Committee to revise Joint Statement of student rights
Confusion over the document's function sparks future changes
Madeline LoBosco
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: News
The improvements on which the committee is currently focusing center around making the document clearer and more simplified. Cason said the statement is quite large and can be unyielding; the size and wording is sometimes a barrier.
Tuttle said he thinks the document is something that, many times, students only look to when they have a problem. In simplifying and making the document more streamlined, the committee hopes that the document will be more readable, so students will be familiar with their rights before they are in a situation in which they feel those rights are questioned.
The committee consists of several students, representatives from Student and Academic Affairs and faculty. Tuttle said they will continue to examine the statement and are aiming toward approval of the rewrite in the early spring so that it will be put into effect for the 2009-2010 academic year.
According to the current Joint Statement on Student Rights and Freedoms, before the document is recognized and an authoritive document, the following criteria must be met: "The faculty of Trinity University must approve the statement by a majority vote. The administration must approve this statement. The Association of Student Representatives must pass a Resolution of Adoption by a majority vote. The Board of Trustees will be advised of any revisions or additions to this statement."
According to Cason, all ASR meetings are open to the public and any student is welcome to attend the meeting in which they vote on the Resolution of Adoption early next semester.
As the committee works toward this approval, they are focusing on the general reorganization of the statement in an effort to make it more concise and easier to follow; the document is not expected to undergo any dramatic changes. Some information currently in the statement may be removed and placed somewhere else for clarity, but Tuttle said they still want the document to have the same value and credibility. Tuttle also said the review is not, in any way, intended to limit student rights but is instead about making it a clearer document.
"We want it to be a document that makes philosophical statements and gives a big picture view of what rights and freedoms students have," Cason said.
Tuttle said he thinks the document is something that, many times, students only look to when they have a problem. In simplifying and making the document more streamlined, the committee hopes that the document will be more readable, so students will be familiar with their rights before they are in a situation in which they feel those rights are questioned.
The committee consists of several students, representatives from Student and Academic Affairs and faculty. Tuttle said they will continue to examine the statement and are aiming toward approval of the rewrite in the early spring so that it will be put into effect for the 2009-2010 academic year.
According to the current Joint Statement on Student Rights and Freedoms, before the document is recognized and an authoritive document, the following criteria must be met: "The faculty of Trinity University must approve the statement by a majority vote. The administration must approve this statement. The Association of Student Representatives must pass a Resolution of Adoption by a majority vote. The Board of Trustees will be advised of any revisions or additions to this statement."
According to Cason, all ASR meetings are open to the public and any student is welcome to attend the meeting in which they vote on the Resolution of Adoption early next semester.
As the committee works toward this approval, they are focusing on the general reorganization of the statement in an effort to make it more concise and easier to follow; the document is not expected to undergo any dramatic changes. Some information currently in the statement may be removed and placed somewhere else for clarity, but Tuttle said they still want the document to have the same value and credibility. Tuttle also said the review is not, in any way, intended to limit student rights but is instead about making it a clearer document.
"We want it to be a document that makes philosophical statements and gives a big picture view of what rights and freedoms students have," Cason said.
Be the first to comment on this story