Conflict of interest is a simple concept.
That is why I find it absolutely ridiculous that we allow educational institutions to discipline students in cases in which the code of conduct has been breached.
The verdict that they often come to is self-serving and unsatisfying for many.
We have seen examples of this in the news recently with the dental students at Dalhousie University and the University of Ottawa’s men’s hockey team.
Both are situations in which the university was left to apply discipline to their own student body. Those are just two recent examples of a disturbing trend.
I find it outrageous that a college would be trusted to discipline itself, when we know full well that any institution will act in self-preservation. Why would they not? It is a clear conflict of interest, yet we just use the honour system.
I would like to see a third-party organization that is tasked with dealing with situations in which colleges and universities currently police themselves. I believe this is the only way in which we can get fair judgement of any case.
While some may say this is unnecessary bureaucracy, I believe it is very necessary. Not all cases of sexual assault or violence at colleges and universities have police involved.
We have seen from recent events that in many cases of sexual assault, the police are never contacted. I know I would be concerned if I learned my daughter did not report a sexual assault to police. I would be livid if I learned that the university decided what punishment would be best for that student. Especially if that punishment was woefully insufficient – which it often is.
It is a sad reality that many educational institutions find academic dishonesty more discipline-worthy than preventing sexual assault.