I am writing in response to Christian Kiely '09's column regarding flaws in the administration of discipline at Dartmouth ("Citation Error," July 3). Kiely provides a perspective from his personal observations, but I would like to clarify some information about the Office of Undergraduate Judicial Affairs and the Committee on Standards.
First, there are not "differing levels of attention" paid to serious misconduct at Dartmouth or "divergent standards of proof" in the disciplinary system. There is a single disciplinary system that adjudicates violations of the Standards of Conduct. Some violations are serious enough to warrant suspension from the College including sexual assault, violence, causing harm to others, driving under the influence of alcohol and academic integrity violations. All violations at this level are treated similarly and are subject to the same evidentiary standard -- a preponderance of evidence.
This standard applies in each case, regardless of intention to violate the policy. A student's intention to violate the honor principle or harm another student can be considered an aggravating or mitigating factor in determining a sanction, but these factors are considered equally in all types of cases.
In hearings involving academic integrity, the COS often reviews evidence in the form of a plagiarized paper, two similar exams or source material that has no attribution. In cases of physical assault, the evidence is usually in the form of witness accounts. As you can imagine, some student witnesses are reluctant to provide information to the COS about a fight they witnessed or an argument they heard.
While the faculty have an obligation to bring violations of the Academic Honor Principle to the COS, there is no similar student responsibility to report violations, provide evidence or even participate as a witness. This means that many cases of physical assault lack the preponderance of evidence to find a student responsible. As a matter of fundamental fairness, all allegations require evidence to go forward to a hearing.
The COS only hears allegations that may result in a student's suspension or separation from the College. Accused students who admit responsibility for a violation at this level can request to forgo the COS hearing and meet one-on-one with a Dean. AsKiely accurately noted, the vast majority of cases are not considered "suspension level" and are referred to a Dean rather than the full COS. These lower level cases include incidents of public intoxication, disorderly conduct, unauthorized entry and other minor violations that result in college discipline (probation), reprimands and warnings, if a student is found responsible for a violation.
Kiely is correct in his assertion that all alleged violations of the Academic Honor Principle are considered at the suspension level. According to the Dartmouth Student Handbook, "fundamental to the principle of independent learning are the requirements of honesty and integrity in the performance of academic assignments, both in and out of the classroom."
Dartmouth also values safety in our community and typically adjudicates physical assault, sexual assault and violence at the suspension level as well. As reported in the 2005-2006 Annual Report to the Community, in addition to the 26 other types of serious non-academic misconduct cases, there were six cases of physical violence or threats heard at the suspension level. While the typical sanction for a violation of the Academic Honor Principle is a four-term suspension, the most serious sanctions imposed in 2005-06 were for non-academic misconduct -- including six- and eight-term suspensions.
Dartmouth's disciplinary system relies on integrity, good will, and students who believe in taking care of each other. If students have information about violence in the community or "repeated harmful and violent behavior," it is important that witnesses come forward. Without honest witness accounts, the COS is left with only anonymous reports and statements made by the accused student.
Finally, I agree that it is time we take a more careful look at the disciplinary system. Dartmouth will be conducting a review of the College's overall disciplinary system during the coming year and the concerns raised by Kiely and others will be included as part of this review. The review committee will be looking for opportunities to get input throughout the process. If you are interested in participating in the review process, please contact me and we can talk about ways to get involved.
