WITH President Bush's State of the Union Address on Tuesday and President Casteen's State of the University Address fast approaching, it seems there is no better time than the present to visit the State of the University Judiciary Committee.
The 2006-2007 term of the University Judiciary Committee began with a quiet transition last April. Activity within the committee quickly escalated following the Living Wage Campaign case, an open trial brought by both a student and a dean against 17 students for violating several of the University's Standards of Conduct. The trial elevated the transparency of the committee, giving students and community members alike a rare look at the generally confidential workings of the committee.
Since the beginning, the 2006-2007 term of the University Judiciary Committee has been marked by consistent progress. As the 2005-2006 school year came to a close, the executive committee began to prepare for the year to come. As classes resumed in August, the committee began recruitment in conjunction with an all important publicity blitzed in order to better educate new students and remind those returning to Charlottesville following their summer break. Recruitment proved extremely fruitful as the committee welcomed and educated over 50 new counselors, investigators, educators and judges. Inclusion of the committee's newest members provided new perspectives and a renewed excitement to the UJC's efforts. These new members also include the First Year Judiciary Committee led by Vice-Chair for First Years, Connor Sullivan. These first years represent the future of the committee.
Furthermore, the committee has worked tirelessly to recognize the UJC's opportunity for committee growth. Throughout the year we have utilized all resources at our disposal; working closer than ever before with our general counsel, the office of the dean of students, residence life office, the vice-president for student affairs and our counterpart, the Honor Committee, as well as our own internal subcommittees. Our sexual assault subcommittee has and will continue to work with the Office of the Dean of Students and organizations like One in Four, Sexual Assault Peer Advocacy and Sexual Assault Resource Agency in order to educate students about sexual assault.
The committee plans to see their efforts come to fruition through a mock-sexual assault hearing held later this semester. Our alumni relations committee has expanded its reach, reconnecting with past members. The social committee continues to offer opportunities for inter-committee interaction and all important face time with administrators. Most importantly, the issues subcommittee has dedicated itself to updating our bylaws and establishing our ever important code of ethics.
The executive committee has made every effort to continue to adhere to SAC's requirements in order to ensure the security of our student records. We continue to work closely with The Cavalier Daily in order to better incorporate and educate the University community about our cases and our purpose. We are still working with The Cavalier Daily in order to establish a monthly case statistics box to keep all interested University community members informed. As an executive committee we have maintained high levels of communication and organization in order to expedite the trial process, making it effective and efficient for all involved parties. This effort has made our committee a more professional body.
Last year as individuals we ran and were elected in hopes of accomplishing personal goals; today we are a group, working as one unit to better this University by doing the work the University Judiciary Committee under the guise of student self-governance. And by all accounts we are doing it well. As elected and selected students we have made every effort to better this University through our involvement and dedication to a system that serves and protects every student in every aspect of student life. In the months and weeks ahead, we as a committee will continue to strive to leave this committee greater and better than we first found it last April.
With the State of the [insert organization here] season well underway, we of the UJC can say with all honesty and integrity, students, faculty, administration and other members of the University community, the state of the University Judiciary Committee is strong.
Raleigh Anne Blank is chair of the University Judiciary Committee and a Cavalier Daily Contributor. She is a fourth year in the College.
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