Drugs & Informants On Campus

[ZipAlumn]

The Beacon Journal seems to feel that they have a hot story about drugs, an informant on campus and a suicide. Link to this article:http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/14086419.htmA University President can't be knowledgable about every day to day event on campus but he should be responsible for the overall direction and policies of every department. If drugs are a big problem on campus then I don't have a problem with undercover informants. However they should not be someone with a criminal background on an incentive pay program for drug buys. Also the guidelines for the University Hearing Board probably need to be reviewed and changes made.

[MRasor0200]

To me, the bigger issue is this kangaroo court that can suspend you even if a real court finds you innocent.But yeah, I wouldn't want The Hulk as my roommate, either.

[zippyrifle32]

from my understanding, the informants used are usually people who were caught buying or selling drugs, and they turn informant to help their own case. it makes sense when you think about it because they already have connections that can help the police. i don't know about this incentive program, but it's obvious that the beacon journal wanted to go after the university on this story. and while it's sad that this guy committed suicide, i think it is extremely unfair to blame his entire death on the university.

To me, the bigger issue is this kangaroo court that can suspend you even if a real court finds you innocent.

and just because they couldn't get enough on him to get a criminal conviction, doesn't mean he was completely innocent either.

[MRasor0200]

Hey, when it comes to criminal justice, I'm as conservative as anyone I know, but you are out of your mind if one-third of the evidence is enough to convict someone.

[zippyrifle32]

no no, i'm not saying that one third evidence is enough, i'm saying that while maybe they needed 3/4 evidence to get a criminal conviction, they only had 2/3 which is a heck of a lot more than 1/3. basically that's the minimum, but they still could have had more than enough evidence over the minimum but not enough for the criminal conviction. hope that makes sense.

[Balki Bartokomous]

from my understanding, the informants used are usually people who were caught buying or selling drugs, and they turn informant to help their own case. it makes sense when you think about it because they already have connections that can help the police. i don't know about this incentive program, but it's obvious that the beacon journal wanted to go after the university on this story. and while it's sad that this guy committed suicide, i think it is extremely unfair to blame his entire death on the university.

To me, the bigger issue is this kangaroo court that can suspend you even if a real court finds you innocent.

and just because they couldn't get enough on him to get a criminal conviction, doesn't mean he was completely innocent either.

If you would have read the stories you would have seen that the guy was in no way even close to being guilty of anything. I guess the fact that the "Hulk" said he saw someone who didnt even fit the guys discrpition is enough for the SJA and you to say he is guilty. Anyone who thinks the SJA was even close to being in the right, is mentally retarded. The SJA sucks. They have been railroading students for years now. It only takes 1/3 for the SJA to hose you. Not 2/3rds or 3/4ths or 27/33rds. If they think you are 1/3rd guilty, you are all guilty. Thats a real nazi way to think. Maybe the SJA will start making students wear special emblems and brand them with numbers so they can keep track of them easier.and as for this Hulk guy. He is one bitch I would love to get my hands on. That basterd has no reason even being on campus, let alone being alowd to live on campus. That narc has caused quite the black eye for the university. Perhaps someone should make up some crazy story about him and have him taken to the SJA.

[zippyrifle32]

i have seen the articles, and not everything that's in there is 100% fact. then again, i don't know enough about the whole situation to clarify things. why hasn't anyone from uapd addressed the issue. there are two issues that stem from these articles: 1. the policy regarding undercover narcotic agents and informants being used in on campus housing and 2. the policies of the student judicial review board. while each of these needs review, to blame someone's suicide on these two institutions isn't fair. the kangaroo court needs 1/3 evidence to suspend a student. in this case how much evidence did they actually have? that's what i want to know.

[KNCLZip]

The standards of evidence in criminal court vs. civil court vs. a university hearing can vary. Due process is required in all cases, but the evidence standard can vary from "beyond a reasonable doubt" to "more likely than not" or beyond. Fair? Maybe not......Proenza's email on Wednesday outlined some actions he plans to take:Review of Law Enforcement Policies and PracticesWhile neither I nor other University officers were made aware of the criminal background of the confidential informant, we did agree to a joint operation with the Summit County Drug Unit because of reports of illegal drug activity in and around our residence halls in 2002. The 20-month investigation resulted in 18 arrests and significantly curtailed drug activity on campus. The drug unit selected and supervised a confidential informant who was placed in a residence hall for about two months of that investigation.The questions raised by many of you about the appropriateness of the confidential informant’s presence there are important ones that merit full consideration. Therefore, I have directed an analysis of all cooperative agreements with law enforcement agencies and any relevant policies or practices to ensure that current and future law enforcement tactics are appropriate for a University environment.Review of Student Disciplinary ProcessFurther, in response to a variety of concerns, I am calling for a thorough assessment of University regulations governing the student disciplinary process.Review of Employee ActionsFinally, this experience has called to my attention some employee actions that must be examined in order to improve both our processes and attention to detail and service. Therefore, I have initiated a comprehensive review of the processing of all aspects of this case to identify target areas for attention and improvement.This whole thing is very unfortunate and I hope it doesn't undo all the positve attention UA has gotten recently.

