Alcohol theft illuminates spat

Three students are in housing limbo after hearing that they would have to move from their quad Thursday following a dispute about stolen alcohol.

Over Parents' Weekend, students in South Hall accessed the locked dining hall in the basement and discovered a large stash of alcohol. Thinking it was abandoned, they snatched a few bottles of champagne to sweeten their evening. After putting those down, they decided to revisit the stash, grabbing all the bottles and cans they could carry.

Little did they know, this was not just a lush, senior's year-long supply of booze. Rather, it was supposed to entertain Trustees at their meeting last weekend. All in all, it contained $300 worth of alcohol, including numerous bottles of champagne and 20 cases of beer.

Only discovered when the Trustees came to campus last weekend, the Area Coorinator for South, Jennifer George, and South Residential Coordinators hunted down the perpetrators of the crime, and the accused are crying foul. According to first-years Dan Morganstein, Christian Koch and Matt Toder, they have been asked to apply for new housing at Residential Life and Services, moving out of their beloved quad.

"They want to break up the quad," Morganstein said. "These people are acting as judge and jury. We have until Monday to get into a new room."

The students say that they have not been appropriately accused of anything and have not been given an opportunity to defend themselves since the matter has not been sent to Judicial Board.

"What they're doing is totally illegal," Morganstein said.

At the root of their spat with Residential Life is a laundry list of bent rules and altercations with residents and the RC. George, who allegedly handed down the punishment, declined not to comment about the situation. However, Director of Residential Life and Services Yeworkuwha Belachew (YB) said, "I have to get peace in that building."

The students will be asked to move from their rooms, a decision that will later be either approved or vetoed when the situation goes to Judicial Board. Since it takes time to gather the Judicial Board, YB will step in and ask the students to move.

While the students admit to having taken some of the alcohol, they said up to 60 other people were involved with the theft. "The notion that anyone could hide 20 cases of beer in their dorm-room is absurd," first-year Chris Anton, who is representing these students said.

Anton feels they have been mistreated. In addition, he feels that by trying to represent the students to the administration, he has been manipulated.

"My attention is divided between studying for classes and preserving the integrity of my classmates and my school," Anton said. "They used me to rat the students out."

YB agreed that this was a difficult time for such proceedings. "The timing is really bad right now because it's exam time. But I'm worried about that community right now."

"We're perfectly willing to pay for the alcohol and apologize. But to break up the quad?" Morganstein said.