Faculty, other students and, in cases of misconduct, Safety and Security can bring allegations against students. Those students suspected of suspension-level offenses are called before the Committee on Standards. Such cases are a small subset of UJA's 666 cases.
Once allegations are leveled against a student, that student can choose to accept the allegations and have a sentencing hearing with a dean or to refute the charges and have a hearing before the COS, Director of UJA April Thompson said.
David Chattman '08, who recently returned from a three-term suspension, faced sanctions due to violations of the honor principle in a freshman English class last winter.
Chattman opted for a hearing and said the process was very intimidating.
"The trial is pretty daunting and an intimidating experience," he said. "There are three teachers and three students and a dean who, beforehand, come up with questions. You get to have an advisor but they're not really there to help you out, just calm you down."
After repeated alcohol violations, Kendrick Li '08 conceded his culpability and chose to have a sentencing hearing with the dean, but said that he regrets that decision. He said that students are often stressed and frightened when they face serious charges, but those who stay calm and approach their hearings with rational defenses can improve their situation.
Many students are concerned with the number of honor violation cases heard by COS.
Sayat Ozyilmaz '08, whom COS placed on probation for violations of the honor principle, said that, throughout the process, many students have a subconscious paranoia about getting "Parkhursted."
"Everyone sees it as this source of enigmatic fear; they don't know anything about the procedure," she said.
Angela Fang '07 expressed concerns about violating the academic honor principle unknowingly.
"I always wonder if I could still be caught on a technicality even though I could be so well-intentioned to credit every possible bit of work to the correct author," she said.
Other students feel that such fears are trivial, claiming that it is not difficult to obey the honor code.
"It is your responsibility to educate yourself about the Standards of Conduct," Kirsten Wong '06, a member of COS said. "I feel that if you are a responsible person, we aren't asking too much of you."
Jared Hyatt '06, who also serves on COS, said that professors can do a lot more to prevent uncertainty about the honor code.
"I think professors should be more explicit explaining what students can and cannot do in collaborating with one another," he said. "I think many cases would be avoided if professors spent an extra ten minutes describing what is acceptable behavior."
The standard sanction for an honor code violation is a four-term suspension, but Thompson stressed that COS sentences individuals on a case-by-case basis and, therefore, fears of lengthy suspensions for minor infractions were misplaced.
"Many students make confusions in citations who did not get a four term suspension because that is not appropriate," Thompson said.
"The sanctions are always deliberated and voted on. We match the sanction to the case. While there may be 'standard' sanctions, they aren't fixed and in stone," Wong assured.
Chattman said that, although he understood the need for strict sanctions, the penalties levied against students are often extreme.
"Honor principle violations are treated as murder here. A lot of these violations involve honest mistakes," he said. "I feel the school treats a plagiarizer the same way as a sex offender; it's kind of ridiculous."
The most common offenses that lead to suspension at Dartmouth fall under the category of misconduct, which typically refers to alcohol violations. Thompson attributed the recent increase in the number of alcohol-related cases in part to changes in New Hampshire state law, which now classifies intoxication as a form of alcohol possession and has led to more arrests.
Conversely, changes to the College Good Samaritan policy, which grants students involved in a Good Samaritan call impunity for serving or consuming alcohol, has helped limit alcohol-related cases. Good Samaritan calls are calls to Safety and Security for help with an intoxicated individual.
Students arrested by police or caught by Safety and Security face sanctions by the College, which can range from a warning to a suspension for repeated alcohol violations.
Nonetheless College discipline extends far beyond offences made on campus. Students who face any form of legal action either at home or abroad may face sanctions if the school learns of the charges.
"Any violation of law, state, federal or international, is also a violation of Dartmouth policy," Thompson said. "So there would likely be a reaction for the College. You are a Dartmouth student wherever you go so it's important that students uphold the law at Dartmouth or at home."
Some students took issue with this policy, contending that the College should stay out of students' lives when they are away.
"I think the punishment in regards to cheating is fair, but it's pretty ridiculous that the school can take action against you for things that you might do off-campus," Baird Hull '07 said.
Once suspended, students are required to leave the campus within 48 hours and are prohibited from visiting the campus at any time during their suspension. They also lose access to Dartmouth privileges such as BlitzMail, which is one of the most difficult aspects of suspension, Thompson said.
Thompson explained that the UJA seeks to separate students suspended from Dartmouth completely in order to give them time to reflect.
"For a student to be suspended there is a real effort by COS to give them a break from campus so they are much stronger to come back," she said.
Some students take issue with this policy, claiming that, if the College is in fact still interested in having a relationship with a student, it should not treat the student like an outsider.
"When you're Parkhursted, a stranger has more rights than you do and I think they make it like a criminal process," Chattman said. "Is it really necessary to make someone feel like an outlaw? They've embraced you as the student then they break all ties with you. Its unnecessary and unwarranted the lengths they go to cut you off from the school."
Despite the difficulty of the suspension, Chattman describes the eight months away from campus as the best time of his life and said that he managed to maintain close ties with friends on campus. Chattman took an internship at Merrill Lynch in the spring, spent the summer teaching tennis at a country club and lived in South Africa this fall working as a mentor and rugby coach in several townships.
About 80 to 90 percent of suspended students decide to return to Dartmouth, Thompson said. She added that the Dartmouth Plan, which causes students who are not suspended to be off campus throughout the year, can make suspensions easier to handle.
"Students don't often know why their friends were away for a term or two, " she said. "The D-plan makes it easier to come and go."
Indicative of a divide between the student body and the administration, UJA stresses that the COS process is not meant to be punitive and that students are not on trial, yet a large proportion of students feel that UJA and the COS are in need of an overhaul.
Many students who take issue with the system claim that how COS hearings work is a mystery to much of the campus and, therefore, students who face the committee are unfairly unprepared.
Both sides agree that it is important for the Dartmouth community in general to learn more about the judicial process and the rights and obligations of students.
"Unfortunately I think many students don't know enough about how COS deliberates or how we come to decisions," Nariah Broadus, a staff member of COS, said. "I think it's hard for students to recognize that although you may not agree with the sanctions or the decision the Committee made, the process might have been quite fair and appropriate."
"I think they need to change the way information is disseminated to give [students] better preparation," Li said. "People should understand what COS is before they walk in."
Regardless of their individual criticisms, both Li and Chattman said they were happy to be back.
"I feel great, it's something you take for granted," Li said. "I'm a better person for this experience."
"Being forced to leave a place that means so much that you love so much makes you only appreciate it that much more," Chattman said.
