Congress Adds Violations to Student Code

Student Body Vice President Aaron Hiller presented the resolution to amend the Instrument of Student Judicial Governance to include driving under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol as an infraction of the Student Code.

The Committee on Student Conduct approved the proposal April 16. The amendment must be approved in identical wording by the Faculty Council and Chancellor James Moeser before the change to the code is final.

Hiller said that under the amendment, the attorney general would decide when to press Honor Court charges.

Some members questioned how "influence" would be defined in the resolution, which defines the new charge that would be outlined in the code as, "Driving while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs on University premises."

"I feel like there needs to be a line of demarcation," said Rep. Ben Davidson, District 19. "This puts a lot of power in the hands of one person."

But Hiller and some Congress members said the attorney general would not have the power to target drivers and would only know about violations through notification from local police.

Another source of contention was how "University premises" would be defined. Hiller acknowledged how ambiguous the term is and said that in some circumstances, "premises" has meant violations on Franklin Street or off-campus infractions involving resident UNC students.

Hiller said the idea for the resolution was brought to student leaders by Assistant Dean of Students Melinda Manning. He said police have charged 34 UNC students with DUIs or DWIs this semester. Hiller said that although only a small percent of those incidents were on campus, the numbers were disturbing. "This is something, personally, I feel very strongly about," Hiller said.

The other change to the Student Code that Congress approved was an alteration in the instrument's wording that deals with banning weapons on campus.

The previous wording specifically listed weapons banned from institutional premises. The amended resolution is broader and includes biological and chemical substances.

Blair Sweeney, Rules and Judiciary Committee chairman, said the past year's events -- including biological terrorist threats throughout the country -- prompted the change to the code.

Hiller said all possible infractions will be at the discretion of the office of the attorney general, allowing some leeway not explicitly written in the code.

In other legislative action, all nominations to Student Advisory Committee to the Chancellor and the Student Safety and Security Committee were approved unanimously. The undergraduates on SACC next year are Dorothy Ariail, Matthew Compton, Frances Ferris, Fred Hashagen, Tanya Rogo, Steve Russell, Scott Werry and Charlene Wong. The graduate students are Jennifer Pender and Emily Williamson.

Hiller said two graduate spots were left open because he and his assistants did not find qualified applicants for the positions. He said a second application period will be held next fall.

Dana Call and Heather Larson were approved for the SSSC, a panel that focuses on campus safety, including overseeing the SAFE Escort program.

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.