The Residence Judiciary Board is something of an enigma for Saint Louis University students.

Many students, in fact, view it as a sort of “kangaroo court,” where Residence Life can pass down their inevitable judgment of “guilty,” and look official at the same time.

Nevertheless, a system exists on campus where a student can appeal the charge, be it vandalism, a noise violation or liquor violation given to them by Residence Life.

If a student were to receive a charge that person would be given the option to admit to the charge and accept the punishment, or appeal the case to the Judicial Board.

“A student can either wave the right to a hearing or accept an issued sanction,” said Terry Signorello, Judicial Board Officer.

If a student then exercises his or her right to a hearing, he or she can then present evidence and witnesses. “The charged receive a packet of information explaining what they can do, and what are the rules of the hearings,” said junior Paul Dix, chairman of Residence Life Judicial Board.

At the hearing, the accused and complaining party, who is generally an officer or representative from Residence Life, present opening statements, then witnesses are heard. Witnesses can be presented and questioned by both parties. After both the arguments are heard, the six full-time hearing officers, who are students, deliberate and come up with a verdict.

One complaint of the hearings is that they do not allow law students with more than two years of schooling to represent the accused. “Unless a student is under criminal or civil charges, they do not need a lawyer,” said Signorello. “The system is based on the principal of `more likely than not’ rather than the idea of `reasonable doubt.'”

“One thing students don’t realize is that this is a private institution and not a court of law,” said Dix.

Punishments that students may receive if they are found to have committed a violation can range from expulsion from the residence hall as the most severe, to probation and/or community service.

Hearings are held every Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. “The cases sometimes last only 40 minutes, but have gone until 1 a.m. at times,” Signorello said.

This though, is not the final step in the appeals process. If it seems fit, there is one more segment of the appeals process, where full-time staff members examine the case and pass out final judgment.

The rules of the hearings and how to stay out of them can be found in the student handbook.