AS AN incoming first-year student, you are being inundated with a tremendous amount of information intended to help you to become acclimated to the special community you are about to join. By now, you've probably heard the phrase "student self-governance" touted by a tour guide or admissions officer. However, you may not be fully aware of the importance of this core value at the University.
The University is a community of scholars in which the ideals of freedom of inquiry, thought, expression and of the individual are sustained. Yet, to fulfill its function of imparting knowledge, the University has the responsibility to maintain an atmosphere conducive to its educational purpose by holding its students to certain standards of conduct. At the University, unlike at most other schools, this responsibility lies entirely with the students and is enforced by the University Judiciary Committee.
The UJC is the student government body responsible for adjudicating alleged violations of the 12 University of Virginia Standards of Conduct. These standards, listed to the left in abbreviated form, are binding for all full-time University students as well as student groups, and include prohibited conduct ranging from fire code violations to physical assault.
Any person, regardless of his or her affiliation with the University, may file a complaint with the UJC if a student is believed to have violated any of these standards, provided the complaint is made within 45 days from when the identity of the student is known (the statute of limitations for sexual assault is 1 year, and while charges of sexual assault can be filed with the UJC, these cases are forwarded to the Sexual Assault Board for adjudication).
Once charges are filed, the accused student has the right to a fair trial and the right to confidentiality as the only person able to discuss the details of the case. The trial is conducted and overseen by students who are elected by their peers to serve as judges on the UJC. In addition, students specially trained as UJC counselors serve as advocates and advisors for all parties involved in a trial.
The proceedings consist of two consecutive trials -- a trial to determine whether or not the student is guilty of violating the alleged standard(s) of conduct and, in the case of guilt, a trial for sanction to determine what course of action would best serve to uphold the community of safety, respect and freedom.
In determining an appropriate sanction, the panel of student judges is not bound by precedent and may impose any educational or administrative sanction, up to and including a permanent student's dismissal from the University or the revocation of a student organization's official status.
This trial process and the administrative processes of the UJC are conducted entirely by students. In addition to the student judges and counselors, students also fill the roles of investigators and educators. Investigators are responsible for investigating cases and compiling a report of their findings for use in trial.
Educators serve the dual role of educating the University community and serving as liaison between the Committee and guilty students. Not only are these responsibilities filled by students, they are available to students starting as early as their first year.
The University Judiciary Committee and its trial process serve as the mechanism by which the University students set and enforce their own high standard of student conduct. The fact that the UJC is composed of and run entirely by students is indicative of the amount of power and responsibility that resides with the student body.
We students at the University take great pride in our community and celebrate the freedom and responsibility that come along with it being ours. I have no doubt that you will share this sense of pride once you have taken your place as a student. However, it is my hope that after reading this column you will be able to fully appreciate that student self-governance at the University means that this community of ours is shaped by the standards to which we hold ourselves.
Tim Ormsby is chair of the University Judiciary Committee and a Cavalier Daily contributor.
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