It was a Sunday night, but that didn’t stop a floor of freshmen from throwing a beer pong tournament in their dorm room in Shaw Hall.

What broke up the party was a visit by an on-duty Resident Advisor and the Resident Director.

‘We hadn’t been playing (beer pong) long before the RA and RD showed up at the door,’ said Matt Miller, an undecided freshman. ‘One of the guys wouldn’t let them in the room. That’s when they told us that DPS was already on its way.’

It’s an incident that most college students, especially freshmen, know all too well.

While that scenario may be familiar, the judicial process that follows is a mystery to many, who find themselves faced with the consequences of violating the Student Code of Conduct.

‘It was an annoying process, and now we’re more careful,’ Miller said. ‘It’s good to keep in mind because I didn’t realize how severe punishments could be.’

Judicial Affairs resolved over 1,100 cases last year, ranging from freshman-year mistakes to serious crimes like assault or burglary. With the power to expel, suspend or force students to atone for their actions, it can have serious influence over a student’s time at college.

LAW

A University Judicial System complaint form may be filed against any student or recognized student organization or by any member of the university community, said Cheryl Stanley, assistant director of Judicial Affairs. Complaints may be filed by a student, faculty member or staff member. In the case against Miller and Dave Bryant – one of the students caught with Miller – the RA and RD filed the complaint against them.

‘When DPS came, they interviewed everyone,’ said Bryant. ‘They asked us questions like ‘Where’d you get the alcohol?’ and ‘How much have you had to drink?’ When they were finished they took our alcohol too.’

Like Bryant’s, most cases begin with an investigation by Public Safety, where statements and reports are created, said Drew J. Buske, captain of operations with the Department of Public Safety.

Because Public Safety is so involved with investigating complaints, it works closely with Judicial Affairs to build cases before they are reviewed, much like the city’s police and the district attorney’s office.

Even off-campus violations of the Student Code will find their way back to Public Safety and eventually Judicial Affairs, because of the Neighborhood Safety Patrol, a joint community safety effort between Syracuse University and the Syracuse Police Department, Stanley said.

Stanley said that students could get into trouble on their Spring Break vacations and find themselves being prosecuted by both the local police department and SU.

ORDER

‘The Office of Judicial Affairs reviews the case and decides if the filed complaint is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct,’ Stanley said. ‘If it is, the accused and the Office of Judicial Affairs case manager meet to discuss the violation, if it is likely that it will happen again, and several options for punishment.’

Students then face two options: resolving the violation with an advisor or attending a hearing.

Miller and Bryant opted to resolve their conflict informally, along with over 99 percent of the other students who faced disciplinary action from the university last year.

‘We got busted in October, so we figured that we’d have our meeting over with soon,’ Miller said. ‘We finally had our meeting in December.’

Miller and Bryant used their meeting to discuss their violation, and the caseworker decided that the boys would receive a ‘Strike’ over the incident.

If they get into trouble again, Miller said, they will be put on formal probation and perform community service hours. The incident did, however, go onto their permanent records.

Students who choose the formal route, however, face a hearing presided over by fellow students on the University Judicial Board and Peer Education Team.

The same punishments are available to the UJB for their decision as for the caseworkers, but offenders who choose this option typically claim they are innocent more strongly, and the cases are more controversial.

This controversy often means the decision rendered by the board is stiffer compared with the results of the informal meetings.

In most first-time violations, the student is placed on disciplinary probation, with some form of community service for Project Citizenship, Awareness, Responsibility, and Ethics.

Rather than punish students or force them into community service, Project C.A.R.E. gives offenders a choice among cultural or artistic exhibits, lectures or musical performances.

Organizers hope that the activities will prevent students from getting in further trouble, while adding to their education in ways they might not pursue themselves.

‘I’ve found that through probation, educational projects, office programs, decision making classes and Project C.A.R.E. we can both shape and help these students,’ Stanley said. ‘We are committed to educating students who have violated codes, so that they are less likely to return with other violations.

Second-time violators are usually suspended for a minimum of one academic school year.

TRIAL BY JURY

The University Judicial Board/Peer Education Team is made up of students, staff and faculty from the university. The board hears each case and determines the outcome from hearing the student’s argument and the evidence brought against them, Buske said.

Currently there are 22 students, including a graduate student on the board. The board is made up mostly of undergraduate students, members of the Greek community, off-campus residents, or people who identify themselves as students of color.

Last year, Judicial Affairs heard 1411 cases of student misconduct, which was up about 24 percent from the 2002-2003 school years.

In their biannual reports, Judicial Affairs believed that the increase was because of Operation Prevent, and the zero tolerance policy for those caught drinking or buying alcohol underage. The results of the fall 2004 semester have yet to be released.

‘The University views its judicial process as a learning experience that is intended to result in the growth and understanding of individual responsibilities on the part of all persons,’ Stanley said.

Published on January 27, 2005 at 12:00 pm