Arrested Students & Judical Affairs Office
133 Gallaudet students were arrested during the sit on protest at 6th St. on that black Friday and hauled off on paddy wagons and in DC processing center where they were treated as criminals for practicing a peaceful and civil protest. They were doing exactly the same thing the protesters during Deaf President Now did. But this time, they were treated as criminals whereby the DPS protesters were treated as heroes.
Several days ago they were served with papers from Gallaudet Judicial Affairs Office.
”“If you are observed on the campus of Gallaudet University you will be arrested under the Trespass-injuries to Properties Statutes, Title 22, Chapter 31, of the District of Columbia Code and you will be charged with Unlawful Entry.”
I certainly hope that the students have sought legal counsel on this issue.
When I was at Gally two days ago, few mentioned that only a portion of the 135 arrested were served with these papers. The most vocal and the most active members, not the others. I have no verification if this is true or not. I truly hope not. Does anyone know?
As I am not familiar with the campus judicial court, I do have several questions.
Who controls the Judicial Affairs? Who makes the decisions? Is Judicial Affairs fair and unbiased? Is it operated by students or staff?
Is it normal for the students served with these papers to show up in a short time?
If it is true that only a portion of the arrested students receive these papers, but not all, would that be cruel and unusual punishment? If so, are they being more punished for being more vocal and active than the other students?
A sit in protest is considered a misdemeanor in DC legal system. If the students are suspended, expelled and/or placed on persona non grata, would this be considered cruel and unusual punishment?
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Here’s the link for JA’s programs.
http://sa.gallaudet.edu/?ID=4422
The current coordinator I believe is Travis Imel, who is staff. There is a board composed of students, fac, and staff that listen to cases and make recommendations on whether rules were broken and what punishment should be handed out.
Regarding cruel and unusual punishment…I have to laugh here. In a world where prisoners are tortured in secret prisons and women are maimed because they had sex outside of marriage, most likely by rape (see Africa), the idea that it’s cruel for students to be served papers for a judicial hearing that simply looks at whether or not they broke university policies as outline in the code of conduct in your student manual is downright melodramatic. If the students are expelled, it will be because a panel of their peers found them to be in violation of stated conduct policies, regardless of reasons, and recommended such punishment. The JA process is the university’s internal conduct review process and is not a like a trial in a court of law. The biggest consequence? These students *might* have to find another place to get their college education. Hardly cruel or unusual in the grand scheme of things. Sighs…
I don’t know if only some of the protesters got served, but if this is the case, most likely what happened is JA isn’t finished processing paperwork for all the others, AND there’s a matter of scheduling, etc…so maybe JA is picking and choosing and the not so voal folks are off the hook…for now…due to limited resources? Dunno…
Hope this helps clarify and demystify JA for you
Cyan, you misunderstood me. I’m using the term used in Bill of Rights, meaning that people must be treated equally. Is the punishment appropriate for the offense? Are some of the people treated more harsh than others.
Please do not construe this as a comparison with the atrocities practiced overseas. I am refering to the rights of the students as accorded to them by the Bill of Rights.
My question is will the students be treated fairly and appropriately, considering the university’s heavy handed approach to the protesters and the restrictions on the students’ expressions last June. The students in this university are encountering severe limitaions on their rights compared to other universities with few exceptions.
You said yes, they can go to another college. This is true. However, this is the only deaf liberal arts university where all the teachers and classmates use sign language as the primary communication in the classrooms. So far there is no other liberal arts university offering this service.
Thank you for providing the link.
MZ,
Thank you for clarifying what you meant. That helps!
Given the nature of this administration, I’d be surprised if they didn’t retaliate via JA proceedings. So I think you know in your gut the answer to whether they will be treated equally or not.
I’m aware of Gally’s uniqueness. I just graduated in May, so I haven’t forgotten haha. I’m just trying to point out perspectives that the general public adheres to. They, being hearing, often discount the ability to have full access, which only Gallaudet offers. So they have a hard time grasping why the protestoers don’t just transfer. You and I know exactly why, however
I don’t remember anything about a protest mentioned in the student handbook for the past 6 years that I was a student. If the handbook doesn’t say anything about this, then how can it be against the law at Galluadet? That is the ironic thing because now are they trying to bring up new rules?