Judicial Advocates are trained to guide, advise and help any student who is in some way involved in the Tufts judicial process. The program is based entirely on a single and fundamental principle: the right to defend one's self within the disciplinary system.
The group is driven by the belief that any person who is involved in the judicial process, no matter on what grounds, should have the right to appear before the hearing body and present the case with the help and guidance of an Advocate - someone trained specifically in the Tufts University judicial processes.
And the University agrees. The Advocacy Program operates now with the full support and aid of the Dean's Office, specifically Dean of Students Bruce Reitman and Judicial Affairs Officer Veronica Carter.
The Student Judicial Process handbook is itself a product of this office. Its composition is grounded by the belief that whether a student brings a complaint against another student or the University brings a complaint against a student, any time a Tufts student is involved in a hearing, moderation or arbitration, that student has the right to an Advocate.
An Advocate's role is to guide another student through the student judicial process as defined in the Student Judicial Process Handbook for Undergraduate Education. The role an Advocate plays is often dependent on the requesting party's desires: A Judicial Advocate can do many things, from explaining the different processes available in the judicial system, to helping students prepare for hearings, to helping students through mediation to making closing statements before a hearing panel. The Advocate is available, and trained, to help in any scenario and make the process as fair and easy as possible.
If you've never heard of the Judicial Advocates, however, you are unfortunately among the majority of students here at Tufts University. Started many years ago by a handful of concerned undergrads with the cooperation of the Dean of Students office, the Judicial Advocate Program disappeared when those original founding members graduated. About two years ago, however, current Tufts senior Jordana Starr resurrected the Judicial Advocates Program. A few students were trained then, in the spring of 2005, but the group has since expanded and now boasts 16 trained members.
The club is non-partisan, and all advocates are volunteers. The program, we hope, will serve to help all kinds of students facing all kinds of situations: Fights at on-campus parties, accusations of plagiarism or even spilling water on a roommate's computer and disagreeing over the price of retribution are all scenarios in which an Advocate can be used. Look in today's Daily for an ad with our contact information.
Our hope is that the Tufts Judicial Advocates can be of use to the University, not just as aids in disciplinary affairs, but as a group that promotes awareness about rights, specifically student rights. Too often we hear of scenarios that could have easily been avoided had the people involved only had some knowledge of what was and was not admissible.
That's why, as part of our group's overall goal, we hope to hold forums, "Know Your Rights" nights and maybe even concerts among events to raise consciousness about the rights we as students do and don't have. Also, we are planning on holding more opportunities for interested students to get trained as Advocates perhaps as soon as early next fall.
This program depends, however, on whether or not students are aware of its availability. So spread the word! We're trying to raise publicity for our group by making a pitch during freshman orientation and we're currently updating a Web site that can be accessed through the Tufts Judiciary's website. But until people know that we can be of use, our services are of little use. Even if you don't go through a formal hearing, Judicial Advocates can be used in mediations or arbitrations. Heck, even consulting us for advice without formally using us as advocates is perfectly fine.
James Madison once said, "It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood." Well, we the students of Tufts University didn't write the laws by which we are governed, but we are still subject to them.
The Advocates serve primarily to help navigate through these processes, which can seem daunting, overbearing and exceedingly complex. We urge students to use this free resource and to keep a watchful eye on the Advocacy Program as it continues to expand and serve the interest of students.
Jamie Morgan and Jake Pearson are both sophomores majoring in international relations. They are co-directors of Tufts Judicial Advocates.
