University of Virginia Library

Students To Vote Wednesday
On New Judiciary Constitution

By Donn Kessler
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

A new vote on the proposed Judiciary
Committee Constitution will be held
Wednesday, October 8 through Friday,
October 10.

The constitution was placed before
the students last spring, and although
approved by the majority of voters, the
constitution could not be ratified because
60 per cent of the student body did not vote in
the Student Council and Judiciary Committee
Constitutional referendum.

Election Changes

This year, however, there has been a change
in the referendum regulations and only 40% of
the student body has to vote in the referendum
with a majority approving the constitution for
the constitution to be ratified.

The new constitution makes several reforms
in jurisdiction, membership and review.

In the area of jurisdiction, the Judiciary
Committee now has two types of jurisdiction:
original and appellate. Original jurisdiction will
be the same as in the previous constitution
except that the committee will now have the
power to handle sex offenses.

Appellate Jurisdiction

In appellate jurisdiction, the committee will
now be able to review the decisions of any
other jurisdiction body on the Grounds
including the Executive Committee of Counselors,
the Inter-Fraternity Council, and the
Nurses' Council.

The new constitution has also changed its
procedure in appellate jurisdiction. In hearing
any case in appeal from another judicial body,
the committee will use the procedures of the
original judicial body to keep in conformity
with the procedures afforded the student in the
original "trial."

Public Trials

Also in reform of previous procedures, the
new constitution will allow for public judiciary
trials if the accused person so desires one.

Probably one of the most striking changes in
the new constitution deals with the review of
its decisions by the Dean of Students. In the
new constitution, the Dean may still review the
committee's decisions buy may not change a
committee decision. He may only recommend
to the committee that in his opinion, the
decision should be changed.

Review Power

This reform in review of committee
decisions is tempered by another clause of the
constitution which states that the Dean of
Student Affairs has the power of special review
to change the decisions of the committee if he
feels it is in the best interest of the University.

Even with this clause, however, the constitution
is different from the previous constitution
where the Dean of Student Affairs could
set the penalty to be imposed in any case.

Another change in the constitution is in
membership. In the old constitution, only men
could sit on the Judiciary Committee. The new
constitution, however, allows women to run
and serve on the committee.

It also raises the number of members on the
committee to nineteen with two more members
coming from the college, one more from the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and one
coming from the Nursing School.

Any impeachment charges under thy new
constitution will be guaranteed to be heard in
"a fair trial" which entails the new ruling
concerning the regulation of student discipline
hearings.

Ralph Feil, Chairman of the Judiciary
Committee, in commenting on the proposed
constitution stated that the "Old Constitution,
considering the number of women here at the
University now and the number coming soon, is
inadequate because it excludes them from the
University judicial process."

President's Support

President Shannon, in a letter dated May 7
before the last vote on the proposed constitution,
stated that he was "hopeful that when
your referendum to approve the proposed
Constitution is held . . . the student body will
give your efforts its wholehearted endorsement."

Ballots for the proposed constitution will be
placed alongside the ballots for the new
election of treasurer and vice-president of the
fourth-year class. The whole student body,
however, can cast ballots for or against the new
constitution.