The University has been asked on more than three occasions to hold off on their proceedings and to let the criminal justice process run its course. They have outright refused and denied that they are the [sic] stated, “[t]he Student Conduct Hearing will proceed as scheduled for Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. Regards, Nancy Lauricella” In addition, the level of intellectual dishonesty is shocking as Ms. Lauricella has stated, “The University at Albany is not the complainant in the criminal case. The criminal charges are being brought forward by the Albany County District Attorney's Office, on behalf of the People of the State of New York, and not the University. The Student Conduct Process at the University is a separate administrative process and, as such, the University will not delay the student conduct process to accommodate the criminal process.”"Fascist Diva" Ms. Lauricella! The name is familiar. Questions posed to the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights a few years ago, questions they mostly did not answer:Brewington, Frederick K. and Mark Mishler. “University at Albany Seeks Pound of Flesh and Disregards the Rights of Three African-American Female Students.” Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington. March 7, 2016.
Eastman, Katie. ”Attorney: UAlbany Disregards Rights of Students Accused in Bus Attack.” Time Warner Cable News. March 7, 2016. http://www.twcnews.com/nys/capital-region/news/2016/03/7/attorney-says-ualbany--disregards-the-rights--of-3-students-accused-in-bus-attack.html
FOIA response page 2 of 181:Lauricella like her (former?) boss McNeill and like his former boss Murphy must be cool with all such things?“[OCR:] How did you first become acquainted with the complainant?
“The witness [Clarence L. McNeill] stated that he received an email that was sent to the University’s general conflict resolution mail box in the spring of 2011 about the University’s academic integrity policy and Code of Conduct. He said that he contacted the complainant and suggested that he meet with him so that he could walk him through the process and explained all the different scenarios that could take place once he became part of the process”
QUESTION #3: May I have a copy of the recording of OCR’s interview with McNeill? The recording presumably ought to have been covered by the FOIA request, unless it’s exempted for some reason - in which case that should have been indicated somehow.
QUESTION #4: Why was Mr. McNeill not questioned regarding his falsehood about the first time he’d become acquainted with me?
QUESTION #5: What e-mail of mine and what e-mail of Clarence L. McNeill’s was Clarence L. McNeill referring to from spring of 2011?
I have, for example, one of May 12, 2011 2:58 PM that was sent to crcr@uamail.albany.edu (Conflict Resolution and Civic Responsibility) but it was also sent to Mr. McNeill directly (contrary to his testimony, if it’s the one he’s referring to), as well as Sally D’Allessandro, Nancy Lauricella, and Karen Murdock. McNeill did not explain all the different scenarios that could take place once he became part of the process. I wasn’t reporting something per se, but asking if free-riding on group assignments (“Contributing less, little or nothing to a group assignment and then claiming an equal share of the marks”) constituted academic dishonesty - something that should have been easy for any of them to answer, yet which none of them would answer. I didn’t expect all of them would answer, I just wanted to ensure that some one of them would by bringing the question to everyone’s attention.
The reply from “Conflict Resolution” on May 19, 2011 11:54 am was “This conversation would probably be better suited occurring over phone, but in regards to your question - the information provided in the ‘unauthorized collaboration’ definition should cover it. Approved group work is acceptable, depending on the instructor/discipline/assignment, etc…”
I wasn’t asking about unauthorized collaboration. I was asking about free-riding (refusing to engage in authorized collaborating by doing nothing) on group work and sharing fully in the grade of the person or persons in a group who did do the work, and whether that constituted plagiarism or some other form of academic dishonesty at UAlbany. I replied on May 19, 2011 5:24 PM indicating that “e-mail is the only good way for me to communicate”, which was true; I wanted something in writing. They did not reply. I still don’t know what UAlbany’s position on it is, but presumably as with so many other forms of academic dishonesty that they permit in practice, they permit it.
[...]
I would have to check my own records further, but I believe the first interaction Mr. McNeill and I had might have been the following, four years prior to the Spring 2011 date Clarence L. McNeill stated in his testimony to OCR:
From: Clarence L McNeill
Subject: RE: Standards of Conduct for professors?
Date: March 14, 2007 11:40:52 AM EDT
To: [Me]
[...]
Among other communications Clarence L. McNeill had with me prior to Spring 2011:
From: Clarence L McNeill
Subject: RE: alcohol policy & ASP writers
Date: April 19, 2007 11:24:01 AM EDT
To: [Me], John M Murphy
[...]
Thank you very much for concern.
I appreciate your respect both for the code of conduct and your peers [sic] right to "free speech”. I will confer w/Associate Vice President Murphy regarding the content of the articles and develop a follow up plan.
Thanks again.
——Original Message——-
From: [Me]
Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 8:01 PM
To: John M Murphy; Clarence L McNeill
Subject: alcohol policy & ASP writers
I’m writing both of you, since both of your names appeared on the page regarding the Alcohol Policy.
I wonder if you have read James Whittet’s “Dick jokes for a living” in his “Unqualified Advice” column in the Monday, April 9, 2007 ASP, page 6?
Or Tara House’s “69 Things I Just Gotta Do Before Graduation” in her “House Rules” column and Lucinda Hark’s “Think before you chalk” in her "Red Couch Confessions" column in the Monday, April 16, 2007 ASP, page 7?
At best, they’re joking about, at worst, advocating: underage drinking, blackouts, near-lethal B.A.C.s, fake IDs, drunken nonconsensual sexual contact, smoking marijuana, growing marijuana, and driving under the influence of marijuana. While on the one hand, I don’t want to attack free speech, on the other I’m wondering if this writing runs contrary to the University’s Standards of Conduct and Alcohol Use Policy. It certainly runs against the Social Norms Campaign on alcohol to have that many ASP staffers writing about abusing alcohol and drugs. They are also, in effect, in my community both on campus and in the Capital District and the behavior they are again, at best trivializing, is potentially dangerous to me, to others, even to themselves if they are engaging in it or encouraging it rather than merely writing it.
Whittet’s column also notes he has a website, http://www.thedrunklife.com (when his Facebook account, if true, indicates he’s under the legal drinking age). On that website he writes, accompanied by a photo:
I am pleased to report that Igor briefly slept next to a drunk girl. Uninvited spooning with an intoxicated minor is a drastic step towards date-rape… err, wait, so maybe this isn’t so good.
Regardless, it makes for a great photo op. Needless to say, no penetration took place, although the victim remains steadfast that she is ‘scared for life.’”
Frankly, a lot of the sexual behavior and attitudes they have (particularly House and Whittet) I also find troubling, but I directed comments on those to the Task Force on Sexual Assault.
Apart from legal and safety issues, I do plan on pursuing a degree through UAlbany, and I don’t want to see it regain its reputation as a ‘party school.’ A degree from UAlbany I think would mean something less to me knowing that people like these can have their behavior condoned and graduate without consequences.
[...]
I never heard back from Clarence L. McNeill or John M. Murphy regarding any “follow up plan” they developed.
“An interesting name choice for this College Professor
“[Whittet’s screen capture of faculty webpage of Sho-Ya Wang, Professor of Biological Sciences]
“O Chinese people, when will you learn?”
Whittet, James. “Cream of Sum Yung Gi?” The Drunk Life. September 5, 2008 @ 11:38 pm
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