As it stands, the Student Code has a conflict of interest provision that just doesn’t make sense.
Current policy prevents those serving at or above the rank of committee co-chairman in student government from serving on Honor Court. Student Congress should change the Student Code to address this.
The provision doesn’t make sense because there is no overlap between Honor Court and student government. They are two completely separate entities. There is no reason to limit the leadership options for students who want to get involved in both.
Granted, some conflict of interest rules are necessary and serve a vital purpose. For example, members of Congress should not be free to vote for thousands of dollars in funding to student organizations that they themselves lead.
That would be a real conflict of interest.
However, in the case of the undergraduate Honor Court, it is time for a change in policy. Student Congress should take action immediately to change the code to get rid of this gratuitous conflict of interest rule.
Currently, two students who serve on Honor Court and student government are facing a possible trip to the ethics committee. This is both perplexing and preventable.
Speaker of Student Congress Deanna Santoro said that Student Congress leaders aren’t ready to speculate on whether or not the rule makes sense. They are just trying to enforce the rules that they already have.
We understand and appreciate the attempt at consistency from an organization that is infamously inconsistent, but Student Congress should pick other battles.
