Volume 67, Issue 8

Yeshiva Drafts Student Bill of Rights and Responsibility

Completion Expected by End of Semester, Implementation in the Fall

by Zev Nagel

Frequent violation of Yeshiva protocol by both administrators and students has led to the creation of a committee that is working on drafting a Student Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.  Composed mainly of representatives from the Office of Student Services and select student leaders, the committee has been involved in the long process of drafting a Bill of Rights to clarify the consequences and procedures for misdemeanors.

Most major universities have some form of a Student Bill of Rights to arbitrate the penalties sentenced to students found guilty of delinquency.  Yeshiva, however, has never had one.

“I was kind of surprised to hear that we had no documentation of student rights,” said Yeshiva College sophomore Menachem Brown.  Other students have suggested reasons for the absence of a Bill of Rights, such as YC junior, Daniel Raymon.  “I assumed that students have basic rights, but nothing that needed documentation,” he said.

However, during a Student Services investigation last year into an incident concerning Yeshiva students, one involved student was shocked by the lack of due process.  “[After clarifying the matter] I thought I was done,” said the student, “the next thing I knew I was expelled.”

Dispelling the obscurities is precisely the document’s goal.  Essentially, the endeavor is a two-part process: first, to develop written disciplinary measures; and second, to publicize the Student Bill of Rights and Responsibilities that delineates student responsibilities, student rights, and the procedural measures for adjudicating offenses.

Traditionally, undergraduate Bills of Rights aim at outlining fundamental student rights such as free inquiry and expression, and the right to use the educational resources of the institution.  Some universities extend the rights to include quick access to examination scores and accessibility of professors to meet with students.  Yeshiva plans to use those as a reference for the draft.

The second part of the project, though, is geared at creating a list of student responsibilities that identify student obligations to respect university ideals, faculty, and property.  Many institutions even include under this list the adherence to academic integrity as a student responsibility.

The crux of the bill for Yeshiva focuses on students’ rights to fair and reasonable treatment by members of the university community, specifically the manner of due process.  Yeshiva Student Union President, Shai Barnea, said that this bill will hopefully give “all students a fair hearing to determine whether or not they are guilty.”

Yair Sturm, chairman of the Student-Faculty Senate, describes the bill as a method of “promoting a safe academic environment conducive with the school’s ideals.”

“The object of this endeavor,” adds Senior University Dean of Students Efrem Nulman, “is to develop a sense of trust between students and administration.  The Bill of Rights pertains to everything the students do.”  None of the efforts of student services aim at including academic disciplinary procedures; incidents pertaining to academic issues fall under the jurisdiction of the academic deans.

A committee comprised of student leaders, the Office of Student Services, and the university’s lawyers, have been working on the document extensively.  However, Nulman iterates that the drafted document will not be too burdensome to read; rather he is in favor of a document that outlines the general principles and issues.  “You don’t need a megillah to do everything,” jokes Nulman.  The bill, therefore, does not brood with pedantic descriptions.

Nulman believes that students on campus demonstrate a commitment to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with Yeshiva values.  In that light, Nulman emphasizes that the Office of Student Services “are not witch-hunters” and will not actively search out perpetrators.  Nulman asserts that Yeshiva students are generally mature college students who use their own good judgment to assess what is “right and wrong.”

The way in which the Office of Student Services relates to violators, however, is perhaps of most interest.  “Discipline should not be punitive,” states Nulman boldly.  “Students who are guilty of offenses need to be counseled more than expelled.”  He openly invites students to contact his office to speak with the staff about personal matters.

Many students in need of counseling and even students who just want someone to talk to have utilized Nulman’s open-door policy.  “This year,” says Nulman proudly, “I am glad to see more and more students coming into our offices for advice.”

The number of yearly incidents on the Yeshiva campus has not been publicized, and Nulman could not comment on their frequency relative to other universities.  However, students disagree on the number of hypothetical instances.  “College students are college students, no matter what university they attend,” says a YC junior. “We have the same problems as they do,” he adds assertively.

Other students are more optimistic.  “We come from different value systems,” claims a YC senior, “and therefore do not have to deal with a lot of the issues that kids our age have.”

A final draft of the bill is expected to be completed by the end of the semester and ready for implementation before the beginning of the fall term.♦

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