The demographic composition of the Undergraduate Judicial Board came under fire from a number of Duke Student Government legislators in a meeting Wednesday night.
The debate was reminiscent of a legislative meeting held two weeks ago, when some DSG members questioned why the eight nominees for the student positions on next year's UJB board, which hears student disciplinary cases, did not include many women or fraternity members. The legislature decided to postpone confirming the nominations until last night so that more information regarding the UJB make-up could be obtained.
The nominees were finally approved Wednesday by a significant majority of the legislature after extensive debate. With the inclusion of these eight new members, next year's 18 member UJB will consist of six women and one member of a University-recognized fraternity, compared to the three fraternity members who sit on this year's UJB. Nine women applied for next year's UJB, down from the number of last year's applicants; most were rejected based on the written application, which is considered to be the first round of the selection process, said Trinity senior Mayling Mah, chair of the UJB.
Some DSG members criticized the selection process by which UJB members are chosen, which includes a written application and a subsequent interview.
"I think the entire selection process is biased," said Trinity junior and West Campus representative Dan Cohen. "The application form has not changed in 20 years... and it's designed to be subjective. If you see subjective questions as right and wrong answers, you're self-perpetuating your own agenda and demographics."
While Mah did say at the start of debate that some of these questions are regarded as having "right or wrong" answers, she added that, "There's a certain type of person who wants to be in UJB." But Cohen replied, "If you look for a certain type of person, you're going to want a certain type of answer," saying that he did not object to the skewed demographics so much as the process by which the selection committee arrived at them.
Other DSG members, however, did take issue with the demographics. Trinity junior and West Campus legislator Blair Greber-Raines said, "If there were 17 out of 18 UJB members in a fraternity or sorority, then people would really think there's a demographic problem."
After the meeting, Trinity junior and DSG Executive Vice President Randy Fink said, "It's qualifications over quotas. The people selected to serve on UJB were the most qualified."
While a number of DSG representatives urged Mah and the UJB to find ways to create a more well-rounded board, Mah said that, compared to years past, she had made a significant effort to talk with the major student leadership and cultural groups by phone, e-mail and in person.
IN OTHER BUSINESS: In the wake of controversy surrounding the tenure case of Timothy Jacobs, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, the DSG legislature unanimously passed a resolution supporting the newly founded Undergraduates Committed to Excellence in Education.
In the resolution, DSG the formation of a tenure review board, which would compare the University's tenure processes and practices with other schools and look to find ways to increase student involvement in the tenure process.
The resolution also approved of the UCEE's suggestion to make public the names of those professors who are up for tenure no less than one month before such a decision is handed down.
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