This month, the Student Union Office for Judicial Advocacy officially opened, accepting cases and inquiries from students. The office was formed last semester under the Office of the Union Advocate, Josh Sugarman '05, to represent, advocate for and assist students in the campus disciplinary process.Sugarman said he thought to start the office after meeting with a student who was confused with the disciplinary process last year. This is his second year serving as Union Advocate; he was originally appointed to the position in the 2001-2002 academic year by then-Union President Josh Peck '02, and this year, Union President Ben Brandzel '03 renewed that appointment.

"When I appointed him Union Advocate, one of the agenda items was for him to start this office," Brandzel said.

According to Sugarman, the Office of Judicial Advocacy has approximately 15 members ready to assist students with possible disciplinary cases. Justin Gelfand '05, a member of this group, has already taken an active role in aiding students. "Students charged with violating Rights and Responsibilities do have explicit rights in the process. The primary role of the office is to guarantee that these rights are secured," he said. "More specifically, every student has the right to an adviser in the judicial process. The role of the office is to offer students just that -- advice and representation, when requested."

The Office of Judicial Advocacy has already received requests for assistance from students charged with disciplinary violations. In a recent example, a 22-year-old student was charged with distributing alcohol to minors. He contacted the Office of Judicial Advocacy for assistance in handling the charges. After meeting with Shawn McGuirk, director of Student Development and Judicial Education, the charges were dropped.

Gelfand helped to handle this case. "Josh (Sugarman) and I offered this student advice that we thought would be most beneficial to his case. After assessing the facts of the case, we felt the charges brought against this student were inappropriate," Gelfand said. "Quite simply, if a student is charged with a violation, and the facts suggest that the student did not commit the violation, we will do everything possible to ensure that this student is not held accountable."

According to McGuirk, a staff member who works closely with the University Board of Student Conduct (UBSC), there are a few options once a student is charged with committing an offense, whether it is an academic integrity issue or a drug and alcohol charge. "You have an option to deny responsibility, you can accept responsibility. If you decide that you would like the proceedings to go to a hearing board or a judicial board, then I would tell you that you have the right to an adviser," he said. "Whether you would want that adviser to be a student, faculty or staff -- really, anyone can be an adviser except legal counsel."

McGuirk said publicizing the Office of Judicial Advocacy's availability to students is not his role. But, Brandzel said an active publicity campaign-, including contact with club leaders, all-campus e-mails and posters and flyers on campus is making the student body aware of the services offered. "The administration has been very cooperative in helping us set it up," he said. "It represents an excellent partnership between students and the administration."

The UBSC has assisted the Office of Judicial Advocacy by performing a mock disciplinary hearing in front of Advocacy committee members. McGuirk said a student adviser from the Office of Judicial Advocacy would sit in the room with the student charged with a disciplinary violation during a hearing. Approximately 10 cases have appeared before the UBSC in the current academic year, according to McGuirk.

Although the Office of Judicial Advocacy is a relatively recent creation, both Sugarman and Brandzel said they hope it will remain an active force on campus in future years. "It is something that can and should sustain in the future. I hope that students who have questions about it and feel they may be in need of legal counseling services should use it," Brandzel said. "It's one of the things that I am most proud about in my administration. It provides a needed service that was previously entirely absent.