Nicole Eramo, assistant vice president for student affairs, leaves after 25 years at the University

After 25 years at the University, Nicole Eramo, chief of staff and assistant vice president for student affairs, has left to take on the role of Chief of Staff at Lafayette College. During her long career in the Division of Student Affairs, Eramo aimed to foster a meaningful student experience both in and out of the classroom.

“I have had amazing colleagues and opportunities to work with amazing people, including the students that I’ve been able to work with,” Eramo said. “It’s just been a real privilege.”

Eramo has extensive experience supporting students. Serving on the University’s Sexual Misconduct Board and the Board of Directors at the Sexual Assault Resource Agency in Charlottesville, Eramo specialized in aiding victims of gender-based violence.

In 2014, Eramo was swept up in the now-retracted Rolling Stone article which falsely detailed a female student’s rape by a University fraternity and criticized University administrators, including Eramo, in their responses to the rape.

Eramo has remained in the Office of the Vice President and continued her work in helping survivors of sexual assault as president of SARA’s Board of Directors. Reflecting upon the responsibility of working directly with students, Eramo said she has developed valuable skills of collaboration and coordination.

Despite her anticipation for her new role at Lafayette, Eramo said she will miss the connections she fostered with University students and staff.

“It was a hard decision to leave because I feel like I learned from my students and colleagues every day and I continue to, to the very end,” Eramo said.

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Honor Committee discusses standards of evidence, debates pending co-sponsorship

The Honor Committee met Sunday to discuss the standards of evidence in Honor proceedings, as well as consider a pending co-sponsorship for the Accomodation Access Fund.

21 out of 26 members attended, meaning the Committee met quorum to vote on constitutional matters and by-laws. Last week the Committee discussed four new proposals for additions to the Committee’s constitution following the vote last spring to remove single-sanction. Two of the proposals suggest changing the Committee’s current standard of evidence for finding students guilty — currently, the constitution requires that evidence prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Fourth-year College student Rep. Sullivan McDowell said there is difficulty and rarity in finding students guilty under the current standard of evidence and said he is in favor of a lesser standard of guilt. Three of the four proposals determine the sanction based on what percentage of the panel to vote that the student is guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

“As an official observer, it is very rare these days that votes find people guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,” McDowell said. “So I think if we land somewhere around 75 percent confident that this person committed an offense, I’m totally comfortable with that.”

The Committee did not make an official decision on the standard of evidence and the Constitution.

The Committee also heard feedback from its members about a pending co-sponsorship from the Accommodation Access Fund, but did not make a definitive decision and decided to table the discussion until a later date.