Luis Delgado may not have been a Boy Scout, but he said he intends to leave his "campsite," or UF's Student Honor Court, better than how he found it.
The honor court chancellor and UF law student is revamping the court's traditional practices to make sure it's not shut down by the UF administration.
At a meeting Wednesday night at the Levin College of Law, Delgado stressed the need to boost awareness of the court, which he thinks will increase its use.
Delgado, appointed by Student Body President Ryan Moseley early this semester, has also instituted bimonthly meetings this spring.
At the meetings, law students give presentations to court members so they can brush up on proper legal procedure.
In November, the court faced criticism from UF's Faculty Senate for its small caseload and for not having adequate faculty representation, according to the Senate.
Faculty Senate passed a resolution asking Patricia Telles-Irvin, UF's vice president for student affairs, to streamline the process in which the university resolves student academic-dishonesty cases.
"If I were to sit back and do nothing, then I would be guilty of doing nothing, and that's not my style," Delgado said.
Chris Loschiavo, director of Student Judicial Affairs, said Delgado is one of the court's most motivated chancellors in a branch that historically hasn't been that active.
The student-run, SG-funded court is one of two case-hearing bodies for students charged with academic dishonesty.
The other option is the Student Conduct Committee, which consists of students and faculty.
The honor court only consists of students, and faculty serve as witnesses only.
Delgado said he's also using attendance of the meetings as a gauge to see which members are truly committed versus those who use the court as a resume-booster.
"We're at such a point that if don't we participate or take part, we're going to be in trouble," he said.
