Although merit remains in East Carolina University’s Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (OSRR) and their mission, the litigiousness of the moment demands reconsideration of the role ECU OSRR plays in adjudicating potential infractions against the university’s Code of Conduct as well as civil and criminal infractions in the City of Greenville and other relevant jurisdictions. Although sanctions
levied against students by ECU OSRR are a matter of university record rather than public record, they can nonetheless prove significant enough to disrupt the natural progression of a student’s life and career. More disturbing are our apprehensions pertaining to violation reporting, the right to face your accuser, preponderance of evidence, due process, competent representation, timeliness of hearings and judgments, and general condescension towards the accused.

Tribunals conducted by ECU OSRR consistently prove intimidating to students accused of Code of Conduct violations. Charges are levied against suspected students, students feel compelled to reply to alleviate suspense, and their academic and social development become adversely affected by the experience. Especially worrisome are concerns about constitutional protections students regularly do not
receive when confronted with serious charges by ECU OSRR, such as the potential for being subjected to unreasonable searches and seizures without notification and consent (Amendment IV), violations of due process from discovery to judgment (Amendment V), denials to the right to competent representation (Amendment VI), slow hearings and preemptive judgments by tribunals of questionably qualified officers (Amendment VI), and questions about ECU OSRR’s consistency in process and sanctions from case to case (Amendment XIV).

Violations committed by East Carolina University students are directly reported to ECU OSRR by ECU Police and the City of Greenville’s police department. Justifying the involvement of those departments is simple enough due to their organizational remit and their proximity to campus. However, if violations occur outside of Pitt County, the probabilities of a report to ECU OSRR are exceptionally low, even if violations would be a report-worthy event at or near campus.

● What justifies the aforementioned violation reporting gap to ECU OSRR? What municipalities
and agencies should be reasonably expected to provide regular reporting to ECU OSRR? How
does our partnering institutions compare to this?
● What thresholds are employed by ECU OSRR to distinguish between a case worthy of
prosecution against the university Code of Conduct and one better left for negotiation between the
student and civil authorities?
● How are ECU OSRR’s resources allocated between pursuing allegations on underage drinking
versus, say, drug possession and trafficking or sexual assault, be that in the proximity of the
university or in other parts of the state?
● What measures do ECU OSRR undertake to educate students on the university’s Code of
Conduct? Equally relevant, how does ECU OSRR inform students of its mission, its procedures,
and the reliability of its judgments and sanctions, particularly with leaders of major student
organizations and societies? How frequently does ECU OSRR examine and justify its role to
students, faculty, administrators, trustees, and other relevant stakeholders?
● What auditing has been done of ECU OSRR to ensure that its functions honor civil rights and due
process protections for students? In addition, if auditing has been done, is it publicly available
and does it ever question whether ECU OSRR consistently acts within its remit?

● How does ECU OSRR educate accused students about their civil rights and due process
protections throughout all stages of a tribunal, from discovery to judgment? Is competent
representation ever offered to the accused; if so, what are the qualifications of both the advocate
and those who sit in judgment? Does ECU OSRR and those in faculty, administration, and the
student body deputized in its service consider the profound risks associated with incorrectly
weighing charges, the “preponderance of the evidence” burden of proof, and sanctions? Does any
departmental internal review occur to address these questions; if so, how regularly does it occur
and is it publicly available for review?
We, the concerned students ask for the following of the University:
● Institute a top-to-bottom binding stakeholder audit of ECU OSRR that includes deliberate
examination and speedy reform of its departmental remit, intake of violation reports, right to a
speedy trial, student education efforts of the procedures, tribunal qualifications, case outcome-to-
sanction consistency, overwhelming preponderance of evidence, right to face your accuser, and
the right to appeal to an appropriate, unbiased appellate constituency.
● Increased proper representation and inclusion that encompasses the makeup of Pirate Nation in its
entirety to be a part of the OSRR’s conduct board.
● Acknowledgement that ECU OSRR’s sanctions can hinder the accused student beyond their
academic life and should be treated as such.
● Suspend all actions and processes of ECU OSRR until the proper adjudication, competent
representation, protection of constitutional rights, and confidence is gained in the students of East
Carolina University in a fair and equitable manner.

-Concerned ECU Students