I have recently read an article titled “Community code up for student vote," and it troubles me that people might still be uninformed or are misinterpreting the idea we wish to convey in the Code document. As I was elected by the Student Body to be part of this Committee and to make a document, I wish to clarify a few points brought up in the piece.

One student argued that no student will ever remember the Code, and asked, “What does it say about a community who doesn't even know what their own Community Code says?” We did not write the Code expecting people to recite it by heart. Rather, we wrote it in the hope that students would be aware of it and agree with its principles, and more significantly, that students would unite around it and uphold it through the Community Council. It is comparable to how a citizen is expected to interact with the Constitution of their own country. No one is going to judge anyone because he or she doesn’t know the Community Code by heart. Also, I want to emphasize that the Code acts as a basis from which the Community Council will operate, and that the Council itself is a very meaningful way for students to stand behind the values of our university.

Many comments point to the fact that it is too vague and does not have a strict set of guidelines or rules. Maybe students are not aware, but we do have a strict, very specific set of rules already. It is called the Student Code of Conduct, which can be found on the Student Portal. No student participated in the creation of this document. We are all expected to abide by it, and we are judged by it in the case of student misconduct. Administration decides based on that set of rules. You are guilty or you are not.

What we offer with the Community Code is the right to choose to have your actions and consequences evaluated by your own peers. That is what the Community Council is there for. And that is why the Code is vague, because we want the Council to judge things on a case-by-case basis, taking many things into consideration, promoting discussion and allowing a student perspective.

It was also said that, “If we are to enact this weak honor code, it removes space in the future for creating a strong code that actually has an impact on bringing together the community,” and let me say that this is not the case. According to the Community Council procedures, the Community Code will be reviewed every year — and the procedures of the Council will be reviewed on a semester basis — giving the opportunity for new incoming classes to participate, and to allow the Code to be molded and adjusted as our community changes with time. And let’s not forget the amendment process that was specially designed to allow more flexibility during the first year of the Code's implementation as new issues arise.

It has also been said that the document is incapable of “providing anything more than what the current elected representatives are already capable of offering,” and that the Council “would defer too much power to the Dean of Students.” However, the administration is doing everything and has all the power right now dealing with these situations. As of today, no student is involved in any of the decisions made by the administration regarding student misconduct, and Student Government has little, if any, say in what happens in student conduct matters. That is why we are offering the Community Council to the student body, to allow students to be active in the process, to participate, to voice their opinions, to be judged by peers, to choose.

To the concern that freshmen were not involved in the drafting of the Code, I can only say that the entire Code was drafted and finished in Spring 2012. The Class of 2016 did not participate because they were not NYUAD students at that point. During Fall 2013 and part of this spring, the Code was being reviewed by the Legal Department to hash out nuances that dealt with the protection of students, confidentiality issues and UAE law. No one had access to modify it, not even the Code’s development committee. We designed the Code to be something that people from all classes could support and abide by. Freshmen didn’t have a chance to help create the Code in the first place, but will have the chance to help consolidate it and to put it into action. And that’s why the Council has a special set of procedures for amendments during the first year of its implementation. Otherwise, we will end up redoing all procedures and student-made documents every year to accommodate for each incoming class, which is not feasible.

There are many other questions and concerns that arise, and I hope we will be able to answer all of them. Right now, what I want to tell the student body is to step back for a minute and look to how things work today. We have no means of having students involved in the process of dealing with student misconduct. What the Code offers is a change for student self-governance. Students being accountable. Students participating. I understand that there are concerns, disagreements and doubts. I would not expect anything less from a community of thinkers, of speakers, of makers. I’m just afraid that if the Community Council proposal does not pass, it will take another year and a half or even more to start all over. Another year and a half with no Community Council? Another year and a half with no student participation? Another year and a half of leaving everything to Administration?

Two values that we mentioned in the Code are communication and compromise. And I believe in them and will act on them. And we came up with what I believe is a great addition and opportunity for our Student Body. Now is up to you, my fellow classmates, to vote, and I will accept and abide by any decision that comes out of this.

Thank you for your time, Florencia Schlamp