<p>Hardly. I certainly hope that all the details of the case are made public in court. (What’s the status of the legal preceedings?) We know that the Comm. Judicial Board found that Mr. Walker was guilty based on a “preponderence of evidence.” The appeals board agreed.</p>
<p>If you take Mr. Walker’s word for it, there was certainly NOT a prepornderence of evidence. However, I am skeptical that he is telling us the whole story. Until there is compelling evidence otherwise, I will remain skeptical that he is. I have faith that a committee composed of upstanding members of the student body and faculty found him guilty based on a preponderence of evidence because there was, in fact, a preponderence of evidence that he was guilty.</p>
<p>Moreover, what is Mr. Walker claiming? Is he claiming that he was indeed in the other peoples’ rooms, simly “crashing on the wrong floor”, as the VV article suggests? That sounds a lot like an admission that he was the person who was confronted by Mr. Hawkins. Or is he claiming that Mr. Hawkin’s IDed the wrong man because Mr. Hawkins is a white, blond, rich racist? The two aren’t consistent. Which is it, Mr. Walker.</p>
<p>The VV article does not interview any students not involved in the case directly (Mr. Walker, Mr. Hawkins, and Mr. Walker’s friend whose father is one of Mr. Walker’s attorneys–Mr. Weltchek.) They claim that the incident happened in an environment of racial tension (in fact, a climate so racially charged that an innocent man would be convicted only because he was black) but cite only Mr. Weltchek’s opinion as evidence of that.</p>
<p>Having read through the majority of the comments already posted I would like to add a few thoughts.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Without access to the entirety of the evidence from the trial, I do not think any of us are qualified to fully judge the merits of the Middlebury trial.</p></li>
<li><p>Having attended a small, liberal arts school similar to Middlebury the reaction that we have witnessed is undoubtably overblown. Newspapers interview students willing to be interviewed, or students who have already taken a position on the quesiton. I would be very interested to know how the average Middlebury student feels about the entire issue. Most times an average student knows far more about the details, and their credibility then outsiders such as ourselves.</p></li>
<li><p>I would personally not put that much weight into the “outrage” expressed by the student body. Students will naturally stick together over just about any issue. I remember an incident several years ago when a student was arrested for dealing drugs (open and shut case, absolutely zero chance of innocence) and there was still a petition and protest to still allow him to graduate from school.</p></li>
<li><p>Think about what kind of school Middlebury is. Middlebury is a top 10 liberal arts college with a reputation for attracting and retainineg top flight students. Do you really think it would willingly attract the amount of negative publicity that it has over this case if the issue at hand if it was not legitimate? You cannot underestimate the value administrators place in public image. To schools such as Middlebury that survive on attracting students from a diverse population, image is everything. An event such as this would be handled with the utmost care., leading me to believe that the claims of “railroading” are fairly unsubstantiated.</p></li>
<li><p>I also have issue with the whole “floor crasher” story, but it is only conjecture.</p></li>
<li><p>Racial tension does not exist at aschools like Middlebury. I will agree that PERHAPS there are sometimes issues with ignorance, but the type of student who self-selects a place like Middlebury does not possess the type of racial prejudice that would be necessary to create an atmosphere such as the one the author describes.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>So let’s take it for what it’s worth. The newspaper reporter got set up by Walker’s lawyer (she didn’t mind the set-up either); none of us know exactly what happened; the lawyer will sue for six figures; Middlebury (consulting their insurance company) will fgladly fork over the big bucks in exchange for permanent silence (they’d be insane to do anything else - image IS everything), and we’ll never about it again.</p>
<p>Unless there is another “floor crasher” next year. ;)</p>
<p>Hmmmmm. Do you think it might be hard to identify racial tension if the minorities are practically invisible; ie 2% or less? Perhaps that ‘tension blindness’ is the unsaid intention of that admission policy?</p>
<p>If so, judging from some of the grad/student comments above, job well done.</p>
<p>I think it’s interesting that O’Neil himself requested that the details of the judicial hearing remain closed, which currently makes it impossible to know all the evidence that the college has against him. I suppose the fact that he has filed suit means that he eventually intends to makes ALL details of his hearing public. If he knows that the school has ironclad evidence which implicates him in these alleged room invasions, he is nothing short of stupid to bring suit against the college. The fact that he so vehemently declares his innocence has me not knowing what to think. </p>
<p>I really don’t believe that the administration of Middlebury is guilty of racial profiling, or malicious intent. It obviously believes it had compelling reason to have taken the action that it took. It has a history of aggressively attempting to bring racial diversity its campus. But I DO believe that there is an unacceptable degree of racial hostility among some contingents of the student population of Middlebury College. If these problems are not addressed, minority applicants will continue to steer clear of this worthy institution.</p>
<p>This incident – and what I read about the Middlebury campus as a result of looking into it - led me to advise my daughter to drop Middlebury from her college list. It was a combination of factors – not merely the allegations, but the fact that inquiry led me to realize how small the minority population is at Middlebury, coupled with the small & isolated nature of the campus. </p>
