At the opening of the mock COS hearing on Wednesday April Thompson, director of undergraduate judicial affairs, said that the month's events also aim to unveil some of the perceived mysteries concerning the COS.
"We do a lot of work trying to make the COS process more transparent," Thompson said. "There are no secrets on the COS. The only thing we do keep private is student information. COS hearings are generally open unless someone asks for the hearing to be closed."
The accused student, played by Zeke Turner '09, and the alleged victim, played by Dai Lin '09, were seated with their mock advisors across from another panel of actors, serving as the committee.
Before the hearing began, Thompson explained COS protocol. Its panels always consist of two upperclassmen, two faculty members, one staff person, and the committee chair, usually either Dean of the College James Larimore or Senior Associate Dean of the College Dan Nelson, she said.
"In this kind of case it is common that past sexual history between the two people involved could come up, especially if they had a previous relationship," Thompson said during the mock hearing. "Sometimes couples have been engaged in previous sexual encounters before and the committee will try to bring the focus back to the encounter in question, but the questions in these kinds of hearings go on for several long hours."
After statements and information from both the accused and the accuser, the mock committee was split down the middle, torn about the verdict.
Thompson said that before any punishment can be prescribed, ranging from a warning, a reprimand, probation, suspension and separation/expulsion, a majority of the committee must agree.
"There has to be a preponderance of evidence," Thompson said. "The question is: is it more likely than not that he violated College policy?"
Though each event of the week at the College reflects a specific focus, the broader theme is awareness and acknowledgement that sexual assault is an issue and exists within the Dartmouth community. Dean Stuart Lord of the Tucker Foundation said that the aim of the College is to elevate perception and to heighten awareness around these issues.
"I think the overall goal is to raise consciousness and to get people to exam how we can create a safe environment where all persons are valued, accepted and honored," Lord said. "And that we try to create an environment, which we all work toward, where we eliminate the chances of people being victims and where we eliminate oppressors."
