The University’s administration has apologized to a student government leader for wrongfully accusing him of stealing and damaging a Designated Driver Shuttle van in December.
The student is saying that the administration not only accused the wrong person but broke its own rules by not giving proper notice of the punishments and not allowing legal representation before the sanctions were ordered.
The University is saying the issue is a mistake and a misunderstanding.
ASUO Programs Administrator David Goward was one of two ASUO leaders who took over the DDS program after employees were caught multiple times with alcohol in their office and two employees took vans during winter break without authorization. One of the employees damaged a van and failed to report it.
The group’s co-directors were fired and Goward, acting as new co-director with Student Senator Dallas Brown, revamped the program, creating a new employee manual and firing several drivers responsible for the rules violations and damage caused to one of the vans.
Director of Student Judicial Affairs Chris Loschiavo sent a letter to Goward on March 17 informing him that he would not be allowed to register, add or drop classes as punishments.
“Employers could come back years after and see this letter and think that I was in direct violation, which is not true,” Goward said in an interview.
Mike Eyster, the interim vice president for Student Judicial Affairs, sent an apology e-mail to Goward on Monday, applauding him for his responsiveness to the issues that had plagued DDS.
“Clearly you should never have been sent a letter that made it sound as though you personally had responsibility for the misconduct that occurred in DDS,” Eyster wrote.
Goward said the office of Student Judicial Affairs violated the University’s Student Conduct Code by failing to notify him of the charges before his punishments were sent to him and failing to allow him legal representation before the sanctions were ordered.
The Student Conduct Code is the rules and procedures manual used to address student behavior and punishment on campus. Students can be kicked out of the University for egregious violations.
According to the Student Conduct Code, when a complaint is filed with the office of Student Judicial Affairs, the conduct coordinator must give written notice to the program or student involved.
Failing to provide this written notice is a direct violation of the code, Goward said.
Loschiavo sent a revised version on April 5 that was addressed to DDS instead of Goward personally.
Goward said Loschiavo told him that he uses a standard letter for all groups, and that the one sent to Goward wasn’t specifically tailored to the DDS case.
As a result of being found responsible for the violations, Loschiavo wrote in the original letter, Goward was ordered to create a handbook addressing usage of state property, risk management and liability issues, actions Goward had already taken as one of the group’s new leaders. DDS re-opened with newly hired employees and a new employee manual exactly one month before the sanctions calling for those fixes were ordered, so the sanctions are pointless, Goward said.
Laura Blake Jones, director and associate dean of Student Life and Loschiavo’s supervisor, said judicial affairs is aware that there has clearly been a misunderstanding.
“We want to work directly with the ASUO to get everything resolved,” she said Tuesday afternoon, speaking on Loschiavo’s behalf.
Loschiavo did not return multiple phone or e-mail messages from the Emerald.
Eyster said both Blake Jones and Loschiavo are very concerned with the misunderstanding and committed to resolving the issue.
“The best way to do that is to have some conversation with David and (ASUO President) Adam (Walsh),” Eyster said. That conversation is scheduled for some time next week, he added.
Goward and Walsh will meet with General Counsel to the University Melinda Grier on Monday, Goward said.
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