The division of the Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs separates plagiarism investigations from support services
By VINCE BASADA — campus@theaggie.org
The UC Davis Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs (OSSJA), responsible for administering and writing student conduct policies and reviewing cases of academic and student misconduct, has divided into two new entities to allow better focus on separate aspects of student life.
The newly formed Student Conduct and Integrity will retain the disciplinary functions of OSSJA, including overseeing policies and procedures relating to student misconduct and alleged artificial intelligence (AI) use and plagiarism. Meanwhile, the Office of Student Support will take on OSSJA’s case management services and work connecting students to resources.
The university said the change was made “to reduce stigma in seeking assistance, clarify roles, ease student access to resources and simplify the referral process,” according to an announcement on the dissolvement of OSSJA.
The two departments have since launched new websites, separate office phones and have more clearly delineated the roles of staffers.
Stacy Vander Velde, the former head of OSSJA who now serves as the director of both Student Conduct and Integrity and the Office of Student Support, says the change was also made to move away from the negative connotations of the old title.
“Judicial Affairs is a very outdated, antiquated name, and it doesn’t really reflect what we do,” Vander Velde said. “It’s nice moving forward.”
Discussions began in winter 2025, with student focus groups indicating a desire to have support services be more independent, according to Vander Velde. Some expressed concerns that support advising and disciplinary oversight was being administered by the same office.
“I’ve been doing this work for a long time, but it’s exciting to see some change and evolution based on what the community wants,” Vander Velde said.
As of time of publication, both new departments will remain in the space formerly occupied by OSSJA on the third floor of Dutton Hall, though this may change in the future. Vander Velde also shared that the two organizations will likely go through further structural changes, including the possibility of getting two independent directors in the next year.
ASUCD Student Advocate Inbar Schwartz, a fourth-year international relations and economics double major, leads a team of students who help guide their peers through the disciplinary hearing process. Schwartz says she has not yet been able to meet with the leaders of OSSJA’s successors, but thinks the development will serve in students’ benefit.
“I hope this split opens up an opportunity for the former OSSJA to expand its’ student support services and provides more clarity for students,” Schwartz said in an Instagram direct message.
Schwartz also reiterated the continued importance of the Student Advocate Office continuing to provide their own independent and private conduct case advising throughout this transition.
The university is required to provide their own advisors for students accused of misconduct, and those services will now be coordinated within the Office of Student Support. However, they can also provide guidance for students requesting welfare checks or filing referrals.
“When I first got here, it was mostly faculty and staff referring students who might be distressed about something or need some assistance,” Vander Velde said. “Over the past year and a half or so, we’re seeing more students take initiative to refer to themselves.”
More changes to the student conduct process are coming; The results of a UC-wide conduct review enacted in April by then-UC President Michael Drake are expected to result in a new conduct policy outright. Those new adjudication frameworks and sanction guidelines will be released soon, according to Vander Velde.
Written by: Vince Basada — campus@theaggie.org
