The outgoing leadership of the Student Assembly convened Tuesday night for its final meeting of the academic year to discuss the preliminary findings of the Committee on Standards Task Force and debate several other important resolutions and proposals.
Michael Herman '07, a member of the COS Task Force, said that other elite undergraduate institutions' judicial systems, including Harvard University, Princeton University and Stanford University, currently employ more onerous burdens of proof than that of Dartmouth's, which depends on "the preponderance of evidence" argument.
"We think it would be a horrible travesty for someone innocent to be found guilty, and we need to weigh this social cost of erroneous decisions in determining the appropriate burden," Herman said.
Other members of the task force advocated examining additional ways to increase the transparency of the COS process. Amanda Brown '07 expressed a desire to publish the demographics of those who go in front of COS and to make the institution more accountable.
Members of the COS Task Force, including Adam Shpeen '07, chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, were
present at the meeting to discuss the work and research they have conducted regarding possible reforms to the rules and procedures that govern COS hearings.
Shpeen emphasized that the task force needed more time to conduct the necessary research and to create a report of the team's recommendations.
"I think it is really important to get a lot of student input and to create a healthy dialogue around this important issue," Shpeen said, "We are going to reconvene in the fall; this will be an ongoing process."
The debate opened up and intensified as the proposal to support the creation of a Community Action Network was brought forth.
Thiago Oliveira '06 said the Network would allow people who have been offended by racially-sensitive comments and feel that people and the administration do not care to discuss their feelings.
While the Assembly eventually approved the Statement of Support for the Network in an amended state, some students still expressed concern over the vague terms in which the Network, a concept still in its infancy, was defined. Student Assembly also designated up to $5,000 to the continued maintenance and replacement of Assembly BlitzMail terminals.
The Resolution to End Ivy League Ban on Football Postseason, which is similar to the one recently approved by the Ivy Council, was also approved last night.
The Assembly also approved a proposal to fund the student legal services initiative, a program which would be similar to those already in place at the University of Indiana, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and the University of Virginia. The program would provide limited legal services and the advice of the law firm Kacavas & Ramsdell P.L.L.C.
Outgoing Student Body President Noah Riner '06 supported the program despite its costs.
"It is a lot of money but the stakes are often high," Riner said. "If we can assist students in the first stage, it could go a long way."
