JIO leaves post after two years

Student Dispute Resolution Center Director and Judicial Inquiry Officer Steven Blum stepped down from his position in July. To fill the position, Law Professor Michele Goldfarb was named acting Judicial Inquiry Officer, effective August 1. The search for a permanent JIO will begin this fall. While Blum would not specify why he was giving up his post, Provost Stanley Chodorow speculated that "he is tired of the job, which is a tough one." Chodorow also said that Blum wanted to pursue other career options. Over the course of the last semester, Chodorow and Blum disagreed over the department's role at the University. While Blum favored a mostly mediation approach, Chodorow preferred speedy adjudication when it was necessary. "I don't think he felt that this was what he wanted to do," Chodorow said. "I don't know that he was ever comfortable with the role he played [disciplining students] and I was insisting on that role, rather than a mediation role. "I think we do need mediation -- most of our student disputes should be mediated -- because it is a much more educational process and much more helpful process than disciplinary proceedings," he added. "But the JIO is really a disciplinary officer." Chodorow said Goldfarb was highly recommended by people within the University who knew her from her work at the Law School Clinic. "Both faculty and students who knew her gave her rave reviews for her judgement, good sense and organizational skills," he said. When Blum came to the University two years ago, the University was still recovering from the "water buffalo" case. His biggest goal was to restore confidence in the University's judicial system. And he said he thinks he has accomplished this during his short tenure. "We took a system that was deeply involved in controversy and we were able to bring it back to being a system of University discipline and get it out of the controversy," Blum said. Last September, the JIO changed its name to the SDRC in an attempt to better reflect its job on campus. At the time, Blum said students should work with each other to solve their disputes and come to a resolution. Blum said he is proud of his department's introduction of mediation into the handling of discipline matters. "We have worked hard to always treat students with respect, and I think we have succeeded with that," Blum said. One of the biggest projects of Blum's term was the creation of a new Student Judicial Charter "with greater and direct student and faculty involvement." The draft charter, which has still not been adopted, will be reviewed this fall by the administration, the student/faculty committee, and the University Council. It then must be accepted by the deans of the schools. Blum will remain on the faculty of the Legal Studies Department.