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• General Information
  • Judicial Officers and Staff
  • Support Staff Positions
  • Location and Contact Information
• e-Chug and e-Toke Assessments
• University Policies
  • Residence Life Handbook
• Philosophy
  • Guiding Principles
  • Philosophy
  • Principles of Developmental Conduct
• Ethical Standards
  • Affirmation of Ethical Standards and Responsibilities
  • Students' Rights and Responsibilities
• Jurisdictions
  • Judicial Boards
  • Appeals Board
• Sanctions
  • General Guidelines
  • General Violation/Sanction Grid
  • Type of Policy Violation Chart
  • Levels of Sanctions
• Staff-Only Materials

Judicial Boards

Jurisdiction

The Director of Residence Life and Area/Commons Coordinator will determine how an alleged violation should be resolved - informally with a staff member, in a hearing with the Coordinator or other judicial officer, with a J-Board, or with the Standards Committee.  If a student is referred to a J-Board and requests a hearing with an individual judicial officer, the Coordinator will determine if the student has a compelling reason.  If so, he/she will honor the request. Other reasons that he/she might refer the case to an individual judicial officer include:

• a relationship is already established with another judicial officer
• the judicial board is booked for the next several weeks
• the case needs prompt response, can’t wait to convene a judicial board

Refer to the Selected Policies Manual for additional information.

Membership

A J-Board should be comprised of the following voting participants:

• Five (5) CLA student members. Active ASWU executive members and Senators may not serve on the J-Board.
• Two (2) staff members (may include faculty, administrators, and other University representatives). The Director of Student Health Services, Director of Counseling, or any similar positions may not serve on the J-Board. Furthermore, the Director of Residence Life, any University Dean or hearing officer may not serve on the J-Board.

J-Board members may be rotated to fill these positions and may serve as an alternate on another J-Board when necessary.

Ideally, J-Board members are assigned to the boards in their residential area.   J-Board members may be assigned to a J-Board according to which board best fits their academic or professional schedule, and may be rotated to achieve this accommodation.  In addition, J-Board members should represent different perspectives, philosophies and experiences

First-Year (Freshman Class) Membership

Incoming students (first year) should be represented and will be selected as soon as possible after the new academic term begins. A first-year student must observe at least five (5) J-Board hearings before participating as an active member in a hearing.

Temporary Disqualification

Any member of the J-Board who believes s/he may be unable to render an impartial decision in any case will excuse her/himself from that hearing; alternatively, the J-Board chair(s) may remove any J-Board member from a case if the he/she believes that a member may be unable to render an impartial decision in the case.  Because Willamette is a small community, knowledge of an acquaintance with the accused student(s) and/or witnesses in a hearing, awareness of a case, participation in campus issues related to the subject matter of a case, participation as a consequence of one’s official role in events surrounding a case and/or participation in the disciplinary process prior to the hearing of the case will not automatically be grounds for disqualification. 

 A J-Board chairperson may consider, upon request of an accused student or any committee member, the temporary disqualification of a J-Board member from a specific hearing.  Any concern one may have about the ability of any J-Board member to render an impartial decision in his/her case must be submitted in writing to the Chair, at least two days (or 48 hours) in advance of the hearing.  (See below for additional guidelines).

Quorum

Quorum is required for any J-Board hearing. At least three (3) students (including the Chairperson or proxy) and one (1) staff member must be present to hear and deliberate on a case. The accused student may waive J-Board quorum. If the student chooses not to waive the need for a quorum, the hearing must be rescheduled. If more than one accused student is participating in a given hearing, a student may choose to have their hearing individually if they disagree with the quorum decision of their peers.

Furthermore, if a decision or sanction regarding a case is postponed to the next J-Board meeting, the Chair presiding during that given hearing and at least one hearing officer must be present to announce the decision to the accused individuals.

