statistics. Davidson is committed to an independent UJC that represents the University community, and his vision for the future of the committee is a promising one.
Franzese presently serves as the chair of the Policy Project Subcommittee and conveyed an admirable plan for how to improve UJC’s connection with the University community. In his current role, he has focused on fostering a proactive relationship with Engineering students by being present at and sponsoring Engineering club events. Through his enthusiasm, Franzese recognizes the necessity for personal connections between representatives and their constituencies as a necessary condition for student enthusiasm for UJC’s work. He has also identified specific areas for improvement in UJC’s internal operations that would lead to a more transparent organization, including having support officers present directly to the Executive Committee and having trial chairs write reports after each hearing. It is clear that Franzese has a masterful control of UJC’s internal and external needs and will serve as an exceptional representative.
Ngouepo demonstrated a breathtaking grasp of UJC’s mission and articulated an inspiring image of its future. Serving as a member of the First Year Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction specifically over first-year students, Ngouepo has impressive insight into how first-years see and interact with UJC. He is also cognizant of the fact that many students feel disinterested in the body and plans to better connect with the University community. In addition to these external solutions to UJC’s image, Ngouepo recognizes that the immense power UJC holds over accused students’ livelihoods warrants accountability for the exercise of that power. Specifically, he hopes that UJC can develop an ambitious framework for processing cases that ensures students before the body are not held in limbo as their case drags on. We are extremely impressed by Ngouepo’s grasp of the challenges facing UJC and his plans for reforming the organization — there is no doubt he will provide inestimable value and energy as a representative.
Pan has served on UJC since his first year, inhabiting roles such as counselor, senior data manager and, most recently, representative. His three-prong platform of community, transparency and restorative justice is aimed at making UJC representative of all University students — he hopes to engage with demographics that are overrepresented in accused students but underrepresented in UJC staff. In terms of transparency, Pan advocated for open meetings of UJC’s Executive Committee, similar to Honor’s weekly meetings wherein community members can publicly comment. Furthermore, while he recognized that concurrent legal proceedings often hamper UJC’s ability to expeditiously process cases, he pledged to better inform the University community regarding these situations while also working to protect the rights of accused students to a speedy trial. We commend his comparative and analytical approach to the committee’s work which drew on Honor’s XYZ Case Studies as an initiative UJC can emulate. Through his vision of a more representative and transparent UJC, Pan will prove to be an invaluable member of the committee.
After discussions with each of the four candidates, we are confident that their plans for the future of UJC will work to ensure the stability, independence, representation and efficiency of the organization. All candidates expressed a vision of UJC that prioritizes the rights of accused students to a speedy trial by remaining accountable for its case processing times and dedicated to its mission. We are confident that each candidate has the capabilities to meet the high standards set for themselves and UJC, and students can be sure that these candidates will work to make UJC a body representative of the University as a whole.
The Cavalier Daily Editorial Board is composed of the Executive Editor, the Editor-in-Chief, the two Opinion Editors, the two Senior Associates and an Opinion Columnist. The board can be reached at eb@cavalierdaily.com.
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