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Judcomm Open Forum: 10/11/06

Attendance: missing 3w.

• copies of Judcomm bylaws available.

• Veronica Mendoza: Student Mediation and Community Standards.
  • graduated 1996. Newly back.
  • staff community on discipline.
  • reach out to students and coordinate processes
  • coordinate mediation on campus, dispute resolutions.
  • trying to get judcomms up and running.
  • Dorms decide if want a judcomm, and get to define the judcomm (as broad or as narrow, within the guidelines).

• Dormcon. within dormcon is a judcomm. Different levels- local individual judcomms of each dorm that handle in-house disputes (meant to take into account how all the dorms are different at MIT- allows for flexibility, each dorm defines things for self).
• conduct must have taken place either within the dorm or within the viscinity. (or, between 2 residents, etc).
• could keep it simple, halls settling disputes between roommates.
• an actual judcomm would hold hearings. accusation, accused can respond, both sides can use witnesses, options to appeal to dormcon judcomm (next level up) OR judcomm can claim conflict and shift complaint to dormcon judcomm. Person accused can also send a case directly to Dormcon Judcom- basically, LOTS of flexibility.
• Everything funnels through her office- everything is monitored, so everything is going well and being handled properly.

Open for Questions:

• Q- what powers does judcomm have to impose on people? max. punishments?
  • A- Can't put a formal notation on a student's transcript (only COD can do that). Can put a resident on informal probation (where for period of time, person can be on informal probation/on notice. Higher penalty after next problem). We decide what our powers are- we can limit and also just decide what we want to be able to do.

• Q- What do if person doesnt do their community service/punishment.
  • A- Can make conditions to probation- could give community service! try to choose meaningful punishments. If student doesnt perform punishment tasks, it becomes a new complaint, and can move to another level (we decide- could be a fine, or send to COD).

• Q- What would the COD *not* consider, if something was bumped up?
  • A- All is at discretion of chair of COD. though COD has internal levels- full panel (suspensions and expulsions), smaller panel (3 people), or Veronica's office deals with it if COD doesnt think it is their problem.

• Q- Thought it was illegal?
  • A- No, just the problem was it was so scattered and unorganized, and no one knew what was happening where. So they decided to scrap it all and start from scratch (but it took quite some time).

• Q- What kinds of cases cant judcomm hear?
  • A- sexual harassment, allegations of rape, etc. all outlined in bylaws.
  • Veronica would be notified of all cases when complaints are lodged. So everything is run by her. She runs it by the chair of the COD, who has to agree to let us handle it. Though anything internal to East Campus without larger implications would likely be handled in-house.
  • Every case brought would be heard by the Chair of the COD, and Veronica. They won't get names, neccessarily, but they *do* get to hear the issue, and *can* pull the issue up to COD level. The COD is still allowed to proceed with a case if the complaintant pulls back (though they rarely do so).

• Her office provides training, helps with particular situations.

• Q- Time frame for judcomm to actually deal with a case after complaint?
  • A- She meets once a week (mondays), to get the COD sign-off. After her approval, our committee can get together whenever. The COD has a big panel and then sees who is available for each meeting (like, 5 out of 7 need to come, or something, which allows for people with conflicts of interest to step back).
  • We can impose our own time frames.

• Q- What kind of training to people get once elected?
  • A- She does the training- types of questions Judcomm should ask, to ilicit good information and as much as possible. good listening skills. how to actually conduct a hearing. mediation training (provide during IAP, hopefully throughout the year).

• Q- Your were here when we had a real judcomm. could you give an example case?
  • A- There were a lot of roommate issues. a lot of 5w vs. 4w type issues. noise complaints. each hall has diff. personalities and sometimes things would come to issue and judcomm could solve that. roommate disputes- sometimes would change housing for people. One was taken to COD (rightly so) about showing porn on reg day in talbot. got heated, tried handling it internally, but student was brought before COD. (lots of people upset it was shown in public space. people on both sides. protests! things got out of hand). COD stepped in and took the case. the COD did nothing to him, but went through the whole process.

• Q- Can we still send issues to housemasters and grts, instead of judcomm?
  • A- totally want them to be a part of the process. the complaint thing is confidential (ec residents dont get to know about it) but houseteam does find out about it.

• Q- Opinion on diff. betweenn judcomm and having houseteam deal with things?
  • A- important to people that students are governing selves, so we know our community standards, etc.

• Q- most serious case?
  • A- gosh, dont remember. will have to look back and see. She does plan on making a list of old cases and sanctions so we have something to draw from.

• Housemaster Tom: shares Veronica's thoughts, thinks it is a great idea, particularly conciliation for smaller issues. Houseteam is delighted to work as a resource in our self-governance role.

• Q- Alcohol cases? can judcomm handle that?
  • A- The COD doesnt handle alcohol related issues. Danny Trujilio's office handles things. but MIT does not treat alcohol issues as disciplinary. see section 3A of bylaws.

• Reiteration: Judcomm cant handle sexual harrassment or assault cases, and will have to hand it directly on to the COD.

• We can make things more limiting, but not any broader (cant change MIT and dormcon policies, cant decide that we get to hear sexual harassment cases, but can put in our own stuff and limit things to however we want things). We have ability to tweak it.

• Q- does complaintant have to be a current undergrad student at MIT?
  • A- no, any member of the MIT community can, as long as it involves an east campus resident and the conduct took place at EC or in the area.

• Q- Where do you draw the line with property destruction (criminal? civil?)
  • A- if it comes to attention of authorities, it proceeds there, but can be investigated internally as well. though try to wait if criminal matter, so that things arent admissable in court. so wait to handle it internally (unless immediately neccessary to handle now)

• Thanks for coming Veronica! (she is not doing this for the other dorms, because EC rocks).

• Email is ronnie@mit.edu - email with comments and questions and concerns.

Welcome to housecomm now!

one thing on agenda: bad ideas.

• lacey's annoucement from snaggs: a few people met with Danny Trujilio about online registration process for EC parties, make it easier for us to register. Host goes online, fills out information, certificates based. (snaggs knows if you have done event training, have talked to ehr about parties). it gets sent off, snaggs can check it off, joeg can check it off, then pinged to CPs, and they can approve it online, and then not sure of end part, but they need someone to program it, make it recognize certificates. [Can use scripts, will take someone a bit of time]. Money might be available.
  • Might offer approx. $100 to whoever does it. Lacey will see if people are interested.

• 3w is still not here.

• Bad ideas Chair:
  • sean_m is interested. Thinks we need someone dedicated to it, want to do it.
  • White balloting sean. no one disapproves
  • congrats sean!

Next housecomm is in 2 weeks. take bylaws. discuss. we're going to vote on judcomm next week.

• 3RD WEST IS BRINGING FOOD TO THE NEXT MEETING.