Laying down the law
Judicial affairs focuses on rehabilitation to discourage repeat offenders
Posted on January 28, 2008
No one likes to be judged by their peers, but in the case of judicial hearings it may be beneficial.
Junior justice studies major Dan St. John is the student judicial coordinator for the Office of Judicial Affairs. It is his job to decide the fate of his peers.
For all non-academic related cases, St. John meets with students one-on-one to review evidence and allow them to defend themselves before he determines if they are guilty. If he finds the student responsible for a violation he determines the student’s punishment based upon the severity of the case and their history with judicial.
Speaking with a student rather than an adult decreases the stress of the situation and may make for a better outcome, St. John said.
“It actually kind of takes their guard down and makes it an a lot more relaxed atmosphere,” he said. “It makes it a much more productive time, because I feel they are going to be more honest and open with a student than an administrator. We can relate to them a lot better.”
St. John primarily deals with alcohol-related violations, mostly involving freshmen. Although it is prohibited for him to hear a case involving someone he knows, he often feels bad handing out punishments because he can relate to the students so easily.
“Your initial reaction is, ‘I wish they didn’t have to come in here at all. I wish they were not responsible so they could go on their way,’” he said. “You want to help them out as much as possible.”
Despite his wishes, St. John must assume his duties as student judicial coordinator and hand out sanctions as needed, hoping students won’t return.
“You have to go past that and think, ‘Would it really help them to hold them not responsible?’” he said. “As you do feel bad, you realize you’re doing a much greater service by handing out sanctions.”
The most common punishment that St. John hands out is a one-time, two-hour, discussion-based class. He said the class goes beyond discussing the side effects of alcohol and focuses on how students can remain out of trouble and safe in the future.
“This isn’t punishment for the sake of punishment,” he said. “This class is the absolute best because a lot of students can make mistakes, and if we can teach them as much as possible and give them as much information as possible, it highly reduces their chances of coming back into the office.”
According to St. John, half of the students that receive one strike do not receive another, proving the programs make a difference.
St. John applied to be a student judicial coordinator to give back to the JMU community. He said it is his, and should be others, number one priority to uphold community standards at JMU.
“I know that as an office we can come off as overbearing or authoritative, but for the most part, we’re educational,” St. John said. “We’re here to get the best four years out of every student that they can have, and we help the students as much as possible.”
