The pressures of finals week can be a real stress for any student. But finals turned out to be extremely difficult for freshman Richard Brooker when the University forced him to move out of his residence hall room during the last week of winter term.
The week prior, Brooker was issued a summary eviction — an immediate notice of ejection, without trial — based on drug-related charges that were quickly dropped in a Eugene court. After weeks of protesting the decision, Brooker has finally had the eviction removed — a resolution that, in his opinion, came too late in the game.
“I’m here to learn,” he said. “And if they really had my best interest at heart, I don’t think they would have forced me out the week of finals.”
In late February, the Eugene Police Department charged Brooker with possession of less than an ounce of marijuana as well as manufacturing and delivery of controlled substances after officers gained access to his Thornton Hall room in Bean Complex and confiscated various drug paraphernalia.
A few days later, Brooker pleaded guilty to possession at his arraignment, which resulted in a $400 fine and a six-month suspension of his driver’s license. However, the more severe charges, which were the basis of the immediate eviction, were dropped. The dropped charges prompted Brooker to question why certain officials were so hasty to remove him, he said.
“It seemed like they were making the situation as difficult for me as possible,” he said.
Although she was unable to comment on any student’s case specifically, Residence Life Director Sandy Schoonover said summary evictions, though rare, are issued based on the safety of the community, not on good or bad timing.
“We’re always very concerned with students’ academic endeavors,” she said.
Since his eviction, Brooker said he has worked with the Office of Student Advocacy to determine his rights and arrange a meeting to plead his case.
Brooker said he had an informal meeting with Student Judicial Affairs Director Chris Loschiavo early Friday afternoon to reiterate his innocence, remove the eviction from his record and cancel a 50-foot ban from campus residence halls. At Brooker’s request, Student Advocacy Director Hilary Berkman also attended the meeting, which lasted about an hour.
Because of federal and state law, Loschiavo could not confirm or deny the existence of the case, but said the Office of Housing only issues summary evictions when a student is — in one way or another — threatening the well being of other students in the residence halls.
In reference to drug-related offenses, Vice President and Dean of Students Anne Leavitt said the University has been making greater efforts to step up the level of information, communication and prevention in an effort to encourage students to follow the rules.
“Substance abuse has no place in the residence halls and is contradictory to the kind of environment (the University) wants to encourage,” she said. “We don’t want that to ever be a surprise to students living in the residence halls.”
Brooker said the resolution he reached with Loschiavo cleared the eviction and removed the ban. He was also put on a probation period for the duration of the academic year, which could be reinstated if he is caught with alcohol or drugs after moving back into the residence halls.
Because he was evicted so quickly, and the process of protesting the eviction took so long, Brooker has already signed a new housing contract at Ducks Village.
Brooker said Loschiavo told him to write a three- to five-page paper on his life goals, focusing on how marijuana may prevent him from achieving them.
“Chris was the only person who really cared at all about what happened with me,” he said. “Like, if I had a problem with smoking pot, he wanted to help me with that problem and see to it that I have a future.”
The specifics of that essay — as well as the rules of his probation — were said to be included in an official letter delivered to him by April 7, Brooker said. Loschiavo said he never would have given a student a deadline or timeframe to receive official notifications.
As of Wednesday evening, Brooker had not received the letter, which he said could be a result of either his change of address or University records that have yet to be updated. In anticipation of the document’s arrival, Brooker said he will be glad to see the eviction lifted, although it has not changed his opinion of the process.
“I really disliked the way the school went about it,” he said.