To the Editor:

As a student well-acquainted with the Office of Student Conduct, formerly Judicial Affairs, I know what the office is about. Primarily, they strive to better students and their behavior through enforcing rules meant to enrich students in the Jesuit tradition. This is a noble task, but it is not easy to translate this ideal into results in the student body. I will say now that I do not think the office has functioned well.

For example, a friend of mine I’ll call T was cohabitating in a room last year in Gries around 3 a.m. when that unfriendly knock came at the door. She curled up in a ball under blankets in an attempt to avoid trouble. However, she was found out and everyone in the room received a write-up in some form or another. This occurred in February, but students were not notified of possible sanctions until May. This delay posed serious problems, with students finishing their finals and going home for the summer. As it happened, many cases were never closed, due to the summer break.

At this point, a key error took place with the powers that be. Dr. Teresa Remelius left her post here at SLU and was replaced as chief judicial officer with a new Office of Student Conduct. The cases that were left open were just that, open, with students lacking knowledge of sanctions or validity of infractions. As students signed up for housing for the 2006-2007 school year, they were made aware of these open cases. Now, 14 months after an infraction, T cannot remember much of what took place, and a resolution with the office does not seem near. Though the people in the positions of power mean well and are nice, this discontinuity needs to be fixed. Students need a system that is not only fair in judgment, but one that is also quick to meet the needs and common sense goals of students.

Pat Hagerty

Sophomore, College of Arts & Sciences