A University Council member has proposed to make a change in the NIU constitution to give the council more power to change the University Judicial Codes.

English Professor James Giles, who has been a council member for seven years, said he wants to clarify the relationship between the council and the codes.

Currently, the University Judicial Advisory Board has the power to propose changes in the codes. The council is then only asked to review the changes. Then the judicial board presents the final changes to the university president.

“We have no right (currently) to change anything in the language,” Giles said. “They are saying ‘You can review this, but you can’t change or revise this.'”

Giles said he proposed this as one of his two options to the council. His other option is for the codes to not come before University Council at all.

He said he thinks the council should have the authority to make code changes because the body is advisory to the president anyway.

“If what comes out of this is a relationship between us and the codes, I’ll be happy,” Giles said.

But Curt Stein, Student Association campus welfare adviser, said the council only is able to review the codes as a “courtesy” from the judicial advisory board. Stein is also a judicial board member.

Stein said students have always felt they should be responsible for their direct counsel. “I, as well as other students on the University Council, have felt that for 18 years the system has worked,” he said.

“(Giles) is saying students can’t be responsible to propose and change their own conduct,” he said.

Some students on University Council met Monday to discuss Giles’ proposal, Stein said. The proposal is on the council’s consent agenda for today’s meeting where it will be assigned to committee B.

“We’re going to try and block this on the agenda,” Stein said.