The Judicial Board (J-Board)'s two-week search for new members ended Tuesday, when five students received notification from Dean of Student Affairs and J-Board adviser Laura Lee that they were accepted.
The students, Felicity Hills '13, RaiNesha Miller '13, Miroslava Nikolova '13, Nicholas Pisegna '11 and Parker Towle '13, will take their seats on the J-Board next fall.
"We were really happy with how strong the interest was and how strong the applicant pool was. It was a competitive year," said J-Board Chair Sarah Richards '10.
The J-Board received 45 applications this year, up from 40 last year. The process began with individual interviews, in which all applicants met with members of the J-Board. Of those original 45 applicants, 27 were selected to take part in a second round of group interviews, in which groups of about six applicants were asked to judge mock cases. This second round was meant to evaluate applicants' ability to work together.
When asked what qualities the J-Board was looking for in applicants, Lee said, "strong applicants demonstrate a high level of maturity, articulateness, thoughtfulness and insight. We look for an independent thinker who also works well in a group."
Asked to evaluate what he specifically brings to the J-Board, Towle wrote in an e-mail to the Orient that he hopes "to bring my patience and caution in making decisions to the J-Board."
"I realize that these cases are very important, and I'm willing to spend extra time and effort to make sure that the right decision is made in each case," he added.
Prior to Spring Break, Lee hopes to meet individually with each of the new Board members. She said that they will discuss "the expectations of Judicial Board members, including the importance of confidentiality, behavioral expectations and scheduling."
Training for new J-Board members will take place during Senior Week and will include lessons on precedent, mock cases, and conversations with Deans as well as Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols.
Richards said that J-Board training is about "getting a sense of what role the Board has played and what people we collaborate with."
Four of the five new J-Board members—all the first years accepts—currently live in chem-free dorms. Both Richards and Lee said that they did not take applicants' chem-free status into account when selecting new members.
According to Lee, the majority of current J-Board members do not live in chem-free housing. While this addition of several board members who do may change that dynamic, Lee said she does not believe that it will have a large impact on future J-Board action because of the rare occurance of cases involving drug or alcohol violations.
Richards added, "the Board works from precedent to ensure consistency between cases and over time."
With regards to diversity, Richards said, "we want to make sure that the composition of the campus is represented on the Board itself." Accordingly, three of the five new J-Board members are students of color.
The new members expressed excitement about their futures on the J-Board.
"I'm really honored and excited to be selected and am looking forward to serving on J-Board," wrote Nikolova in an e-mail to the Orient.