Oberlin College & Conservatory

Roles

1. Advisor: a student, administrator, staff person, or faculty member who is currently a part of the Oberlin College community who agrees to provide guidance and support for a respondent or complainant. Advisors may not be parents of the complainant or respondent and may not act as legal counsel. Advisors may join a respondent or complainant during any meeting related to the investigation or hearing of a case. During hearings the advisor does not have speaking privileges and may not serve as an advocate on behalf of the complainant or respondent; however the advisor may confer with the respondent or complainant, offer support, and give advice, write notes to, or whisper a suggestion to the respondent or complainant on procedural matters. Ultimately, the advisor is present to provide moral support and to listen carefully on behalf of the respondent or complainant. Advisors are often able to make recommendations to the respondent about questions to ask, appropriate tone to use, and to help clarify information.
2. Complainant: the student, administrator, staff person or faculty member bringing a charge against someone under the Honor Code.
3. Coordinator of the Student Honor Committee (also SHC Coordinator): the person responsible for receiving reports of violations, assigning case managers, keeping a record of cases under investigation and scheduled for hearings, and managing correspondence with the Faculty Honor Committee, honor system liaison, and the relevant deans.
4. Cochair(s) of the Student Honor Committee: the individuals designated by the SHC to facilitate meetings of the entire committee and who work collaboratively with the coordinator to make sure that committee members are carrying out the mission of the Honor System.
5. Honor System Liaison: the person designated by the Dean of Students to provide guidance and administrative support to the Student Honor Committee. The honor system liaison maintains a set of tracking files containing both names and case numbers, is an ex-officio member of the Faculty Honor Committee, facilitates communications with other administrative offices, and answers questions when classes are not in session or when the SHC coordinator is not available. The honor system liaison coordinates events to bring the constituents of the system together once or twice a year. In addition, the Honor System Liaison works collaboratively with the SHC to recruit and train members, to sponsor the fall orientation program for new students, and to ensure that a panel is available to hear cases during senior week
6. Respondent: the person against whom a charge is brought under the Honor Code.
7. Relevant Dean: the dean of the college or the conservatory, or both, depending on where the student is enrolled.
8. Secretary/Treasurer: the person who works collaboratively to make sure that meeting minutes are recorded, assists the coordinator with correspondence and scheduling as needed, prepares the annual budget and meets with the Student Finance Committee as needed. Ordinarily, the secretary/treasurer is an underclass student serving as an apprentice to the coordinator.
9. Witness: an individual who is consulted by the SHC and who participates in a hearing to provide expert, factual, or circumstantial information related to the charge(s).