Editor’s note: This piece was published originally on Lyndon’s ‘‘The Critic.’ See the online version at nvulyndoncritic.com for links to relevant resources.
There have been many new topics discussed with the proposed VTSU Student Government Association Constitution. One of these is the Student Court, which several students have had concerns about. At the emergency Lyndon SGA meeting on Friday, March 15, many of these concerns were cleared up.
The Student Court is something that would be available to our campuses if the proposed SGA constitution passes a VTSU-wide student body vote in April. It will be up to every individual campus to decide if it is something they will implement.
The Chief Justice has a lot of roles, but one of these roles and permissions that is given to them is to create a student court. The Student Court will only deal with issues related to SGA. This could range from impeachment trials to a trial for a club that broke part of the constitution.
Examples of Student Court Situations:
Alberto Bustamante, Lyndon SGA president, clarified this with an example of a club misusing its funds. If a club is allocated funds for a specific reason, and they then use those funds for a reason that it was not allocated for, without going through the reallocation process, it is then brought to the Student Court. Then, the Student Court will bring this issue through a trial to decide if it was unconstitutional.
Elizabeth Sousa, associate director of student activities for the Lyndon campus, brought another example to the table. If a club was accused of destroying property on campus, that club would now have a way to defend themselves in the case that they did not cause that damage.
The club would have a chance to properly plead their case and the Student Court would decide if there is enough evidence to prove that it was that club that caused the damage or not. If they found a club guilty, they would then also decide what the repercussions would be.
“It’s like normal court, but for your clubs,” said Sousa.
To help remove bias in any rulings, bias training will be provided for Student Courts, Congresses, and Chief Justices.
Who Serves on the Student Court?
The Student Court could be comprised of up to 12 people. Nine of these people would be Justices. The other three would be the Chief Justice, the Deputy Chief, and the Court Clerk. There is a minimum of three members for the Student Court, and they would meet bi-weekly.
The Chief Justice will be appointed by the SGA President. They will then be confirmed by Congress. However, this may change due to a conflict of interest where the Chief Justice is the person who is responsible for holding the President accountable in the case that they violate the Constitution or Bylaws.
The Chief Justice would appoint the Deputy Chief and the Court Clerk. Justices are appointed by the SGA President. To become a confirmed Justice, you must be voted in by a 2/3 majority vote from Congress. Each Justice will be confirmed individually.
If you have any questions or concerns about the Student Court, you can reach out to the SGA Executive Board.
