Suspended student claims unfair treatment

Holford says Community Board ignored policy

Questions are being raised by some members of the college community concerning the Residential Life and Community Board actions that resulted in college junior Matt Holford's dismissal from Oberlin two weeks ago.

Even though Holford's recent actions caused him to be dismissed from the college, Professor of Theater Roger Copeland, who was Holford's adviser during the first appeal, is concerned with the way Residential Life administrators followed rules throughout the whole process.

Copeland asked, "What kind of recourse exists for the accused when Oberlin College violates clearly stated procedure in bringing charges?"

He said college senior Jonathan Rochkind's essay in the recent issue of The Voice and college junior Ben Selman's letter to the editor in the Review May 3 "have pinpointed the numbers of instances that Residential Life didn't follow rules in the Regs book."

In March, Dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk took emergency action after complaints were made that Holford had been smoking marijuana in his room in South Hall. As a result, on March 8 Holford received a notice of eviction.

Holford, in response to the eviction notice, decided to barricade himself in his room until a preliminary Community Board hearing was scheduled.

When Holford eventually complied with his eviction, he stayed at a friend's house. He said, "I had to sleep on a couch for a long time. I was missing a lot of my stuff, and I didn't have access to it." He added that it seriously hindered his studying.

The community board, after its hearing, which included testimonies in support of and against Holford, decided to uphold Cole-Newkirk's decision.

Holford then wrote a letter to President Nancy Dye asking for an appeal to his punishment. In a letter to then Judicial Coordinator Claudia Bredlau dated April 17, he asked to include in his appeal information concerning his belief in the unfairness of the procedures, inappropriate severity in his penalty and gross inconsistency between the evidence presented and the decision.

Holford also said in his letter that Community Board members repeatedly bent or violated their own rules in a way that favored the Dean's office. He notes that in the printed transcript of the hearing Board member Anne Moore, director of Allen Memorial Art Museum, admitted that she is not "interested" in "technicalities" such as the Community Board's own printed rules about who is allowed to deliver closing arguments.

The Community Board also wrote, in its letter to Holford, "Your unacceptable actions seriously disrupted the atmosphere of the residence hall in which you lived." Holford wrote, in his letter, that all residents who lived on the south wing of his floor in South, with the exception of two, testified in writing that he was never disruptive.

One of the two residents who did not sign the statement was the one who filed the original complaints against Holford. Holford states in his letter that the Community Board was unable to prove any other allegation of marijuana use other than the one time he admitted to doing so on Feb. 18.

After being denied an appeal by Dye, Holford appealed to the General Faculty Council. The committee that was set up to review his appeal was comprised of two people, according to Holford. In response to his appeal, he was sent notification that stated that there were no grounds to review the decision and offered no explanation.

The morning after Holford received his response from the General Faculty Council, Holford and college junior Josh Robinson were found drunk in South Hall. They were accused of drunkenness and disturbing the peace. Holford admitted to making crank calls to Resident Coordinators in East Hall and knocking over an item in South Hall.

Senator sophomore Josh Kaye said that Senate was concerned about the Holford case and responded by asking Cole-Newkirk questions focusing on due process and the drug policy, rather than the specifics of Holford's case.

Kaye said that throughout recent Senate meetings there has been "growing furor whenever this stuff was discussed."

Selman said Residential Life has attempted to bring Holford up on a variety of charges, including tearing off a bullentin board and hanging an e.e.cummings poem on an RC's door in South as a threatening act.

Holford and Robinson are currently awaiting Community Board's final decisions concerning their punishment for their activities two weeks ago.

"The fact that the administration can act in such a way should anger all students on campus," said Holford.