ASG Disciplinary Committee inspires positivity

Mt. Hood’s Associated Student Government (ASG) has a disciplinary committee that holds everyone involved in student government accountable for their actions and they make sure that students in positions of leadership conduct themselves according to the code of ethics found in the ASG bylaws.

This year, the committee has been working to bring a positive impact, rather than just being the group that focuses on discipline.

“It’s sometimes seen as ‘the police of ASG,’ but we’re trying to get away from that and inspire more positivity,” said Paris Norris, ASG director of campus sustainability and disciplinary committee chair.

“We’ve created something called the compliment board where everyone has their own names on the board in the office, and once a week, they’ll give someone a compliment – could be random, could be funny – as long as it’s appropriate and positive,” she said.

During Fall and Winter terms, the panel’s members have not been busy. “Based on the nature of the committee, we have not been super-active, and that’s actually a good thing,” said Norris. The committee decides whether to act on complaints against members of ASG. “Sometimes, depending on what it is, we’re allowed to forgo it. We can choose whether or not to do action,” she said.

The committee considers complaints as they come up, which must pertain to the position of the offender. “It has to be something about your position; it can’t be ‘They were rude that day,’ or something,” said Norris.

The person making the complaint sends a formal email, then the committee decides whether the complaint is worth looking into. If the matter is large enough to need investigation, the committee starts the disciplinary process. “We bring the student in front of the committee, and we tell them what’s going on, we give them a verbal warning,” said Norris. Then, the student in question signs an official form and is expected to improve his or her conduct.

If the offender slips again, he or she must sign a performance contract that states something such as, ‘I’ll continue to do this, and this … and if I fail to do this, then I’ll be up for suspension or termination,’ ” said Norris.

The disciplinary committee consists of three people, one from each branch of ASG. Currently, Norris represents the Executive Cabinet; Rachel Welke is from the Student Activities Board; and LeeAnn Farestrand is from the Student Senate.

When the committee is initially being formed, the members nominate themselves if they want to join. Their branch of ASG votes on whether to have them serve on the committee.

For most ASG members, the “DC” is sufficient to enforce actions. For ASG elected officials (president and vice president), the Investigative Committee (IC) is required to make decisions on whether or not to take disciplinary action.

That committee’s members consist of all DC members, as well as one additional member each from the Executive Cabinet and the Student Activities Board. Both chosen by the DC, as stated in the ASG bylaws. The IC then selects a chairman or -woman by a majority vote during its initial meeting.

“It has to be a pretty big issue, but there is always the potential for someone to be kicked out of their position,” said Norris about the need for an Investigative Committee.