The Office of Undergraduate Judicial Affairs has assumed responsibility for minor misconduct disciplinary hearings, a move which Dean of the College Tom Crady said will allow class deans, who were previously responsible for the proceedings, to be more available to meet with students and provide support during the current economic crisis. Crady announced the changes in a campus-wide e-mail on Tuesday.
"First and foremost, I want to be sure that those of you who may be directly or indirectly affected by the national economic situation know the resources that are here to support you," Crady said in the e-mail.
Under the previous policy, deans served as the hearing officer in minor misconduct cases involving students under their purview, according to UJA director April Thompson. All issues that do not go before the Committee on Standards, including public intoxication, are classified as "minor misconduct," Thompson said.
The class deans will be available to students on a "first-come, first-served basis" every afternoon, and will assist students with all "academic, personal, financial, social or other concerns," the e-mail states.
"Deans are available if [students] want to talk to people," Crady said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
The judicial change aims to "expedite [the cases'] resolutions and to enable class deans to focus on providing academic and personal support outside of the disciplinary process," Crady wrote in the e-mail.
The new policy will also allow the class dean offices to "redistribute" their workload in light of recent personnel changes, Thompson said. Dean of First-Year Students Gail Zimmerman and six other employees from the class dean offices were laid off at the end of February following the implementation of College-wide budget cuts.
Students have suggested that the deans be separated from Judicial Affairs, Crady said.
"I heard it all last Winter term," Crady said. "[It] seemed like the logical thing to do. If we didn't have a Judicial Affairs Office, it would make sense for [minor misconduct hearings] to stay with the deans, but we have a Judicial Affairs office."
Many other institutions operate under a similar system, he added.
The new plan will further benefit students by allowing deans to assume a supportive rather than punitive role in student discipline, Thompson said.
"[The deans] will still be providing support, but [they] won't be imposing their sanctions," Thompson said.
The change will also make judicial decisions more consistent because they will be made by one body, rather than by multiple deans, Crady said.
The change was not a response to the current budget cuts, Crady said, adding that he will monitor the effectiveness of the new system.
"Quite frankly, we'll just have to wait and see where it goes," Crady said. "If it doesn't work, we're going to change it."
