Honor code outlined in student handbook

By John Chisholm
Contributing Reporter

Although most students never take part in the university's judicial system, administrators, faculty members and students associated with the judicial system have recently made an effort to better educate the student body about its rights by publishing all information related to judicial proceedings in the student handbook.

"Most students never have direct contact with the judicial system É they don't have to know how the system works," James Powell, chairman of the Judicial Council, said. "It's just good for students to know about the judicial process."

Additions to the handbook include a complete list of presumptive sanctions for all code of conduct violations and an outline detailing all procedures of the judicial process.

"It's helpful to those who find themselves in the judicial system," Ricardo Hall, assistant dean of judicial affairs, said. "It lays it all out there for students."

Prior to the release of this year's student handbook, presumptive sanctions had been established, but sanctions for some violations had never been formally published for dissemination to students.

Also, judicial system procedures had previously been listed only in the guide to Student Government.

"Previously, students wishing to read about the judicial system would have had to stop by the student government offices to pick up a constitution," senior Elijah Bolin, judicial co-chair of the Honor and Ethics Council, said. "Hopefully, students will now be more aware of their rights as members of the Wake Forest community." Also, according to Powell, the move of the procedures outline to the student handbook in some way helps to validate the authority of the document.

"The level of authority (the document represents) fits better in the university publication," Powell said.

The move of the documents to the student handbook also assures that all judicial procedures are now listed in one, central publication.

However, according to Bolin, students who find themselves in trouble with the judiciary do not necessarily need to know all of the procedures.

"If a student is accused of a violation É it is important to keep in mind that he or she is assigned a student adviser from the Board of Investigators and Advisers," Bolin said. "The advisor directs the student through the process, acting as that student's advocate."

Although this is the first year that all judicial proceedings documents will be distributed through the student handbook, both Hall and Powell agree that students have been aware of their rights and responsibilities in the past.

"It's hard to imagine a student not aware of our honor code," Hall said.

Other education methods have been in place to help student's understand their rights. "The honor assembly, the Honor and Ethics CD-ROM and the handbook are all ways in which we hope to familiarize students with Wake's judicial system," Bolin said.

The current student handbook was distributed to freshmen over the summer and is available online in the student life section of the university's Web site.

Student Government is also in the process of releasing "The Idiot's Guide to the Honor Code, " which will be released on their newly designed Web site later this semester.