By Vanessa Ogle
The university’s Student Conduct Code, a lengthy document outlining imperative rules to follow, has more than ten section changes being considered for modification under an Undergraduate Student Government proposal.
The proposed revisions, if passed, would take effect on July 1, 2011. Aside from professional jargon being injected into already wordy phrases, there are real changes proposed, with various section revisions slated to change procedures and offer stricter guidelines.
Mediation, a chance to address and fix conflicts among students with trained mediators, is retracting students’ ability to opt for mediation if the issue pertains to accusations of sexual assault or rape.
Rules against sexual harassment would see a change in language. With a vague addition, the rules state an exclusion against anything “objectively offensive” in student environments.
Under the proposed changes, failure to complete a sanction – an assignment given out for minor or first-offender infractions – would lead to a hold on a student’s ability to register for classes, a penalty not outlined in the current conduct code.
Another new restriction: tapestries, though unofficially warned against in safety procedures, would become an official proposed forbiddance. Hanging tapestries is described as a fire hazard.
One section proposal would provide for an allowance: Rice cookers could become stated authorized appliances.
The changes to USG’s Student Code of Conduct are a result of different language, resulting in different rules. One last change: The appeal process adjusted its information, relaying that decisions will be “final.”
