President Peterson Meets with Student Leaders on Student Judicial Process

The president addressed federal regulations and the differences between the processes used for student conduct and sexual misconduct

Undergraduate and graduate student leaders, including several members of the University Judicial Cabinet, met with President G.P. “Bud” Peterson Jan. 28 and 29 to discuss Georgia Tech’s student judicial system. On Jan. 25, Peterson and other Tech administrators spoke to the state’s Higher Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee on the topic of due process on college campuses and how it is applied in student conduct proceedings at Georgia Tech and within the University System of Georgia.

Because the hearing and follow-up media coverage generated student interest on campus, the presidents of the undergraduate and graduate student government organizations asked to meet with Peterson and a select group of other student leaders.

Peterson provided a brief overview of Georgia Tech’s student judicial process and answered questions. Because federal laws prohibit university officials from commenting on individual disciplinary cases or students involved in student conduct incidents, he shared a big picture perspective and avoided discussing specific cases.

The president talked about Georgia Tech’s compliance with federal regulations, the differences between the processes used for student conduct and sexual misconduct, and students’ roles, rights, and responsibilities. He thanked the students for their ongoing leadership in the student judicial process and reiterated Georgia Tech’s commitment to maintaining a learning environment that is safe and affirms the dignity, respect and values of the campus community.

“Safety on college campuses is an ongoing national concern, particularly in the past few years. There has been much discussion nationally about due process and how it differs within the student judicial systems at colleges and universities throughout the country. This issue is not something that is unique to Georgia Tech or the state of Georgia,” Peterson said.

“There are many thoughts on the best ways to address these issues, but I think we all agree on the goal,” he said. “Colleges have a responsibility both morally and under federal law to protect all students.”

The Institute periodically evaluates all of its policies, procedures and guidelines to ensure that they comply with federal regulations and guidelines and align with best practices nationally.

Last October, Peterson appointed a working group to review the policies and procedures used by the Office of Student Integrity for Student Code of Conduct cases.

The working group developed a series of recommendations designed to improve these processes and procedures for handling cases under the Georgia Tech student conduct policy. Refinements address the pre-charge review process, aggregation of unrelated cases, recourse to challenge possible biases and elimination of the sanction of Suspension in Abeyance for both individuals and student organizations.

On Jan. 28, the Standing Committee on Student Regulations received an update on these recommendations. The official proposal for changes to the Student Code of Conduct will be submitted for committee review prior to the Feb. 16 meeting of the Academic Faculty Senate.

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