Editorial Board XC
MICHAEL E. CUNNIFF Editor-in-Chief
Illustrator’s Corner
NICOLE VALENTE Managing Editor JESSICA LISE General Manager ANTHONY O’REILLY News Editor
FLAMES OF THE TORCH
The last straw
If there’s something we’ve learned this year, it’s that you never know what’s coming next. As the bizarre Chang saga continues, we’ve come to learn way more than we ever expected to about Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M. – his travel itineraries, his real estate investments, his designer suits and his penchant for expensive wine. Now we’ve learned about his trip to the Caribbean with his favorite student-turned-right-hand-man, Rob Wile, and Wile’s then-girlfriend (now wife), Gabrielle Weir. Charging more than $9,000 to a credit card given to Wile by Chang, according to credit card statements obtained by the Torch, Harrington, Wile and Weir lived it up on St. John’s dime. The University professes that Harrington and Wile had no idea that Chang was turning around and billing the trip’s expenses (as well as thousands of dollars in other dubious charges) to the school in her travel and expense reports. It’s not hard to believe that – Chang was nothing if not meticulous in her corruption, and fooled many people for a long time. No, we’re not suggesting that Harrington and his sidekick Wile were aware that they were taking money from the school when they went on their little excursions. But we do find it hard to understand how they didn’t question further into where the money for the trips (and the suits, and the watches, and the liquor, and the casino visits, etc.) was coming from, and why it was coming. Chang, according to University officials and testimony from Harrington, always told Harrington that the money for the finer things that she was providing he and his allies was from donors, or a gift from her. Harrington should have asked for more detail, or
to meet these supposed donors. But that would have risked stopping the gravy train, and what Harrington didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. We’ve found ourselves in this position before. Should we be calling for Harrington’s resignation? Should we describe him as trusting and naïve? Should we reserve judgment for the inevitable next shoe to drop? The breaking point is near. The University stresses that the context is key with these reports, but it gets to a point where all the context in the world won’t save him. He may have been duped by Chang, someone who predated him at the University, but he fast-tracked Wile to a position that answers directly to him. Ultimately, he is responsible for the expense reports Wile approved, the nightclubs charged on his card and the tailored designer suits Wile received while on the delegations to Asia. There’s a whole other, financially independent, argument to be made as well. We know Harrington doesn’t like to have to explain or reconcile his actions as president of the University and his vows as a Vincentian priest, but there are some things that just seem inexplicable. Traveling with a young, unmarried couple – including a then-University undergraduate – to the Caribbean looks pretty suspect. Why he never felt the need to check with the school about this trip is lost on us. Warning bells sound in situations far less sticky than this. Keep in mind that this is the president of a university that doesn’t allow guests of the opposite sex into dorm rooms past 3 a.m. A university that states in its Residence Life handbook that it does not condone “cohabitation” or “sexual intimacy.” Continued on pg. 8
EDITORIAL POLICY
Editorials are the opinions of the Editorial Board of the TORCH. Columns are the opinions of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of The TORCH. Opinions
Mail letters to: The TORCH, St. John’s University 8000 Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY 11439 Submit letters via e-mail at: torcheic@gmail.com
expressed in editorials, columns, letters or cartoons are not necessarily those of the student body, faculty or administrations of St. John’s University.
TO CONTRIBUTE
All are welcome to contribute to the Torch. Please include your full name, year, and college (or department). Letters have a limit of 500 words and may be edited for content, grammar, or space. Unverifiable or anonymous letters will not be published. All letters are subject to the approval of the Editorial Board of the TORCH.
TORCH ILLUSTRATION/ ARTHUR MONDESIR