Friday, Feb. 27, 1998
USG department wants to help students with legal issues
Imagine your roommate is caught smoking marijuana, and although you were not partaking in the activity, the Office of Judicial Affairs also charges you with the use of an illegal substance.
Someone outside of the administration, someone not connected to
Judicial Affairs, someone who is trained in handling these issues,
and most importantly, someone who will not cost you a dime! We
have the answer -- the Undergraduate Student Government Department
of Legal Affairs.
A student can be referred to the Office of Judicial Affairs in
three ways: by the Office of Residence Life, University Police
Services or a walk-in complaint. The student then talks to one
of the administrators of Judicial Affairs regarding the incident.
At this point the student's options are discussed: whether he or she will be accepting charges, a sanction or nothing. If the student does not accept the charges or sanction, he or she has the option to go to an Administrative or University Board Hearing. An Administrative Hearing involves only one person listening and deciding the case.
Legal Affairs is a student-run department of USG offering a number
of services to students who have been charged with violations
of the Penn State Code of Conduct. Our staff members have gone
through a semester of training that prepares them to act as advisers
at Administrative and University Hearings.
You have the right when going through the Penn State judicial
process to work in conjunction with an adviser. An adviser can
be anybody who is part of Penn State. However, our staff is specifically
trained for this duty. It is important to note that attorneys
are not allowed to represent students in these hearings. Our staff
will work with you in writing your statements, questioning witnesses
and understanding your options.
We are also an advisory and referral service to students with
concerns in town, including landlord and tenant issues. All proceedings,
both formal and informal, are kept in complete confidence between
you and our staff. Nothing you share with us will ever leave our
office.
This year has been one of change for Legal Affairs. We have been
trained in the new judicial system, and while continuing our old
services, we have acquired new duties. In order to serve more
students we are now trained to answer the many questions students
have about town issues. For instance, if you have a question about
writing a complaint letter to your landlord, we can help.
Another way that we are expanding is by looking into offering
mediation services. We hope to be able to offer this to students
by Fall Semester 1998. The availability of mediation services
will be yet another option when resolving disciplinary problems
at Penn State.
Mediation also would be an option before serious problems arise
-- in the case of difficult roommate situations or the student
organization problem mentioned earlier.
If you ever have any legal or disciplinary problems, Legal Affairs can help. Please feel free to stop by the USG office, 203 HUB or call 863-1USG any time. Legal Affairs staff members hold office hours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Remember, everything discussed is kept in complete confidence.
