FRICAV.
NCV.'12,
19B2
CABRINI
COLLEGE,
RACNOR
1
PA 190B7
VOL.XXIX,N0.4
Campus questions iudicial syStem by Ann Belsky Much controversy has been sweeping Cabrini campus concerning the current judicial system, in particular, the rights. of a student to appeal a write-up. The recent case involving Sullivan House residents.is one example of the technical and legal aspects that some think need revision under the present system. The existing judicial system allows a student to appeal any write-up he thinks is underservin~. Residents of Sullivan House exercised this right when they were wirtten-up for unauthorized party and underage drinking violations. The proper procedure for appealing a write-up as outlined in the 1982-1983 Cabrini College Student Handbook involves the submission of a written request seven days of the receipt of the write-up. Sister Christine Marie Baltos, dean of students, then informs Larry Comroe, chairman of the Residency Conduct Committee, if the student is a resident. He is responsible for setting
The judlclal policy written by Jolyon Girard is
presently the center of much controversy. (Photo by Mark M. Magnerf
the time of the hearing and tells the committee, the accused and the dean of stud:!nts. According to the Handbook (paragraph III. C. 5.). the accused student
wilf have the right to solicit counsel, call witnesses, present evidence, and offer a defense similiar to general legal practices. The dean of students, or her representative, may prosecute under the same conditions. The RCC consists of five student members elected by the Student Government Association at the beginning of the fall semester and one ex-officio, non-voting faculty member, also appointed by the students. Most of those written-up in Sullivan House deemed it necessary to appeal. Martin Clancy said he appealed because he was accused of possessing alcohol and, in reality, he had been holding an empty cup. "I was .let off for insufficient evidence." Clancy said. Terry Mancini, acquitted of his "unauthorized party" charges, said, "The RA's didn't use the proper procedure when writin~ us up. We weren't read our full rights. We .were only told we could appeal." August Nicoletti, director of resident life, felt it was necessary for the RA to read a student his rights as
outlined in the Student Handbook, however, students do accept these rights and responsibilities when signing their residency contract. "Students should take the responsibility to know their rights,'' Nicoletti said. Indeed, the responsibility of the student is to read and understand college conduct policy (Student Handbook, paragraph II. A. I.), but he must ·be informed at the time his write-up is issued that he has certain judicial options available (paragraph III. A.). Tom DeMatteis, RA in Counsel Hall, said, "We should all know the handbook but we were not instructed by our bosses to read the students their rights when writing them up." "The guys in Sullivan House didn't know they could get legal counsel,'' sophomore John McQueen, legal counsel for an accused student, said. McQueen learned of legal counsel after a write-up last year led him to seek his own counsel.
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More iudicial policy page 6
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Counsel's fire: Cabrini in a crisis situation · by Robin Larkins
Crisis at Cabrini: -What happens on campus in the event of an actual emergency such as the recent fire in Counsel Hall? -How do people react under pressure? How can the campus prevent crises from occurring? The question of how to deal with a crisis, raised formally two years ago, resulted · in formation of a Cabrini College Crisis Plan. The plan sets forth guidelines to be followed by the entire campus at the time of an emergency. The early morning fire in the base• ment of Counsel Hall on Oct. 31 provided the plan its first formal implementation on an extensive basis. The result of this implementation indeed'. proved effective, according to campus officials. Jan Buzbee, director of public relations, said that the need for such a program arose due to the extensive growth of the college. In the event of a crisis, such as the fire in Counsel Hall, there are set guidelines as to what
Members of the Radnor Fire Company work to extinguish the early morning fire that caused much smoke damage in Counsel Hall. (Photo by Eric Gavalis) ·
course the college will take . First, the person whose department is primarily involved is immediately contacted . In the event of the fire, Sr. Christine Marie Baltas, dean of stu-
Late fees James R. Keches, business manager of Cabrini College, is accessing late fees to unpaid tuition bills. (Story on page 4)
dents, was the administrator who then was responsible for getting as much information as possible relevent to the crisis. The president of the college and the director of public
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relations are also notified right away. The president's juristiction then governs the notification of other administrators, according to Buzbee. In the case of the Counsel Hall crisis, people such as Mike Caranfa, director of maintenance, and Bob Watson, supervisor of security, were notified and asked to come to the scene. The rest of the crisis plan centers around the public relations office to prepare press releases and to keep the campus informed as to the status of the situation. Sr. Eileen Currie, president of Cabrini College, said, "I think that one of the most important things that we must be aware of regarding the fire is that everyone involved did exactly what they were supposed to do." Currie was clear that the Crisis Plan was effictive in the case of Counsel Hall's fire. Sr. Baltas also was impressed with the college's reaction to the crisis. "I was very much impressed with
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More fire page 6
Snow White Sandra McNamara and Dan Radice will be starring in the Little Theatre's production of Snow White. (Story on pae 12)
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