<p>I spent enough years in the criminal justice system to know the invidious way that racial assumptions creep into the decisions of authority figures who think they are free of prejudice and are acting fairly. I saw many first hand examples of the racism - for example, walking into court before the same judge with 2 separate clients with identical criminal charges in separate cases on the same day, and seeing the bail for the young black man set 3 times as high as the bail for the white man. (The white client turned out to be wanted in another state for kidnapping & murder charges; the black client was acquitted at trial when it became abundantly clear that he was the victim of mistaken identification … so much for first impressions). There just seems to be a more ready predisposition to assume the worst of the black person, especially with young black males. People will swear that they are not racist in any way and are being fair and impartial – and I believe that they honestly believe they are free of prejudice – but actual outcomes are very different. </p>
<p>So basically - as far as O’Neil Walker is concerned - I find the circumstances of the identification in and of itself suspect - that is, even without the protests and lawsuits, I would tend to doubt the veracity of the ID based on the facts that have been put forth. I don’t find it easy to get around the fact that O’Neil didn’t match the initial descriptions given of the intruder.</p>
<p>To add - one in six black men will be incarcerated in their lifetimes. We’ve heard of “driving while black” and other forms of discrimination. Finally, I really have a hard time, as well, getting around the mistaken ID thing.</p>
<p>I read through the many posts on this subject. Very few talked about the impact on two lives (the “victim” and the “perpetrator”). That a student finds himself without a degree after working 3 and 1/2 years is mind-blowing. I take “colour” out of this and find compassion. The hours of study and concentration, the all-nighters, the hours in class and Mr. Hawkins is unable to reclaim them. That is a tragedy for any student. It appears that every aspect of living involves the “them” v “us”. Politics, --Red and Blue, Gender–Boy v girl, race–AA v White, etc. </p>
<p>I read the posts with much sadness. If a student is in trouble it is the job of the institution to recognize it and to aid that student. I wonder how many other students were dismissed at graduation “hour” and what were their grievances? Many Universities and colleges recognize that students are entering colleges with a myriad of disorders and increased the amount of mental health services. Does the University hold no responsibility to this student? If this is a first Offense, why such a swift and harsh punishment?</p>
<p>To end all chances of a great life–believe me! this is the “death penalty” for this young man, without compassion, speaks volumes about this institution. Be he AA or other, one smidget of compassion for a student in trouble, please.</p>
<p>I think this thing is horribly unfair to Middlebury. This young man’s attorney is clearly contacting every media outlet who will pick up the phone and making very serious allegations against the college. However, because the college is respecting his request for confidentiality, Middlebury cannot respond to the charges.</p>
<p>Seems to me that fairness would dictate a waiver of confidentiality once his attorney starts waging a media campaign.</p>
<p>Sent!–Did you read Middlebury’s response to the Village Voice article, or listen to the NPR story closely? The kid was not expelled–he was suspended. If he completes the required counseling, he can reapply to Middlebury and complete his degree (finishing the requirements for graduation).</p>
<p>I doubt we’ll ever hear of the case again - the out-of-court settlement is being prepared even as we speak. Maybe he’ll get his degree “in absentia”, or maybe not, but he’ll get a decent nest-egg out of it and move on.</p>
<p>I did not read the article. My point stands that this is the death-penalty for this kid. Once he completes treatment, will the University expunge his record? If he applies to grad school, law school, med school must he explain
his infraction? I seek empathy from posters who are more intelligent than the general population. </p>
<p>It is a tragic situation for this young man. A counsel of his peers–some, not all-- alcoholic, emotionally immature, non-AA (since there are very few) decided humiliation (the entire school community and some of the rest of the world knows about it) was the best way to treat a student never “convicted” of an offense? </p>
<p>Because he chose to hire an attorney and to give up his right to privacy does not make the handling of the student and the end result less callus. IMHO, of course.</p>
<p>“I seek empathy from posters who are more intelligent than the general population.”</p>
<p>are you including yourself in this group? maybe you need to do a bit more research on this story before accusing students at one of the nation’s most selective and well regarded liberal arts colleges of being “alcoholic, emotionally immature, non-AAs.” It wasn’t just a judicial board of his peers–there also were faculty members and administrators on the board. You’re assuming that he did not do anything to deserve this punishment–but you acknowledge that you know nothing about this case (except what is written here).</p>
It wasn’t an article…it was a sound file of a radio program, and it contained some interesting new information. Including the fact that the administration official in charge of the hearing is an African American, and that another student, also black, who initially participated in the demonstrations in support of Walker, now feels far less certain that he was railroaded.</p>
<p>You misread the intent of the post… My remarks are not sarcastic. I believe that this forum includes folks who express themselves intelligently. That being said, until this incident this young man was among the students attending the highly selective LAC—a Middlebury student.</p>
<p>I assume nothing.</p>
<p>The day before this incident was he a wonderful, excellent Middlebury student that you speak about? My writing was not about him–right or wrong–but about the tragedy of any student found in this position? </p>