Meet Associate Chief Justice of the All Campus Judicial Council: Livie Cohn ’12

 1. What is your major?
 
I am an English major with a concentration in Language, Media & Communication and a Psych minor.
 
2. What is ACJC?
 
ACJC is the Judicial Branch of the Students Association (SA).  If a student is called to the Dean of Students office with a disciplinary infraction and feels he or she was wrongly accused or would like another opportunity to have his or her case heard, the student has the option to have a hearing with ACJC.
 
3. How/when did you get involved?
 
I was a January admit and had the opportunity to spend my first semester of freshman year abroad on the school’s Arezzo program in Italy.  While there with 12 Rochester upperclassmen, I tried to get a feel for what clubs I might want to get involved with once I arrived at school in January.  One of the other kids on the program was on ACJC and the more he talked about it, the more it appealed to me. So, after I arrived on campus I interviewed and earned a place on the council. When I first got on the council the senior members used to joke by saying I was “dirty rushed” from abroad. 

 
4. What is the hardest part about being a member of ACJC, let alone the Associate Chief Justice?
 
The hardest part about being on ACJC for me is keeping my emotions out of it. During a hearing it is so important to remain unbiased and to gather all of the facts so we can make a decision to find the student responsible or not responsible for what they are being charged with by the University. Often times we are faced with difficult decisions that could highly impact someone’s college career, and because I am their peer and not their superior I am often plagued with the question how I would feel if I was in their situation? However, because this is a learning community, our role on ACJC is to find the truth and to send home a meaningful and restorative lesson to the student in question.  Therefore, it is necessary for me to look past my emotions and to try to evaluate the case at face value. Being Associate Chief Justice, it is important for me to uphold those characteristics in order to set the example for the rest of the council.
 
 
5. How many members serve on the council?
 
There are 11 students in total on the council, including the Chief Justice and Associate Chief Justice. We recently had selections and after two lengthy and in-depth interviews for over 40 applicants, we selected six new justices to take the place of the ones who will be leaving us. I am very excited for the new council next year.
 
6. Anything else you think could add to the article/our readers might want to know
 
Many people on campus do not know that ACJC exists and those who do often have a negative connotation attached to it. We are not hired by the Dean to get people in trouble, but merely act as a board of peers who are trained to find the truth in an unbiased manner. If we do find a student responsible for violating code of conduct we will always provide him or her with a restorative and meaningful sanction, and never something punitive. 
 
To learn more about ACJC visit http://sa.rochester.edu/sa/acjc/