Syracuse University’s Student Association is coordinating with Student Legal Services to create an internship program to assist students going through the Code of Student Conduct process.

The interns will guide students through the entire disciplinary process and help them with procedural steps, including opening statements and gathering evidence, said Vishwas Paul, SA’s Judicial Review Board chair. Currently, the program is open to all undergraduate students, he said.

Paul started the initiative along with Student Legal Services Director Christopher Burke during one of their monthly meetings. The SA constitution grants the JRB chair a position on the Student Legal Services board of directors.

“The idea for the program came up after learning from students who have gone through the disciplinary process that they did not have proper and sufficient representation,” Burke said in an email.

He said that having students who are trained to advise their peers through the process will be a good resource for students. 

Student Legal Services cannot legally represent students in Code of Student Conduct hearings because the hearings are defined as part of an educational process, Paul said. Therefore, a student can only have an adviser that is affiliated with the university, he said.

SA President Ghufran Salih said students would be more comfortable if their adviser was another student who either knows or has been through the process before.

“I know a couple students who have been through the conduct board process,” Salih said.“It can be very isolating and takes a toll on your physical and mental health. This is a service that will not only give students the experience of being an adviser, but also gives students who are going through the process a support system.”

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SLS and the JRB will choose seven candidates from a pool of applicants, Paul said. Applications for the program are due April 11.

Salih said SA has been reaching out to different student organizations whose members would be interested in the opportunity. SA Vice President Kyle Rosenblum said the internship will provide experience for students interested in law.

“It is creating an entire internship for students. The ability to work with SLS and the ability to work directly with lawyers,” Rosenblum said.

The interns will be trained by SLS and the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities after they are selected. Interns will also undergo sensitivity training in order to be aware that every student going through the process is different, Paul said.

After undergoing training, the consultant interns will begin the program in the fall, Paul said. If the program is a success then Paul will expand it and open it up to more applicants, he said.

Paul said that the program reflects the purpose of SA: Acting as a strong advocate for students at SU.

“When you listen to these problems as an association and have so many resources such as connections with university administrators, it makes it possible for you to find a viable long-term solution for them,” he said.

Published on April 3, 2019 at 12:00 am

Contact Abby: akweiss@syr.edu | @abbyweiss_21