Trials and Tribulations

It's judgment day. Maybe you drank underage, lit a candle in your dorm room, got in a fight or let someone borrow your student ID.\nWhatever your violation, you got caught on campus, received a letter telling you that you needed to appear in front of a judicial board, and today's the day to face up to your actions. Now your hearing begins.\nAt IU, there's a group of your peers ready to hear your side of the story and most likely, your hearing won't be the intimidating or scary process you thought it might be. A board composed of students like you listens to your case and recommends a sanction. \nWhen a student violates the Code of Student Rights, Responsibility and Conduct, he or she could face one of 14 judicial boards on campus, each composed of six to 12 members. These students are well trained not only in the rules and regulations of our University, but also in confidentiality and fairness.\n"The role of the judicial board is not to 'get' students," asserted Bill Shipton, director for Student Programs and Services. "The role is about helping students understand their bad choices and helping them not make those bad choices again. Our main goal is to protect students' rights." \nShipton advises the Resident Hall Association j-board which hears cases from every residence hall. In addition, each residence hall has its own board. There is also a fraternity and sorority judicial board and an all-campus judicial board. An adviser and a selected board chair lead each group.\nWhich board hears the case depends on where the violation took place, with reports usually coming from resident assistants or police. Depending on the violation, accused students may have to deal with the traditional court system in addition to the campus system.\n"Students have a responsibility to the campus as well as the law," said sophomore Stacey Bradshaw, a member of the all-campus board. She emphasized the boards are about improving our campus and making it a safer place.\nBradshaw served on the Teter judicial board last year. This year she lives in a sorority house, and she applied for the all-campus board. Though now an experienced board member, Bradshaw was just a freshman trying something new when she applied for the Teter board and she said she now hopes to continue her j-Board experience throughout the rest of her college career.\n"The best part about being on a judicial board is that it keeps you involved in the campus," Bradshaw said. "You get an idea of what's going on."\nFilling out an application is the first step to becoming a member of a board. Some residence halls had up to 60 applicants this year. Next comes an interview and then selections begin. Once the members are chosen, the board attends training sessions and participates in mock trials, attempting to cover as many scenarios as possible. Throughout the entire process, confidentiality is stressed the most and Bradshaw affirmed the board has it down to a 'T.'\n"People ask us questions and we just tell them, hey, we can't talk about it," she said. "They're just curious, but it's confidential. People would be surprised that most of our cases are not that incredibly fascinating anyway."\nWhile Bradshaw encouraged all to apply and stressed there is no model j-board member, Rahsaan Bartet, a second year Collins judicial board member, suggested a member have confidence.\n"You got to have confidence in your abilities, to execute these kinds of decisions," Bartet claimed. "It's part of taking the responsibility of judging your peers."\nJudging peers isn't as simple as it sounds. J-boards are given clear outlines on how to carry out hearings and determine sanctions.\nBefore the student enters for the hearing, the board previews the case and becomes familiar with the documentation available. When the board is ready to hear the case, the student is brought in and introduced to the members. A fact-finding phase begins and the student is given a chance to tell his or her side of the story and any witness testimony is also heard. After dealing only with the facts, the student leaves the room so the court can deliberate and determine if the student is responsible for the incident.\nAfter the court has unanimously agreed on a ruling, the student is brought back in and read the verdict. If not found responsible, the student is free to leave, but if the student is found guilty, the board must recommend a sanction to the dean.\nDuring this phase of the hearing, the board learns more about the student to determine an appropriate penalty for that individual, taking into account their previous history, attitude and motivation.\nAgain, the student leaves and the court deliberates to determine a sanction that will help the student think about their actions and change their behavior. The boards like to stress that the sanction is meant to be educating, not punitive. \n"Our goal is to educate and help the student think about their actions the next time they are in that situation," Bradshaw added. "We are not out to be extreme."\nIf a student is unhappy with his or her hearing and sanction, the judicial board is only the first step in the judicial process at IU. The case can be appealed and heard by a hearing commission that includes an IUSA Supreme Court justice and faculty members who have no knowledge of the previous hearing.\nThe student's last chance to change the verdict is with a third appeal with a campus review board. The student must prove to the IUSA Supreme Court Chief Justice, a faculty member and administrator that the judicial process did not serve them fairly. \nBut this process all starts with that usually very simple judicial board hearing and the students behind the desk who are listening to your story, ready to help you make sure it doesn't happen again. \n"We want the campus to know what an important role these students play," Shipton said. "You see how much responsibility our University gives to its students in deciding cases. The entire process is a learning procedure."\nA learning experience whether you are in front of the board or behind it.