Freedom Flyer September - December 1984 Cover

Freedom Flyer 4

the official newsletter of the
Freedom Party of Ontario

September - December 1984




Article electronically reproduced from:

The London Free Press

Article date unknown

Academic penalties not needed

Student president against sanctions

By Peter Geigen Miller
of The Free Press

University students who get into trouble because of off-campus behavior should not be punished with academic penalties or expulsion, the president of Western's student council declared Wednesday.

Craig Smith made his views known during a forum on street parties organized by CHRW, the campus radio station.

The forum was held in the university community centre and was organized in the aftermath of a large homecoming weekend party that was broken up by city police using tear gas.

As many as 1,500 people were estimated to have attended the party at the Gatewood townhouse complex in northeast London, leaving behind a litter of broken beer bottles and neighbors' complaints.

Acting UWO president Alan Adlington has suggested since the party that Western might consider academic penalties - including expulsion against students who fail to observe the community's accepted ethical and moral standards.

A series of meetings with student leaders, administrators and others is planned before any action is taken.

But Smith pointed out during Wednesday's forum and in an interview that students are subject to the same rules and laws as as any other citizen when they are off the campus and can expect to be dealt with by police and the courts if they get into trouble. Academic sanctions are therefore not needed.

Other participants in the forum, which was broadcast over CHRW, were Hugh Rooney, Western's vice-president of community relations, Sergeant David Hickey of the London police department's crime prevention unit, Don Creighton, president of the interfraternity council at Western, and Marc Emery, a London businessman and a member of the London Freedom Party.

Emery, highly critical of student behavior at the Gatewood party, said "I am really disappointed that not one student had the class to write a letter to the editor of The Free Press with an unconditional and sincere apology for their behavior."

Instead, said Emery, there have been letters condoning the behavior of the students. "I think these people don't really acknowledge the seriousness of the problem. All the students think it is a big joke.

The majority of students must make clear they don't condone the kind of behavior displayed by a minority at the Gatewood party, he said.

Rooney said the university administration would not impose sanctions on students without extensive consultations with student leaders and others.

Hickey, involved in an alcohol awareness program at Western, defended police use of tear gas to break up the party. He said there might have been serious trouble if police had waded in to try to disperse the revellers.

Police had to act, Hickey said, because neighbors were getting angry enough to take the law into their own hands and a serious confrontation with the partygoers could have developed.

Creighton said if the university authorities plan to crack down on off-campus behavior, they should move to give students more access to campus facilities for their parties. The fraternity council president suggested a practice field or similar area might be set aside so students could hold a large party in a controlled atmosphere.

A point of contention during Wednesday's discussion was how many participants in the Gatewood party were university students. Emery's claim that 90 per cent of those taking part were Western students was questioned by others in the panel and the audience.

It was pointed out that eight of the 13 people charged at the party were non-students.

A student said music was turned off at 9:30 p.m. and party organizers thought the bash would break up at that point. But it didn't.

Hickey told the unidentified audience member that organizers of the party should have thought beforehand about how they would keep the party from getting out of control.




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