NC State’s Office of Student Conduct is accepting applications for the Student Conduct Board now through 11:59 p.m. Friday.
The Student Conduct Board is responsible for providing student perspectives during hearings regarding matters of student conduct, according to Thomas Pulliam, student body chief justice and a senior studying chemical engineering and biochemistry.
“[The Student Conduct Board] is a council of your peers,” Pulliam said. “So any student that gets in trouble or is accused of violating the code has the option to go in front of the faculty members that work in student conduct and have a hearing from them, but they can also come to us. We serve them as their peers and are able to assess their case from a student perspective.”
Jessica White, associate director of the Office of Student Conduct said the Student Conduct Board is a great way to get involved on campus, and students can find the application through the Office of Student Conduct’s website.
“One of the main things we are looking for when selecting students for the board is diversity,” Pulliam said. “Sex, race, gender identity — but also in terms of major, background, affiliation with different student organizations, such as [Fraternity and Sorority Life] and athletes. Getting people on the board that have different experiences is very important to us.”
Students interested in becoming a part of the board need to maintain a 2.5 GPA and must be enrolled as a full-time student. Applicants also cannot have a disciplinary history, including academic and non-academic infractions, and they cannot be involved in any other Student Government role. Members of the Student Conduct Board are unpaid.
According to White, the number of board members who will be accepted this year depends on the applicant pool. “We are looking for quality over quantity,” White said.
The Office of Student Conduct encourages first-year students to apply because the training process takes a year to complete.
“During the selection process, we will have certain tasks and be able to assess how well they will be able to function on the board —and that is really what the selection comes down to, their ability to critically think and communicate those ideas effectively,” Pulliam said.
Throughout the year, the Student Conduct Board hears cases regarding academic misconduct such as cheating and plagiarism in addition to cases of non-academic misconduct such as violations related to alcohol, marijuana and other drugs.
“[Serving on the Board] has really helped me be able to empathize with all sorts of students,” Pulliam said. “A lot of these hearings are really personal, so being able to empathize with people I normally wouldn’t necessarily interact with, for various reasons, helps me understand the community as a whole.”
So far, there have been about 20 active members on the Student Conduct Board. Once you are on the board, as long as you are able to uphold the standards and expectations, you are allowed to keep your position indefinitely.
For students worried about the time commitment of serving, there is a pre-set schedule for the fall. Hearings usually take place Mondays and Thursdays starting about 3:30 p.m. Students are also required to attend regular meetings; however, according to White, being on the Student Conduct Board is something that is manageable.
“I don’t think any of our Student Conduct Board members do it for the prestige,” White said. “I think they do it because they are really involved in our community, they care about our community and they are invested in our community. I think they do it because they have a vested interest and really care about our community holistically. I really view their role as an integral part of the student experience.”