On Tuesday, the student conduct committee presented a motion to the faculty with five changes to the student code of conduct, one of which was to remove the option of appealing a case to the president.
President Alison Byerly said she supports removing the president from the appeals process, as it would provide students with a more “prompt” experience, something promised by Title IX itself. She added that her review of the appeal usually lasts two weeks.
Title IX and Educational Equity Coordinator Jessica Brown wrote in an email that she also supports the motion.
“It is in line with best practices and many schools use a model of one level of appeal. Certainly removing the appeal to the president would make the appellate process shorter,” she wrote.
Chair of the committee professor Manuel Ospina-Giraldo wrote in an email that “this change is in accordance with best and most typical practice across the country, which indicate that there should only be one level of appeal.”