Unlike most schools, our student body does not have a traditional government with a president and representatives. What we do have is a disciplinary committee called the SDC. While this committee may be familiar to many students at University, outsiders and new students may not understand exactly what it is. What do they do? Who’s in the SDC? Why does the SDC even matter? All these questions will be covered throughout this article.

The SDC is basically a jury of elected students. Whenever a student breaks the code of conduct, whether it be bullying, cheating, or even thievery, the Student Disciplinary Committee (SDC) is assembled to commence a court-like trial where witnesses, including the student who is charged with the act, give their testimonies. After all of the evidence is laid out, the SDC comes together and decides whether the defendant is guilty or innocent, and if found guilty, what the proper punishment is. Once they come up with a punishment, they recommend it to the Co-Directors, who usually take the SDC’s recommendation–although they reserve the right not to. Then the student is punished, and the basic facts of the crime and the punishment are read out the next morning.

The students elect two or three members from their grade to represent them in the SDC, and the head is chosen by seniority, or whoever is in the SDC the longest. Elections are held for incoming freshmen in the fall and all other SDC elections are held in the spring. The current members of the SDC, before freshman elections, are Miguel Martinez, Firas Abboud, Mikey Fideli, Alex Miller, Jack Robey, Arnold von Engelbrechten, Kennon Walton, and Sam Rashidi.

The SDC is fair on students. While some outsiders may think that the students they like may get off scot-free when they really deserve punishment, the students give just punishments, sometimes severe if need be. Kennon Walton, a sophomore member of the SDC says, “The great thing about the SDC is how we are able to relate to the students, since we are students ourselves. This helps us in coming to the right decision on whether the student broke the code of conduct or not, and what the punishment should be if they are guilty.”

Some may ask why the SDC is important if the Co-Directors are the ones who make the final decision. What may be hard to understand is how much influence the SDC actually has over the final verdict, and how they try the best they possibly can to remain unbiased. Many people don’t appreciate the “jury of one’s own peers” that is implemented in many democracies, and that’s because they don’t know what life is like without it. They don’t understand that having one or two adults who may not be able to fully understand what it’s like to be a student in this time, or two adults versus a group of about 10 other people who would be able to diversify the rule without the fears of the biases of one person, may create possibly an unfair verdict. The SDC is also important because it puts the school in a position where they are obligated to be truthful about the shortcomings of one of their own, without throwing any specific person under the bus.. These things that may seem insignificant may change the life of someone who may have been expelled if they were in a world without the SDC, but  instead now have a chance to redeem themselves and learn from their mistakes.

The SDC is a vital part of University School’s disciplinary system. The committee as a whole is essential to keeping our school behaviorally in check, and are great at weeding out the students who don’t care about the values that University School was built on. For all new students, it is important to know about the SDC in order to be able to fully understand the discipline that US expects from every one of their students. It is also important for Freshmen because elections for the SDC are coming up, so it is useful to know what the SDC really is in order to vote.