Student Advocates, a newly developed student organization, works to educate, inform and assist students who have been cited for misconduct or are faced with trouble concerning administration or campus conduct policies.
Student Advocates, managed under the Center for Student Conflict Management, began its development last spring, when three students, Jacob Bohannon, Deanna Thompson and Scott Trufan, realized the lack of assistance on the students’ side of student-University conflicts.
Since last spring, the organization has grown significantly, extending its purposes and services as well as setting goals to further enhance the organization.
The three students fill an advisory role for those who face a wide range of misconduct accusations, including noise violations, underage drinking, assault, Greek life conduct violations and even petitions to overload with courses or create a new major.
The role of the Student Advocates is first to inform students of the reasoning behind their accusation and of the process that is to come. The advocates further assist students in gathering evidence, writing appeals and presenting those appeals to Dean of the College Richard Feldman, who handles appeals and often decides the consequences the student will ultimately face.
Bohannon notes that students are often unaware of their rights, and therefore are unlikely to respond appropriately if they are inaccurately accused.
The advocates are responsible for leading the accused students through the mediation process with the school board, ensuring that the school and the accused student are on equal playing fields.
“Last year, someone I knew was going through the appeal process and needed help with his appeal,” says Bohannon. “He wasn’t sure much about the appeal process, or how to go about it.”
It was then that Bohannon, along with Thompson and Trufan, realized that there needed to be some organization to help students along the appeals process.
Since then, the organization has helped other students in similar situations, dealing with four cases this semester.
Part of the Student Advocates’ rise in popularity is due to the use of email—when a student receives an email with an accusation of misconduct, they will also receive a link to the Students Advocates’ contact information, so that they may seek help.
Kyle Orton, Director of the Center for Student Conflict Management, said, “I am quite proud of the opportunity that Scott, Jacob and Deanna presented to the Center for Student Conflict Management. It is a natural fit to have students supporting other students through the conduct process.”
On the efficiency and importance of Student Advocates, Orton stated, “It provides for more restorative conversations when all participants feel fully engaged. I can see this service being very useful both to students and to staff.”
The team is in the process of recruiting advocates for next semester and has already received four applications.
Once applicants are accepted, they will go through a month-long training process before dealing directly with student appeals.
If you would like to apply to ensure that students are informed about the email urstudentadvocates@gmail.com.
Kaplan is a member of the class of 2018.
