Fighting for Students’ Rights
Reforming the Disciplinary Process
USG has a formalized role in reforming the procedures of the Honor Committee and Committee on Discipline (COD), and has changed the constitutions of both in the past when asked by members of these committees. USG should take a more active role in reforming these institutions to give students more protection and support throughout a process that is emotionally taxing, socially isolating, and could result in dangerous repercussions. As a student who has been under investigation myself, I know that Princeton’s disciplinary process for academic violations is dangerous to students’ mental health and is structured so that students are seen as guilty until proven innocent. Here’s how USG can change this:
Facilitating Discussion and Collecting Feedback
Due to the severity of consequences and presumption of guilt that often come with being under investigation by a disciplinary body at Princeton, students are disinclined from discussing any experiences with the Honor Committee or COD, preventing USG and the committees themselves from understanding students’ perspectives on the process.
To fix this issue, USG should work with the Honor Committee and COD to run an anonymous complaint system that can provide us with insights on how to best reform Princeton’s disciplinary procedures and post it broadly to promote discussion on this key issue and center students in our reform process.
Making Investigations More Transparent
One priority for me as USG president on this topic is to make University investigations more transparent and less threatening and isolating for all students involved. Currently, students under investigation by the COD are not informed of what they are being investigated for, what the possible consequences are, or even if they are under investigation (they may just be a witness).
Students should go into their first meeting with a University investigator with an understanding of what they are being accused of (or thought to be involved in) and what their rights and responsibilities are under University regulations. As USG President, I will work to better inform students of what their rights are in this process and reform the procedure itself to increase transparency and make investigations less mentally and emotionally taxing.
Protecting Students’ Civil Liberties
I’m especially proud of my track record on USG when it comes to standing up for students’ rights regarding free expression and protest and building dialogue on campus on contentious issues in a way that ensures all students are safe and free to express their opinions. However, this has not been a priority for many USG members other than those on the Civil Liberties Working Group during my time at Princeton. USG needs to take a more active role in facilitating dialogue and promoting free expression on campus, and stand up for students’ rights and civil liberties, which have recently come under threat from administration. Here’s how I’ll do this:
More Oversight of Princeton’s Free Expression Facilitators
In response to protests during my first year at Princeton, University administrators have been tasked with facilitating free expression at campus protests, speaker events, and debates. While I believe there is space for this role on campus, students have had no input and little information regarding the protected speech, warnings, and event policies overseen by these administrators.
As USG President, I will work to put administrators in conversation with student groups involved in protests, political debate, and building dialogue on campus to make this program better serve the campus community and ensure that students’ rights to free speech are secured and viewed as intertwined with campus safety instead of being opposed to it.
Increased Engagement with Policy Changes through CPUC
As USG President, I will recenter the Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) and the work of U-Councilors in USG to provide oversight and give students a voice in reforms to Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities, campus speech and recording policies, and the myriad of other topics that go through CPUC.
On CPUC, I will lead students to push back on administrators whose policy proposals might roll back our rights on campus and hold Princeton accountable to its commitments on free speech and creating an environment of rigorous, civil discourse and dialogue among its student body.
More Transparency on PSAFE, Camera Policy, and Campus Surveillance
One key focus of the Civil Liberties Working Group has been to provide students with more information on the University’s surveillance system, including its placement of security cameras and its use of eduroam for investigations into disciplinary fractions. In my first year on USG, I brought increased transparency to some of these programs by getting PSAFE to confirm that they had access to eduroam and had been accessing students’ data through it.
As President, I would build on this work by pushing for a student on Princeton’s Environmental, Safety, and Risk Management (ESRM) Committee, which oversees camera and surveillance policy on campus. I would also use CPUC and my meetings with administrators to work to further uncover Princeton’s use of technology for student surveillance and advocate for enhanced student privacy while keeping students informed of where their privacy is not currently secured.
