Student group proposes peer mediation programs

IU students are working an alternative way to deal with problems instead of being punished by the Office of Student Ethics.\nJunior Chris Maher, director of the Department of Student Rights, is creating a peer mediation program which could give students other options if they get into trouble.\nThe system would be organized and operated by the Department of Student Rights, which would use some of its 10-20 employees to help resolve problems instead of punishing students for isolated incidents. \nMaher said many of these "dumb arguments" should not be the death of students.\n"Law school is pretty competitive," he said. "And it's ridiculous that a student would have a blemish on their academic record just because of a silly fight they got into at the dorms."\nPamela Freeman, director of Student Ethics, said she is just as concerned about these incidents, but doesn't think it is a problem.\n"I don't agree that some students have been unfairly prevented from getting into law school or other programs," she said. "We don't ruin people's record for minor violations. Most of these violations are serious."\nMaher said the peer mediation program would ease the case load for Student Ethics, but Freeman said only certain cases could be handled by peer mediation. \n"We've had programs like these in the past, but there wasn't enough cases to keep them busy," she said.\nFreeman and Maher agreed that some cases may be too extreme for peer mediation.\n"There would have to be some sort of system to say what can be dealt with in peer mediation and what can't," she said.\nSenior Mike Gallagher, who works for the Department of Student Rights, said the program could be beneficial to nearly all involved.\n"The whole process is going to enhance education not only for those who are being mediated, but the mediators will learn as well," he said. "Through resolving our problems, we can really learn about ourselves."\n-- Contact Campus editor Adam Aasen at aaasen@indiana.edu.