Last updated on 05/18/2014
5/17/2014: On Wednesday President Gottfredson told the UO Senate we were to blame for the delays in fixing the student conduct code, and Margie Paris backed his story.
But Carl Yeh, Gottfredson’s Director of Student Conduct, told UO he was leaving for OSU in August 2013, and he left at the end of the month. The UO administration did not get a new Director until March 31st 2014. Job ad here. The new Director is Sandy Weintraub. The Director is an ex-officio administrative appointment to the Student Conduct Code committee. Sort of hard to hold a productive meeting without a Director, given that he’s the convenor. And at least from the committee’s website, there is no sign that they have met this year. [Update: They met on April 10 and May 1 – they just didn’t announce it, or post an agenda or minutes, yet.]
5/14/2014: The US Civil Rights Office proposed revisions to Student Conduct codes in 2011. But VPSA Robin Holmes dropped the ball. She was too busy going on bowl game junkets, and spending $25K in student money on consultants to manipulate the students into voting to pay for EMU renovation fees.
So this evening Professor John Bonine (Law) went down to the weekly ASUO meeting, and asked the students to get involved in changing their Student Conduct Code to address the sort of sexual violence that happened with the basketball players on March 9th. Here’s the student live-blog report:
7:17
Alexandra Wallachy: Public Forum
7:19
Alexandra Wallachy: “I see a lot of legal problems with the current code that don’t give equal rights to victims.”
John Bonine*spelling? Law School Professor addressing the student conduct code
7:20
Comment From Sen. Emeritus Rudin
you got it right
7:22
Alexandra Wallachy: “Changes have already been proposed but there are a lot more issues done in the gross report and recommendations that are not currently the subject of any campus conversations.” Bonine
7:22
Alexandra Wallachy: “It’s a good code but it really falls down, in my opinion, in terms of victim’s rights.” Bonine
7:23
Alexandra Wallachy: “I feel like the code has some real draw backs for today’s modern age.” Bonine
7:26
Alexandra Wallachy: Bonine is asking senate members for input and participation in a conversation to address changes to the student conduct code
7:27
Alexandra Wallachy: “Thank you so much for taking the time to bring this to us.. Are you looking for just involvement or for Senate to take a stance?” Lubash
7:28
Alexandra Wallachy: “That’s up to you. I’m asking people to look at the code and think about what they’d like to change… I’m talking more about a communal drafting or consultation exercise.” Bonine
7:32
Alexandra Wallachy: Lubash opens the agenda and moves to make a working group for an analysis of the student conduct code
7:33
Alexandra Wallachy: “With any resolution that’s come to the floor this year I really encourage you all to do your research and reach out to your constituents…” Schlegel
7:39
Alexandra Wallachy: Students have the right to attend and speak at University Senate
7:41
Alexandra Wallachy: Miyamoto creates an ad hawk *spelling* Student Conduct Code Committee and Student Conduct Code working group
7:41
Comment From Sen. Emeritus Rudin
ad hoc
Total elapsed time? 24 minutes, and it’s done. The ASUO student government and the faculty are now working together to fix the problems that Robin Holmes has put off for 3 years. The hope is to get their revisions in time for a vote at the May 28th Senate meeting.
Disgraceful. I watched the President address the UO Senate today and all I heard were woeful excuses about why the student code of conduct couldn’t be updated. What was the reason? The students that were part of that forum were a very diverse group. Are you kidding me? Are you adults and leaders or not? Diversity is supposed to be our strong-hold here – not a source of division. I was very upset over that one woman’s response about how it has taken nearly a decade to revise the code – all masked in excuses.
Bill doesn’t even try to be accurate anymore – it’s all spin. Sad really.
As for Bonine trying to ram these changes through the senate, I think it is very misguided and will create more problems than it will solve.
Sorry about the spin. I know I shouldn’t stoop to Gottfredson’s level, and I will try not to in the future.
Note: Bonine is a law Professor, who is proposing what will be, when reviewed, as non-controversial, but significant changes to the student conduct code. The students will welcome these changes and his expert legal wording of these changes. I know because I have looked closely at each and every one of these changes. He is not “ramming” controversial changes through the Senate. Really and trulIy LOOK before you pass judgment. I took the time to read and listen to his changes yesterday after the Senate meeting. I believe you will find his changes to be almost “boring”–in the sense that they are so obvious, but they are also very important. They are all essentially based on the “Groves Report” which is on the President’s web site. He worked from those recommendations to update the student conduct code. The changes are items like the “accuser/victim” should not have to face the accused, but can be cross-examined in writing, which is what is recommended nationally. The accused students (the alleged sexual assailants) are entitled to legal advice/representation under the code, so Bonine adds that the accuser/victim should also get independent legal advice/representation under the code. His recommendations are just plain fair, nothing juicy like what is already in there about the definition of assault, or the definition of consent. Those are controversial changes, his are just important legal adjustments to make the code fair to both the accuser and the accused.
The UO should race right into additional inversions of innocent until proven guilty. It can only improve the climate, right? Who better to carry forth this noble mission than a professor of law.
I certainly fully and completely support revising the Student Conduct Code to better support survivors.
In terms of the UO’s Student Conduct Code. I, personally, know that system better than most people. I was falsely accused of “unwanted contact” under the Student Conduct Code in a retaliatory scheme by the UO several years ago. I sued the University of Oregon for racketeering under the state’s ORICO laws due to their actions in the case. And, they settled the racketeering charges out of court in March, 2012. Even though I was exonerated, I’m traumatized by the experience and still dealing with picking up the pieces of my life after having these false accusations leveled at me.
In my case, the University Administration didn’t follow any of the procedures outlined in the Student Conduct Code. Just a few examples: 1. I was prevented from having an attorney at my hearing 2. The University withheld exculpatory evidence from me at the hearing. 3. The University provided secret evidence to the hearing panel that I was not permitted to inspect 4. The University suborned the perjury of witnesses at the hearing. The University actually engaged in criminal behavior in my case: Official Misconduct in Office, Tampering with Physical Evidence, Tampering with a Witness.
So, while I agree that the Student Conduct Code needs to be better revised to support survivors; I believe we also need to look at how we can revise the Student Conduct Code to better support the innocent and also to have real consequences when the University does not follow the law in these cases.