Student's rights lie at heart of open case

A UNC sophomore has opted to publicize a case before the University Hearings Board, marking the second time in recent weeks that a student has opened an appeal of an Honor Court decision.

Katherine Milan will appeal a decision at 3 p.m. Wednesday in 331 Rosenau Hall on the grounds that she was denied basic rights during her hearing.

Before this month, four years had passed without any students deciding to open a single honor system proceeding.

University police were called to Milan's room in November 2003 and found marijuana after receiving permission to conduct a search.

She was charged with an honor violation for possessing marijuana and aiding others in purchasing it, said senior Glenna Goldis, Milan's defense counsel.

During an Oct. 27 hearing, the Honor Court sanctioned Milan with a semester suspension, a semester of probation and 30 hours of community service.

Milan said she was not provided with necessary information, which she claims led her account of the night to be self-incriminating. She also is arguing that she did not receive a speedy hearing.

Goldis, a member of the Independent Defense Counsel, said the appeal is based on violations of judicial procedures laid out in the Instrument of Student Governance.

Milan said she opened her appeal to provide students with a perspective of shortcomings within the honor system.

Because the Hearings Board reviews the Honor Court's decisions and provides oversight, she said opening the case will allow students to assess the entire

system.

"I think there's something fundamentally wrong with the honor process," Milan said Monday. "It's the students' rights to know what's going on, students' rights to know about the problem."

Earlier this month, senior Chase Foster opted to open his appeal, with similar intentions to provide more insight on the system.

Although Milan said she made the decision to open her hearing before knowledge of Chase's intentions, both students cited the desire to allow the student body access to the usually closed honor system.

But Student Attorney General Carolina Chavez said she does not interpret the two open appeals as the beginning of a trend.

"It's just coincidence that it happened this year," she said, adding that the details of the appeals are dissimilar. "I don't think there's a trend by any means."

Open hearings generally benefit the student body, she said, because they provide students with valuable insight.

"That's the beauty of our system at UNC," Chavez said. "I don't think people realize that we're one of the only student-run judiciaries."

She said the open process will ensure that students set the University's standards in their best interests.

"That's a really big deal - we all have the power to affect the rules and standards that govern us."

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.