Johnson pushed the deadline for student feedback from Oct. 14 to Oct. 31 in order to give students more time to voice their opinions regarding the committee's 12 recommendations, Johnson said in a campus-wide email sent on Oct. 20.
At Tuesday's meeting, Thompson moved quickly through the report's first five recommendations which included updating policy language, developing educational programs and providing investigator training in best practices for sexual assault investigations which she described as noncontroversial. The fourth recommendation, which facilitates the expedition of sexual misconduct hearings and investigations by the COS, has already been implemented, she said.
"When a sexual abuse complaint comes in, it has priority over everything else in the office," Thompson said.
The discussion became more heated when Thompson introduced the sixth recommendation, which considers whether student-witnesses should be compelled to participate in COS hearings.
Edwin Yung '15 expressed concern that individuals who may not be vital to the case could be subpoenaed. Thompson, however, said the policy is intended to ensure that "people come to the table."
"You can still say that you don't know anything," she said.
Some students voiced concern regarding the potential expansion of the Office of Judicial Affairs' authority and what impact it would have on students.
Mason Cole '13, a member of COS, said that although it might be difficult to conduct cases without forcing witnesses to testify in front of the committee, he was still wary of increasing the power of Judicial Affairs to such a degree.
"How will we make sure that this will only be used in the most serious cases?" Cole asked.
Student Body President Max Yoeli '12, one of three student members of the Sexual Assault Review Committee, responded to some student critique by emphasizing the importance of gathering information in serious trials.
"There is tremendous pressure [on witnesses], because you don't want to screw a friend over, so we needed a way to get through that and find the truth," Yoeli said.
Most students at the meeting agreed with the review committee's recommendation to use COS members trained in sexual assault cases on the hearing panels.
In order to ensure that those with the most relevant expertise partake in sexual assault hearings, the College should prioritize the number of sexual assault cases COS members have reviewed in the past over the amount of time individuals have served on COS when determining who oversees sexual assault hearings, according to Mentor Against Violence Maria Carolan '12. Students also expressed concern that the newly-proposed punishment which calls for students convicted of "attempted penetration, penetration without consent or repeated sexual misconduct" to be expelled from the College may be too harsh.
In response to the recommendation to implement education programs for suspended students, Carolan called for a review system to determine whether such students should be given the opportunity to return to the College.
"There should maybe be an opportunity for assessment to see if the educational component has paid off or not," she said.
The recommendation to allow certain restrictions for suspended students when they return to the College which would take into account concerns that might emerge when a perpetrator and victim reside on campus at the same time was met with strong approval from students attending the meeting. Possible restrictions discussed included not allowing the perpetrator to enter the victim's residence hall and preventing the two students from attending the same social event.
The final two recommendations which call for the expedition of appeals in sexual assault cases and the implementation of restrictions on those who submit such appeals were met with uncertainty among students.
Brendan Mahoney '12 said that while he understands the need for restrictions, he is concerned that the appeals process may be rushed, which would be unfair for the individual who submitted the appeal.
"Everyone has the fundamental right to a fair appeal," Mahoney said. "We can still maintain the restrictions, but things do go wrong."
No students at the meeting requested sweeping changes to the recommendations.
