BY SARA MORENCY
The Student Judiciary is a group of juniors and seniors elected by the student body to uphold and maintain the highest degree of academic honesty and social policy. As page 95 in the student handbook reports, “The panel’s purpose is to determine responsibility or lack of responsibility and to recommend sanctions for the student offenses that are brought before it,” but please know that we are in no way a legal body.
Under the new conduct policy the Student Judiciary’s role has not changed. We ask that you please familiarize yourself with the new conduct policy by reviewing pages 85-93 in the Student Handbook. Also, in please see pages 24-27, 46-47, and 95-97 for more information about the Student Judiciary.
The Student Judiciary does not hear cases involving: the sexual misconduct policy, drug policy, alcohol intoxication cases, open container violations, or offenses having to do with Greek organizations.
The current members of the student judiciary include: Maggie Heine (Chair), Sara Morency (Secretary), John Coogan, Maggie Kaus, Daniel Graham, Jacob Trumbull, Lucas Do (Seniors); Adriana Martin, Alex Chumbley, Bryce Rowland, Harrison Kirby, Megan Smith, Lola Fakunle, and Stephen Orr (Juniors). The Advisor to the Judiciary is Professor of Biology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Dr. Stephanie Dew and the assistant advisor is Assistant Professor of English Dr. Stacey Pebbles.
In the 2014-2015 academic year the Student Judiciary heard one academic case and one social case.
Academic Cases:
One academic case was brought before the Student Judiciary. The student was cited for a second offense in academic dishonesty. In this case, the student plagiarized their entire final paper offline and turned it in as their own work. The Judiciary found the student responsible, suspending the student for an entire academic year. If the student chooses to reapply to Centre at the start of the 2016-2017 school year, the student would need to talk with the Dean of the college. The Judiciary also recommend the student seek out stress management and impulsive decision-making counseling during their time away from Centre.
Social Cases:
The social case brought before the Student Judiciary involved a student charged with driving their car on campus grounds (an athletic field) and disorderly conduct. The student drove the car onto an athletic field during a team’s practice. The Student Judiciary found the student responsible. The student paid the fine mandated by the citation in addition to writing an apology letter to the team endangered and completing a number of community service hours.
Remember that vandalism not only increases the cost of our tuition, but it also makes speaking with the administration about campus changes very difficult. Please help us hold our fellow students and ourselves accountable in keeping Centre College’s beautiful campus clean. If you witness an act of vandalism please report this to DPS (Department of Public Safety) or an RA (Resident Assistant).
The Student Judiciary would like to remind all students of the Civility Pledge that was introduced by the Student Government Association, which reads, “I promise to do my best, be my best, and respect the members and property of our Centre community.” The pledge is meant to serve as a type of honor code for our College; it challenges students to live according to the high standards of the Centre community and encourages students to create a more positive environment for a life of learning, leadership, and service.
The Student Judiciary takes matters of academic and social policy violation very seriously. We do this in an effort to maintain and promote the integrity and community we have here at Centre. Please let any member of the Judiciary know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. We wish everyone a productive, successful, and fun year!