[MRasor0200]

Plinton had an alibi. His cell phone records showed no contact with the Hulk.The ABJ story was based solely on facts from public records. Don't talk ignorantly about what you don't know.

[zippyrifle32]

Don't talk ignorantly about what you don't know.

i forgot that's the buchtelite's job.i have my own sources of information as well

[Balki Bartokomous]

This whole thing is very unfortunate and I hope it doesn't undo all the positve attention UA has gotten recently.

This sure isn't going to help anything. We'll be known as the school with great sports, but also as the school who sends kids to their death.

[Big Zip]

From what I've read here it appears the kid got railroaded, but to blame the University for him taking his life is crazy! At some point you have to be responsible for your actions. If I'm reading those of you right who blame the University for the kids death -- I'm assuming if the same thing happened to you -- you would have killed yourself too. C'mon, you can't be that liberal. You know you might want to blame this on Bush too.

[Balki Bartokomous]

if it would have happened to me, i would have taken out the people responsible for my life sucking. Imagine your whole life, everything you have worked for being taken from you. Everything is gone, and there is no chance of it coming back, and all because the University doesn't understand what justice is. If the SJA was a ligit organization, this kid would still be alive today. If the university wouldn't have brought in a felon to live on campus, and narc on students, then not get a good look at them and just pick a random person to blame, that kid would still be alive. The hulk gave a discription of the suspect being around 6'2" 220 pounds. The kid who killed himself was like 5'11" 170. Thats like mistaking Chad Maraz for Nate Linehart. The U of A blew it, they should pay up.This has nothing to do with republicans and democrats. Its about the University admitting they screwed up big time.

[ZipAlumn]

Several thoughts on the matter after reading the ABJ ......1st, Newspapers (ABJ included) seem to have their own slant to news, so take everything they print (or don't print) with a grain of salt.2nd, IMO the University Police should have thought twice (then thrice) about putting a convicted criminal in the dorms as an informant. Off campus housing is available, and that does not prohibit any on campus connections with drug activity. My personal experience with University Police is that they are often too impressed with their own authority. Granted this goes back many years with myself and just a couple of years ago with my daughter, but I didn't see much change over the years. 3rd, The University Hearing that found Charles Plinton "guilty" left a lot to be desired. For my money if he was found "not guilty" in criminal court, then he is not guilty. Implying that the University is responsible for his suicide is also going a bit far.4th, All in all I would hope that Proenza would take a close look at the situation and make any needed changes for the future.

[urbanpreppie05]

My thoughts on the subject...1. The Beacon, once again, DOES seem like they are out to get the University. This is a trend that many people are noticing...2. If anything good comes out of this, SJA will get a complete overhaul. It obviously needs it. 3. Unfortunatley, this is going to hurt the university. How the university recovers depends on what actions are taken.

[ZipAlumn]

David Giffels seems to think that U Of A students are being kept in the dark about this subject. Today's Beacon Journal Click Here is critical of the students response to the Charles Plinton affair. Giffels feels that the students should be interested so I guess we will see more articles on this subject.

[zippyrifle32]

i saw that earlier, but i felt he was saying more along the lines that "you ignorant if you don't believe how we said the story unfolded" which i don't. most of what the abj says goes in one ear and out the other anyways...

[urbanpreppie05]

I think David Giffels' column was more aimed at how the students don't care about this case, but cared about their St. Patrick's Day plans. Having worked in campus involvement for 4 years, it's a problem we face every day... much of the students have zero interest in anything campus related. People claim that no one tells them of stuff, even if its advertised on every board on campus, over the radio, in the paper and in zipline. If students don't hear what's good, why would they hear what's bad?

[ZipAlumn]

The investigative panel that Dr. Proenza requested has delivered it's preliminary report into the Plimpton affair and the Beacon Journal has two articles in today's paper concerning the results. http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/15187011.htm http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/15187096.htmThe comments from the public regarding the panel's suggestions are especially enlightening. Obviously none of the readers were University of Akron graduates, or maybe even Central-Hower graduates, or maybe even Perkins Jr. High graduates.