During the first semester of the 2022-2023 school year, at least one student appeared in front of the Disciplinary Committee (DC) every week; two students were dismissed and five were placed on general probation.
When a student is called to the DC, they meet with their advisor and class dean, along with faculty members and students elected as representatives to the committee.
The committee receives a cover sheet containing the findings of the investigation, timeline of events, as well as a description of the student’s violations. DC members also receive a mandatory statement written by all students involved in the matter.
The process then begins with the class dean explaining the context of the concern to the committee, followed by the student’s reading of their statement. The student’s advisor then represents the student with a follow up Q&A session.
After deliberating and voting on a consensus within the DC, Mr. Craig Bradley, Head of School, has the final decision in either accepting or amending its recommendation.
The Disciplinary Committee is also different from a similar presence on campus, the Community Conduct Council (CCC). The CCC, headed by Dr. Merilee Mardon, Dean of Faculty, is a body that investigates both student and faculty concerns and consists of only faculty members. The CCC usually takes care of concerns requiring more privacy such as sexual assault.
Headed by Mr. D’Ambrosio, the DC consists of both faculty and student members that meets when there is a serious student behavior concern. The faculty portion of the committee currently consists of Mr. Richard Davis, dean of academic life, Ms. Elizabeth Dittmer, instructor in mathematics, Mrs. McClure, associate dean of student life, and Mr. Williams, instructor in environmental science.
There are also two faculty alternates on the team: Ms. Carmen Dockery Perkins, instructor in spanish; and Mr. William Fenton, instructor in physics and astronomy. In addition to the faculty on the committee, there are four official students on the committee — Anji Ashaye ’24, Jared Hurst ’24, Teddy Kim ’23, and Charlotte Moody ’23. The two student alternates are Ben Herdeg ’23 and Jack Kim ’23.
Over the past few years, several concerns have been raised by students regarding both the fairness and transparency of the process. However, legal and ethical barriers prevent detailed reports of DC proceedings, leaving many students feeling in the dark.
Dhruv Kothari ’25, member of the DEI council, said “I feel as if there’s two perceptions about the DC and it’s really a mix. On one hand, some students think that the DC does a really good job because the faculty is really respectable and students are all elected by their peers.
Headed by Mr. Andrew D’Ambrosio, dean of student life, the DC consists of both faculty and student members that meet when there is a serious student behavior concern. The faculty portion of the committee currently consists of Mr. Richard Davis, dean of academic life, Ms. Elizabeth Dittmer, instructor in mathematics, Mrs. Amanda McClure, associate dean of student life, and Mr. Williams, instructor in environmental science. There are also two faculty alternates on the team: Ms. Carmen Dockery Perkins, instructor in spanish; and Mr. William Fenton, instructor in physics and astronomy. In addition to the faculty on the committee, there are four official students on the committee– Anji Ashaye ’24, Jared Hurst ’24, Teddy Kim ’23, and Charlotte Moody ’23. The two student alternates are Ben Herdeg ’23 and Jack Kim ’23.
When a student is called to the DC, they appear with their advisor and class dean before faculty members and students elected as representatives to the committee. The committee receives a cover sheet containing the findings of all previous investigations of the matter, a timeline of events, and a description of the violations. DC members also receive statements written by all students involved in the matter. The class dean explains the context of the concern to the committee and the student reads their statement. The student’s advisor then represents the student and committee members can ask follow-up questions. After deliberating and voting (a consensus within the DC is required), a recommendation for the type of action to be taken is presented to Mr. Craig Bradley, head of school. Mr. Bradley usually accepts the committee’s recommendations, but has the power to adjust them.
The Disciplinary Committee proceeds differently than the Community Conduct Council (CCC). The CCC, led by Dr. Merilee Mardon, dean of faculty, is a body that investigates both student and faculty concerns and consists of only faculty members. The CCC usually addresses matters requiring more privacy, such as allegations of sexual harassment or bias.
