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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has replaced its student-run honor court with a staff “conduct board” that will now rule on student conduct violations, The News and Observer reported Monday.
Although the century-old student-led system had been a point of pride for the university, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Amy Johnson told the newspaper, conduct matters were now often too complex to leave to students.
“That is an extraordinary amount for a student-led process to try to navigate and manage,” Johnson said. “And for that reason, we are moving to a hearing board model that will be guided by professional staff, but still involve the active participation of students, faculty and staff across campus.”
The new model will hopefully speed up the time frame for cases to be resolved. Johnson denied that the change had anything to do with pro-Palestinian protests in the spring.
The new conduct board will be comprised of three existing employees from the Office of Student Conduct and two more that are yet to be hired. An advisory board, composed of students, staff and faculty, will provide feedback on the new model.
Five current members of the student honor court said they were displeased by the decision, which they were informed of less than a day before it was announced to the campus, the Observer reported. But they said they hope to work with administrators to continue amplifying student voices.
