Respect for Others
We will treat everyone we contact with respect and dignity-
This means that each member of the campus community
- Helps to maintain a safe and drug free workplace
Perspective: A Real World Illustration
A February 2005 (Wilmington, NC) Star News newspaper article reported on a 41-year-old former student at a university located in North Carolina who was given a dorm room on campus and moral support, replacement textbooks and new class notes after a January 2005 fire left him homeless and destroyed his possessions.
Earlier that month, three university police officers showed up at his door. "They said, 'Get all your stuff together. We're going to escort you off the campus immediately,'" the former student said.
The student, a junior, was effectively expelled from the university and was living in his van. University officials said that on an admissions form in 2003, he did not reveal past criminal convictions, including violating the terms of a domestic violence protective order.
Domestic violence is a sensitive topic at the university. Two students had both died last year - one shot multiple times by an ex-boyfriend and another killed by a fellow student in his dorm room.
More stringent requirements about the background of incoming students were recently put in place, but campus officials said the policy governing disclosure about a criminal conviction is a longstanding one.
"We became aware that the information [the former student] provided in his admissions material was inaccurate, incomplete and not reflective of his criminal history," a college spokesperson said. "Upon learning that, the university felt it was in the best interest of the safety and welfare of our students to summarily suspend him from campus."
The former student said he submitted information about an April 2003 misdemeanor conviction for possession of a marijuana pipe on a short re-enrollment form to the university to resume schooling after a 20-year absence. It was the same information required on a federal student aid application he filled out.
"It wasn't anything sneaky," said the former student, who hopes to become a substance abuse addiction counselor working with young people.
The former student said he has been drug-free for about one year and occasionally drinks. He successfully completed rehab for a chemical dependency.
Ironically, it was apparently the willingness of university officials to help after the fire that put the former student in his current situation.
In January 2005, he kicked over a lit candle next to his bed starting a fire that destroyed all his belongings.
When instructors and others at the university found out what happened, they put him in contact with campus counselors, who responded with school supplies and lodging. Along the way, his past was revealed. "It's like a roller coaster. When does the ride end? If I hadn't lost everything I owned and contacted [the university] about the fire, I'd be in class today."
The former student's criminal record dates back to 1988. Besides a misdemeanor conviction for carrying a concealed weapon, there are others for writing worthless checks.
A letter signed by the university's associate vice chancellor for student affairs was given to the former student before he was escorted off school grounds. It stated "Though you acknowledged a criminal record on your admissions application, you reported only one incident regarding a misdemeanor charged for possession of a marijuana pipe. A review of your criminal history reveals a disturbing and extensive history of criminal conduct."
Summary suspension means the college believes a student "is an immediate threat to the safety of himself" and "other members of the university community."
Last Revised 5/23/2006