Graduate Scholar Council passes judicial constitution, honor code revisions

The GSC voted almost unanimously to approve the Stanford Scholar Conduct Constitution of 2023 and the revised Honor Code throughout their assembly Tuesday evening. Proposed modifications to facets of educational integrity and self-discipline embrace restructuring the judicial course of for college kids and researching the potential for examination proctoring.

The Constitution and proposed Honor Code modifications have been the results of efforts from the Committee of 12 (C-12), a bunch of scholars, college and workers who’ve spent the final two years making suggestions to replace the Honor Code, Judicial Constitution and Course of and interpretations of the Basic Commonplace.

“I really feel like we climbed a mountain or ten, and we’re coming down on the opposite aspect,” C-12 consultant Jamie Superb mentioned after each the constitution and the dignity code handed, with no questions for the consultant. “Cross your fingers, we’re transferring on to the subsequent scholar group after this.” 

In a later vote on Tuesday evening, the dignity code did not go twice within the Undergraduate Senate (UGS). The Board of Judicial Affairs had beforehand unanimously voted to approve the brand new honor code. Regardless of the GSC’s assist for the Honor Code updates, the UGS vote leaves the way forward for the proposed updates unclear.

The GSC additionally voted to go a invoice to alter the construction of the NomCom (Nominations Committee), a physique of the ASSU tasked with appointing college students to committees, such because the Board of Trustees, the Workplace of the President & Provost, Tutorial Council and Scholar Affairs construction. The NomCom Bylaw Modifications invoice was created to enhance the fee’s course of by growing transparency and collaboration inside ASSU and to the coed physique, in addition to to offer steerage on committee upkeep.

Regalia price considerations

The GSC mentioned considerations about excessive bills for graduate scholar caps and robes. Based on members of the council, for graduation in June, exterior suppliers are contracted for caps and robes, with prices this 12 months totaling $983 for college kids. Steve Gaeta, co-manager of the Stanford Bookstore, mentioned the bookstore works with whichever distributor is contracted for that 12 months’s commencement. He mentioned final 12 months’s contractor was Herff Jones.

Affordability has remained a precedence for members of the GSC, with college students calling for insurance policies equivalent to wage raises and the growth of public transit choices on campus.

Explaining the price of commencement gear, Gaeta mentioned, “There’s a whole lot of course of that goes into distribution and complicated washing.” Based on Gaeta, the bookstore itself holds little management over the pricing course of. “So far as general pricing, it’s set by our company workplace,” he mentioned.

GSC co-chair Jason Anderson mentioned that he finds the bookstore costs unaffordable. “I refuse to purchase any Stanford paraphernalia from the bookstore as a result of excessive prices.”

Gaeta countered that the bookstore carries costly manufacturers with costs which can be rigid. “We attempt to be similar to [other brands] … I can’t afford the pricing [at the bookstore] both,” he mentioned.

Gaeta instructed the graduate scholar that in the event that they imagine the fee is just too excessive, they’re allowed to buy or hire regalia from a non-official vendor. “You need to stroll, you need to get in there together with your class, do what you bought to do,” he mentioned.