Spring Break
Advisory office re-named
by Deborah Frisch
Staff writer
News | 10/7/08
Posted online at 5:32 AM EST on 10/7/08
/ Last updated at 3:16 AM EST on 10/7/08
The Senate voted to approve a name change from the Office of Student Conduct Advisors to the Office of Student Rights and Advocacy in order to refocus the position toward students' rights, as opposed to issues within the University's Office of Student Conduct, on Sunday Sept. 21, said OSRA director Laura Cohen '09.
Last year the Office of Student Conduct Advisors "focused too much on what the Office of Student Conduct does; we didn't want to just focus on hearings, and we wanted to make [the office] more about student rights," said Cohen. She said "last year was the first year in several years the office was functioning."
According to Article XI, Section 5 of the Student Union Bylaws, "The OSCA [now the OSRA] shall serve the student body by providing advisory services for students involved in, and as a student oversight body for, the University's conduct and education system and academic policy disputes."
Erika Lamarre, Director of Student Development and Conduct, expressed some concern with the name change and said, "I think the name might be a bit confusing for students, as this group is affiliated with the Union and isn't a University office. I also think the word 'advocate' might be easily confused with 'advisrrs' which is the role needed in a board hearing. Students involved in the conduct process are their own advocates."
Ryan McElhaney '10, Union director of community development, explained that the goals of the office have been expanded from just assisting students with board hearings. Now members of OSRA will be advisers to students who in any way they feel their rights have been violated. Previously, the office focused on student rights involving disciplinary action.
This year, Cohen said, OSRA wanted to open its services to students who have questions about their student rights, not just in terms of disciplinary action.
Cohen described an example situation in which a community advisor reports that a student has violated the rules by having alcohol in a dry dorm. That student could call OSRA, which would describe to the student what he or she did wrong according to the Rights and Responsibilities in the Handbook, Cohen said; OSRA could even accompany that student to the meeting with their Community Development Cordinator or act as an adviser during a hearing.
Last year the Office of Student Conduct Advisors "focused too much on what the Office of Student Conduct does; we didn't want to just focus on hearings, and we wanted to make [the office] more about student rights," said Cohen. She said "last year was the first year in several years the office was functioning."
According to Article XI, Section 5 of the Student Union Bylaws, "The OSCA [now the OSRA] shall serve the student body by providing advisory services for students involved in, and as a student oversight body for, the University's conduct and education system and academic policy disputes."
Erika Lamarre, Director of Student Development and Conduct, expressed some concern with the name change and said, "I think the name might be a bit confusing for students, as this group is affiliated with the Union and isn't a University office. I also think the word 'advocate' might be easily confused with 'advisrrs' which is the role needed in a board hearing. Students involved in the conduct process are their own advocates."
Ryan McElhaney '10, Union director of community development, explained that the goals of the office have been expanded from just assisting students with board hearings. Now members of OSRA will be advisers to students who in any way they feel their rights have been violated. Previously, the office focused on student rights involving disciplinary action.
This year, Cohen said, OSRA wanted to open its services to students who have questions about their student rights, not just in terms of disciplinary action.
Cohen described an example situation in which a community advisor reports that a student has violated the rules by having alcohol in a dry dorm. That student could call OSRA, which would describe to the student what he or she did wrong according to the Rights and Responsibilities in the Handbook, Cohen said; OSRA could even accompany that student to the meeting with their Community Development Cordinator or act as an adviser during a hearing.
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