In the event of absence, unavailability of disqualification of any member, J-Board members may be rotated to fill these positions and may serve as an alternate on another J-Board to assure full committee membership. Alternate members will be selected from the same group, i.e., students replace students, staff replace staff. Alternates will be called to serve by the J-Board Chairperson or at the discretion thereof.

Chairperson

The Chair of a given J-Board must be a current CLA student. The Chair must be knowledgeable about University policy and procedures of the judicial process, and must exhibit strong leadership and decision-making skills.

New Chairpersons will be chosen by the current judicial board chairs and the University Judicial Officer.

The Chair will be responsible for:

• Participating in the selection of new J-Board and appeals board members.
• Reviewing the written statements and reports prior to the consideration of J-Board members at large.
• Conducting all meetings, hearings, and rendering all decisions and/or sanctions.
• Exercising control of the hearing to: avoid needless consumption of time, prevent harassment or intimidation of the accused student(s) or witness(es), and exclude irrelevant, immaterial and/or unduly repetitive information.
• Assigning a proxy Chairperson when necessary.
• Writing follow-up letters to the accused student(s)
• Handling all mid-semester or mid-year reappointments, suspensions or removals of current J-Board members. This includes the temporary  disqualification of any J-Board member.
• Maintaining open and honest communication with University staff, especially the Dean of Campus Life and the Director of Residence Life.
• Upholding all responsibilities outlined under "J-Board Members."

J-Board Members

J-Board members are bound to the responsibilities outlined in Section 3: Expectations. In particular, the following standards are important:

• Be present during the full proceeding of the hearing, and be present during the entire deliberation process. It is the duty of a J-Board member to inform the Chair and arrange for a substitute (alternate J-Board member) in advance if s/he is unable to attend.
• Willingly excuse oneself from a hearing where s/he has prior knowledge of the case or knows the accused student(s) in a way that would bias her/his opinion.
• Refrain from coming to any conclusion about the accused student’s responsibility unless and until persuaded otherwise by the information presented during the hearing.  In the event that a student denies responsibility, the board will need to carefully consider the possibility that the allegation is inaccurate before concluding that the accused student(s) has been dishonest.
• Be actively involved in asking questions of the accused student(s) and witnesses to determine what happened, the involved parties’ intentions and motivations, the impact of the behavior, and, if responsible, appropriate sanctions.
• Be actively involved in deliberations of the board.
• Adhere to all provisions of the Standards of Conduct. Board members who are charged with any violation of the Standards [or with a criminal offense] may be suspended from the given board by the Chair of that board while charges are pending.

Advisor

The Area or Commons Coordinator will serve as advisor to their respective J-Boards. The advisor will be responsible for:


• Scheduling hearings or board/committee meetings as necessary.
• Excusing her/himself from hearings whereby the integrity of the judicial process may be compromised by her/his involvement in a case.
• Presenting and describing a student's conduct record.
• Providing accurate information and open, honest communication with the J-Board regarding process, sanctioning guidelines and student conduct record.



Selection

Student J-Board members will be selected from the CLA via application and interview. The Dean of Campus Life and J-Board members will nominate two (2) University staff members to serve on each J-Board, or to share responsibilities between the given J-Boards. Selection will take place in the late spring so that J-Board members may serve a fall-to-fall, two-semester term.

Past J-Board members (esp. chairpersons) should lead and/or be involved in the selection process-both application and interview. All J-Board members (both students and staff) will be confirmed by the ASWU Senate. Only members who have been approved by the J-Board selection panel and ASWU Senate will be appointed to a J-Board.

Removal

J-Board members are bound to the ethical standards and responsibilities outlined in Section 3: Expectations. If a J-Board member violates confidentiality (esp., reveals the identity or circumstance of a case), that member will be held in violation of the Standards of Conduct, sanctioned, and removed from the J-Board. In addition, if a J-Board member fails to fulfill the responsibilities of their position, that member may be removed by the chairperson(s) and advisor of that board (after consulting with the Director of Residence Life). Ethical standards will still apply after the active role of a J-Board member has been terminated.