I am writing in response to an article in Monday’s Daily Orange that implies a student-athlete received preferential treatment from the Office of Judicial Affairs. 

First, I want to be very clear: All students at Syracuse University are treated equally through the university’s judicial system.

As you may expect, due to university policy and federal student privacy laws, I am unable to comment about actual specifics of any student’s judicial case, but I can and do want to address the situation as it was presented in the article.

Based on information in the article, it is clear that each case resulted in the same sanction — each student losing a full semester and unable to complete and receive academic credit for one semester at SU. The fact that one of the students had already begun the semester, which was then later forfeited in terms of academic credit and tuition reimbursement, does not constitute differential treatment.

And most critically, each student was held accountable through the student judicial process, for their violations of the student code of conduct, and made clear they understood the cause of their behavior and that they learned from their experience. Within each sanction lies the opportunity for students to actively engage in their learning, growth and personal development. Upon completion of their sanctions, all students are required to follow the proper protocol and meet with the relevant offices as they seek to re-enter the university.

In this vein, the primary goal of the student judicial system, according to the Judicial System Handbook, is to serve as a ‘learning experience that is intended to result in the growth and understanding of individual responsibilities on the part of all persons.’

Thomas V. Wolfe

Senior Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs 

Published on February 6, 2012 at 12:00 pm