Open Proceedings

It is naive to think the publication of descriptions of cases would ensure the Ad Board's accountability. A far more effective check would be to open all of the Ad Board's proceedings to the public. Doing so would allow students to judge the nuances of each case and make fully informed opinions on how the Ad Board reached its conclusions.

The main disadvantage of public proceedings--the sullying of reputations of students embroiled in sensitive cases--could be resolved by moving cases within certain narrow and carefully-defined general areas (e.g., sexual assault) into private session. In general, though, students should be treated as adults and held accountable for their actions; paternalism with respect to disciplinary matters is not an effective teaching method in a college community.