Judicial Process Punishes Students

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   The University of Arkansas at Monticello judicial process provides one of the ways that students are being punished on campus.

    The judicial process makes sure the students on campus abide by the Student Handbook. The process gives the students the right to plead innocent or guilty to the crime that they are being charged with.

   Mitch Meredith, the Residence Life director, said, "The judicial process is needed to keep students aware of the rules on campus, and also to make sure each student follows the rules on campus."

   Some of the crimes that students can be charged for include: misuse of documents, pets, talking out of windows, running in the residence halls, displaying objects in the window and failure to carry keys. The most frequent crime that students are charged with is visitation violations.

   Students accused of a crime have rights including the right to face your accuser at the hearing; the right to have access to all physical evidence; the right to have a closed hearing; the right to not appear at the hearing; the right to challenge any member at the hearing board at the hearing; the right to remain silent; the right to testify on your behalf and witness to your case; and the right to appeal the decision reached by the hearing board.

   As the Administrative Hearing Officer, Meredith handles the judicial cases.

   Meredith said, "Trials are held Monday through Thursday at 2 p.m., located in Harris Hall room 212."

   A Judicial Board reviews the cases. The board consists of four residents from each dorm hall, the area coordinator and the chairperson, seven faculty or professional staff, six students from the Student Government Association and a secretary. The residents chosen on this board came from the Residence Hall Council.

   If a student were to be found guilty, they would have to either do community service or and educational task. The educational task would be a paper on what they did was wrong and how they could have prevented their crime. Harsh crimes that a student commits could also get them kicked out of the Residence Halls.

   UAM student Abra Motley said, "The system tends to be unfair because it your word
against theirs and they tend to judge before listening to your side of the story."

 

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© The Voice 2005
Revised 09/17/2007 02:17:12 PM— http://www.uamont.edu/Organizations/TheVoice/3_8/judicial.htm