XVIII. Membership

A. Composition and Appointment

Per the Faculty Rules and Regulations, the COD consists of six elected members of the Faculty, three undergraduate and two graduate students, the Vice President and Dean for Student Life, and the Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate and Graduate Education, ex officio, or representatives as designated by the Vice President/Dean and Vice Chancellor. Faculty members serve terms of three years, consistent with the Rules and Regulations of the Faculty. Dean/Vice Chancellor’s Representatives serve terms for three years, eligible for renewal. Students may continue their service until degree completion. Past members who have completed their terms may, for a period of three years thereafter, be called to complete a panel for a particular hearing, only one such member to serve in a given hearing.

The COD is unique among Institute committees in that it requires skills and knowledge that are not inherent to a person due to their membership in the MIT community. Accordingly, COD members should be chosen based on their qualification to serve and their willingness to commit to the extensive amount of time required.

The COD Chair and Executive Officer should advise the Committee on Nominations (CoN) on the qualifications needed for COD members and collaborate with CoN in an advisory capacity.

The COD Chair and Executive Officer should further advise the Undergraduate Association, Graduate Student Council, the Vice President and Dean for Student Life, and the Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate and Graduate Education of the qualifications needed for COD members and shall interview all nominees to serve as Dean’s representatives and all student nominees prior to their appointment to COD. The COD Chair is not required to accept any nominee for membership to COD who is not sufficiently qualified in the judgment of the Chair.

B. Ethics and Confidentiality

The COD members are required to maintain confidentiality of information presented in COD cases and to agree to other ethics rules specified by the Chair. No member of the COD who had any involvement in the events relating to a particular case will participate as a COD member in the COD resolution of that case.

C. Training

Before having access to case information or participating in the resolution of a complaint, a member must complete the current COD briefing, as developed by the OSCCS and the Chair.

D. Sexual Misconduct Subcommittee

Each year, the Chair shall select six to ten members from the COD to receive special training and adjudicate cases involving sexual misconduct, intimate partner violence, and stalking. The subcommittee will consist of three faculty members (including the Chair or Associate Chair) and three Dean for Student Life or Vice Chancellor’s representatives.  Students will not serve on the subcommittee.

Participation on the COD sexual misconduct subcommittee should be recognized as a substantial commitment, and subcommittee members should receive a tangible reduction in other work commitments or other appropriate arrangement that would ensure adequate time for the task.

All subcommittee members must attend and complete additional modules of training regarding sexual misconduct, intimate partner violence, and stalking over the course of the academic year. This training is in addition to the standard COD training for all COD members.

E. Additional Subcommittees

The Chair of COD may appoint additional subcommittees as necessary to study or take action on issues relevant to COD. The Chair may include COD members and experts external to COD on these subcommittees.

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