Administrationdenies favoritismin housingprobation

Some students were taken off residence hall probation, while others still remain on the list. The administration claims justified reasons for both cases.

by Laura Casamento editor in chief

In a reversal from th.eir previous stance on residence hall damages, members of the administration took several students off of residential hall probation this week.

Students who were released from probation were sent a letter stating thanheir charges were reevaluated and readjusted to reflect the correct amount.

Both Dr. Robert Bonfiglio, vice president for studer.t development, and Cathy Caulfield, resident life director, stated that there were no specific criteria for the readjustment.

"There is a clause in the room contract and in the student handbook saying that students who have excessive damages would be subject to punishment," Bonfiglio said. 'There is a valid reason for each of these individual cases to be either on or off of probation."

'This was based on a discus- sion that [Bonfiglio] and I had," Caulfield said.

Both Bonfiglio and Caulfield said that they were not permitted to discuss the individual cases due to the judicial restrictions of the Family Rights and Privacy Act.

Senior Jim McTamney was one of the students released from probation. He and his roommate received a letter earlier in the summer saying that they were being placed on probation for excessive damages in the amount of $230.

"We were on the second floor of the apartments and [the damage] was mostly in the common areas, like the rug," McTamney said.

"Also, our door had marks in it from public safety banging on it with their sticks."

McTarnney and about 25 of his friends and their parents met with Vice President for Finance and Administration Stephen Lightcap, public safety director Rich MacErlean, Caulfield and Bonfiglio to discuss the damages.

"We met on Monday and they said that they would call us by Friday," McTamney said. 'They called and told us we were off probation and we also received a letter."

Another student, who requested not to be named, was also taken off of probation.

"In the fall semester, I had about $10 in damages to my room, and in the spring I got a letter saying that I owed $300;' the student said. "I went to [Caulfield] and she showed me an itemized list of the damages. But I went back to the room later and some of them weren't even fixed, even though I paid."

"I told her that I was on [Student Government Association] and I had a high GPA. I also had one of my parents call and tell her that I had a very important job with the school and I could get in a lot of trouble if people knew I was on probation," the student said. Being discovered on residential probation was a very real possibility. "I was working the door at the formal last semester, and we had a list of everyone who was on probation," the student said. "I know everyone on probation and I know everyone else knows who is on probation."

After meeting with Caulfield. the student received a letter saying that the residence hall probation was terminated.

• Bonfiglio stated that students were not taken off of probation because of either their positions with the school or complaints from the students or their parents.

"That's poppycock," Bonfiglio said. "People who are under that impression are wrong. Students are not singled out, there are no special relationships that would affect their situation.

"It is completely ludicrous."

Junior Mike McGann was not taken off of residential probation. His charges amounted to about $1000.

"I had a lot of charges that didn't add up," McGann said. "I asked for a list of all my charges and they didn't send it until we really hassled [Caulfield] for it.

"They charged me for every httie thing;· he said. "There was a little nick in the wall and they charged me the same amount for that and for a hole that was as long as my arm. The total bill was not even close-it should be around $200."

McGann and his parents are fighting for him to be released from probation.

"We got no warning that this was going to happen," he said.

"They won't listen to me at all, and there's no one to complain to and say that this is not fair. All they say is that I signed the [Room Condition Report] at the beginning of the year.

"The school just wants their money and I paid my money," he said. "Why hold this probation thing over my head?"

In the end, McGann says that he does not expect to win his battle with the admirlistrators.

"I don't see myself corning off of probation," he said. "I'll just have to stick it out until May."