Proposed code of conduct could expand university’s disciplinary discretion
A proposed code of student conduct would give the university more discretion to discipline students who are charged with a crime, but not yet convicted of it.
Mark Robinson
Assistant News Editor
A proposed code of student conduct would give the university more discretion to discipline students who are charged with a crime, but not yet convicted of it.
According to the 20-page document, the university would be able to pursue disciplinary action against a student or student organization “without regard to the pendency of civil or criminal litigation in court or criminal arrest and prosecution.”
The proposed code of student conduct would allow the university to carry out judicial proceedings prior to, during or after criminal or civil cases were held in court.
“If someone does something egregious, now it’s very clear that it will impact your standing with the university,” said Charles Klink, Ph.D, associate vice provost for student affairs and enrollment services.
The proposed code establishes a wider breadth of sanctions that would allow VCU to withhold a student’s degree if a student has pending disciplinary proceedings with the university. A student’s completion of a university imposed punishment could affect graduation status, according to the document.
The changes expand the university’s disciplinary breadth under the current rules and procedures. A clause added in 2004 allowed the university to discipline students after a conviction in the court system.
In February, VCU student Carolina Perez was killed in a drunken-driving crash when the car she was riding in was hit.
Varinder “Vick” Chahal, the accused driver of the car that hit the car Perez was riding in, is a VCU student. He is charged with aggravated involuntary manslaughter and is scheduled to appear in court May 2.
The senior accounting major’s lawyer said Chahal, who is free on $25,000 bond, hopes to finish his degree at VCU. Under current policy, Chahal is exempt from punishment from the university until his court proceedings conclude.
Every three to five years an administrative committee is responsible for reviewing university policies. Revisions to the old rules and procedures began last March.
A larger student population, more students living on campus and advances in technology contributed to the decision to write a new code, Klink said.
“It served its life well,” Klink said, “but it was time to move to something a little more modern that was written in a way that’s easy for students to understand it.”
The proposed code of student conduct would replace the university’s current rules and procedures, which were written in 1979.
The revised code attempts to clearly define the university’s expectations for students, prohibited behavior and university sanctions for violating the code, Klink said.
There are two scheduled public forums that student, faculty or staff can attend to voice their opinions on the code: April 18 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Academic Centre on the Monroe Park Campus and April 26 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Larrick Student Center on MCV campus.
An email sent out last week linked to the proposed code and a site where students could comment on it. Student feedback has already led the committee to review the wording of the “demonstrations/riot” clause of the document, Klink said.
“Ultimately, if people feel like they’ve been heard and that we’ve been responsive to their concerns, I think they’ll feel more like it’s their document and that they have some investment in it, which is what we want,” Klink said.
Klink said the committee is working with the SGA on the document.
The committee will be collecting feedback until May 1, Klink said. If the revised code is approved by the Board of Visitors, it will take effect by the start of the 2012-2013 academic year.
