Students met with Dean of Students Thomas Vierheller and Music Director Daniel Briggs on March 15 to learn more about the Honor Council that will be put into place during the 2011-2012 school year.

“We really wanted to finally address [the Honor Council] with students and the whole process.  We wanted to put the idea out so people think about how situations are currently handled now and how we can make it so that [students] learn something about themselves instead of being punished,” Briggs said.

Approximately 28 juniors, sophomores, and freshman were in attendance at Tuesday morning’s meeting.  The sample of people included academically diverse students and students who participated in sports, music, and theater.  Both students who had detentions before and ones that never served detention were there to hear about the Honor Council, according to Briggs.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better breakdown,” Briggs said.

Major changes have been made to structure of the Honor Council since it was first conceived by Vierheller earlier in the school year.  The original plan to have a few students serving on the current Review Board has been changed so that the new panel consists mainly of students, allowing the new panel to keep in touch with students’ needs.

This change came after Briggs and Vierheller attended a conference in Cupertino, CA at the Harker School where a student-run Honor Council is already in place.  The school is a private school approximately the same size as JC and has students of similar talents.

Students at Harker told Briggs and Vierheller when interviewed that the best part of the Honor Council was that the discipline was not a punishment, but instead a student centered educational moment.

The Honor Council will consist of 11 students, with seven serving at a time, and one faculty advisor.  The 11 students will rotate through the active position so that those with conflicts of interest do not feel pressured to hear cases of friends.

Briggs suspects that he will be the faculty advisor because he is most knowledgeable on the procedures of the Honor Council and is not involved in disciplinary matters like Vierheller is.  As faculty advisory, Briggs will only stand in for consistency and to make sure correct procedures will be followed.  The student members of the Honor Council will determine the consequence or solution to each case with which they are presented.

“I’m eager to start because this is a program designed to benefit students, and I think it will fit well for us,” Briggs said.

Allison Siegel is the Print Chief for “The Patriot.”