The installation of cards informing students of their rights during student conduct cases -- the purchase of which led to controversy last semester -- has begun around campus, the AU Student Government’s Center for Advocacy and Student Equity (CASE) announced Monday.
The cards inform students of their right to have an advisor present with them during all steps of a conduct case and file bias-related incident reports, among other rights. The laminated, adhesive cards will be placed in residence halls and campus buildings, said Will Mascaro, the director of CASE.
“This is a huge win for student rights at American University,” Mascaro said in a CASE press release. “Our rights as students do not matter unless we know how to access them, and the cards provide every student with the tools they need to do just that.”
The $3,800 purchase of the cards sparked controversy in November when former SG President Taylor Dumpson fired Mascaro from his position as CASE director because the purchase was not authorized by Student Activities, The Eagle previously reported. Mascaro was later reinstated by the SG Senate at a special meeting later that month.
The cards will be installed in two phases, according to the press release. In phase one, the cards will be placed in elevators in the Mary Graydon Center elevators and other “common areas” in the building. Mascaro said this phase has already been completed. In phase two, the cards will be installed in every floor lounge in the residence halls by July.
