We sent a survey to all candidates running for University Judiciary Committee positions asking them for their opinions to a variety of issues, and giving them a chance to elaborate where they felt necessary. Those candidates who responded are listed below. For a list of Student Council candidate platforms, click here. For a list of Honor Committee candidate platforms, click here to read about the Engineering and College Representatives and click here to read about the Representatives from the Nursing, Architecture, Batten, Commerce, Medical and Continuing and Professional Studies schools.
Shanice Hardy
Batten Undergraduate
Should the UJC release case summaries? No
Should the UJC be required to publish its budget? Yes
Should the head of UJC be elected by the student body instead of the committee? No
Should students be allowed to have professional representation at UJC trials? No
Should UJC be required to release summary statistics regularly? Yes
Should Pat Lampkin be allowed to review UJC decisions? Yes
Should Resident Life increase the number of cases it reports to UJC? No
Do you approve of FYJC’s reduction from 17 to 12 members? Yes
If elected, do you intend to seek a chair or vice chair position in UJC? Yes
Sam Brickfield
Law Graduate Student
Should the UJC release case summaries? No
Should the UJC be required to publish its budget? Yes
Should the head of UJC be elected by the student body instead of the committee? No
Should students be allowed to have professional representation at UJC trials? No
Should UJC be required to release summary statistics regularly? Yes
Should Pat Lampkin be allowed to review UJC decisions? No
Should Residence Life increase the number of cases it reports to UJC? No
Do you approve of FYJC’s reduction from 17 to 12 members? Yes
If elected, do you intend to seek a chair or vice chair position in UJC? No
If you would like to expand on any of your answers above, please do so here.
I have not yet decided if I would seek a Vice Chair Position.
Do you think the UJC does an adequate job interacting with members of broader student body? How might you improve the UJC’s efforts?
The UJC is stuck between student privacy laws and our University’s commitment to transparency. While sharing the outcomes of cases would go a long way towards improving UJC’s connection with the student body, it is often just not possible because of the privacy rights of students.
What are your goals for the upcoming UJC term? Why are you the best candidate to fulfill those goals?
I hope to bring a moderate approach to sanction crafting, seeking to punish students no more than necessary, especially if there are sanctions already present from the criminal justice system.
Please describe your previous experience with UJC.
I have been a counselor for two years and I have worked on cases for both accused and complainant parties spanning a large subject matter.
Patrick Greco
Law Graduate Student
Should the UJC release case summaries? No
Should the UJC be required to publish its budget? Yes
Should the head of UJC be elected by the student body instead of the committee? No
Should students be allowed to have professional representation at UJC trials? No
Should UJC be required to release summary statistics regularly? Yes
Should Pat Lampkin be allowed to review UJC decisions? Yes
Should Resident Life increase the number of cases it reports to UJC? No
Do you approve of FYJC’s reduction from 17 to 12 members? Yes
If elected, do you intend to seek a chair or vice chair position in UJC? Yes
Do you think the UJC does an adequate job interacting with members of broader student body? How might you improve the UJC’s efforts?
The fact of the matter is the majority of the student body wants nothing to do with the UJC, and for good reason. It’s a disciplinary body. I am not sad that many of our students are unaware of the daily goings on of the UJC because I think that shows that we are not worried about student behavior and disciple overall. I am happy that many seem to trust the job that the UJC does.
What are your goals for the upcoming UJC term? Why are you the best candidate to fulfill those goals? I do wish the UJC was more proactive in the community, though. I would like to see the UJC sponsor programs on responsible drinking and conflict resolution. I think programs like these, aimed at the whole student body and not just the undergraduates, would give the UJC a more positive image in the mind of the community. We shouldn’t just be the people you go to when you do something wrong, we should also be seen as an organization helping people stay on the right track here at UVA”
Please describe your previous experience with UJC.
As I stated above, I want the UJC to do more proactive outreach into the community. I believe I am the best candidate for that position because I have been a member of the committee for over three years and I have also been a student at UVA in both undergraduate and graduate programs. I have a better idea than most about what unique views and experiences different students have at different times in their academic careers. This past year I have served on the UJC’s Executive Committee as the Senior Counselor, coordinating our support officers who serve as advocates for both complainants and accused students in our trials. The year before I was the chairman of the Issues Subcommittee and was tasked with reviewing the Committee’s bylaws and constitution. Those efforts culminated in bylaw amendments that created new representative positions for students from the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Before that, I served as a counselor and as a First Year Judge on the First Year Judiciary Committee.
Kyle Snapp
Law Graduate Student
Should the UJC release case summaries? Yes
Should the UJC be required to publish its budget? Yes
Should the head of UJC be elected by the student body instead of the committee? No
Should students be allowed to have professional representation at UJC trials? No
Should UJC be required to release summary statistics regularly? No
Should Pat Lampkin be allowed to review UJC decisions? No
Should res. life increase the number of cases it reports to UJC? No
Do you approve of FYJC’s reduction from 17 to 12 members? Yes
If elected, do you intend to seek a chair or vice chair position in UJC? Yes
If you would like to expand on any of your answers above, please do so here.
I believe that a certain level of transparency should exist between the student body, the administration, and the UJC in order to ensure an open dialogue between each entity. In my opinion, releasing case summaries and budget reports would better enable interested or aggravated students to understand the Committee’s actions and would promote a fair and unbiased organization. However, I am hesitant to support initiatives that reduce the self-governance aspect of the Committee or that threatens to embarrass students who come before the UJC, and I believe that these sentiments must be strongly considered when making substantial structural changes.
Do you think the UJC does an adequate job interacting with members of broader student body? How might you improve the UJC’s efforts?
My efforts with interacting with members of the broader student body would start by focusing on the law school, and then moving educational initiatives to the entire University. I believe that mock trials and conferences with students who are facing allegations about their rights under the UJC will help to increase transparency from the organization and ensure that students have an opportunity to interact with individual members of the Committee.
What are your goals for the upcoming UJC term? Why are you the best candidate to fulfill those goals?
I will uphold and promote the Standards of Conduct across the entire University, while seeking to increase the flow of information between the UJC and students, particularly those at the Law School. I believe that a Representative should be a fair advocate for the students at his or her school and should seek to help the students of that school move forward with their educational process while minimizing the adverse affects that an allegation may bring. My goal is not to punish simply to punish, but to ensure that the Standards of Conduct are followed and that future violations do not occur.
Please describe your previous experience with UJC.
Though I have not had any direct experience with UJC in the past, I was a member of my fraternal organization’s judicial board for three years at my undergraduate institution, one of which I sat as chairman of the board. My judicial experience taught me the importance of ensuring fair analysis of an offense on a case-by-case basis, while still upholding precedents and using previous decisions to create a standard for behavior that all students have an incentive to follow.