Monroe Community College Student Peace Group “Punished" by SGA

Transfered from old site <!--break--> Monroe Community College Student Peace Group “Punished” by MCC Student Government Assembly. &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>Hearing lacked procedural opportunity for defense. &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>November 12, 2002, MCC Brighton Campus &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>A Hearing was held Tuesday afternoon in which the Monroe Community College Student Government voted on a resolution that would place sanctions on the newly formed student group called the MCC Peace and Justice Coalition. The resolution listed violations allegedly committed by the Peace and Justice Coalition during an October 28th permitted campus demonstration against Bush’s proposed war against Iraq. The Hearing was held in the Brick Oven Café in the Student Union at the Brighton MCC campus and was open to the public. About 20 members of the Peace and Justice Coalition and their supporters attended the event in a show of defense of the right to demonstrate at educational institutions. Throughout the hearing, many students and faculty stopped to listen to the spirited exchange. &nbsp;<BR> According to Ryan of the Peace and Justice coalition, their group went through all the college’s accepted procedures in planning and carrying out the October 28th march and demonstration. He said that the student government became involved because there was another event booked by Global Union at the Brick Oven Café area, one stop in the peace march, which had been disrupted momentarily by the march. However, Ryan explained, he had spoken with the organizers of Global Union event and the Global Union did not feel that the event was disrupted to the extent that they felt a need to lodge a formal complaint. The Student Government listed several violations of the Monroe Community College policies and regulations including; 1- that the peace and justice coalition violated their own constitution that sets goals to educate students around issues of peace. 2-MCC Bill of Rights, violation of freedom of inquiry (students are free to be involved in activities which do not disrupt the normal functioning of the college.) 3- Engagement in prohibited activities: i- Obstruction or disruption of any college function or activity. ii- Use of obscene or abusive language or any other means of expression which may provoke or encourage physical violence by other persons. iii- The aiding, assisting and abetting of any persons in any action or conduct stated to be prohibited. iv- the refusal to obey any reasonable directive of an identified representative of the college. 4- That peaceful picketing is limited to outside the buildings unless granted permission by the appropriate vice president. &nbsp;<BR> Students involved with the Peace and Justice Coalition began to address some of the charges, but were short circuited when a faculty advisor on the Student Government suggested a vote to amend the resolution being discussed so that no further action would be taken against the peace and justice group. Referring to Roberts Rules of Order (parliamentary procedure, this advisor demanded that discussion stop and a vote be taken. The vote did not pass for the amended resolution, but the students from the peace and justice coalition were given virtually no procedural opportunity to defend themselves. When asked by a member of the audience as to whether the student government was trying to determine guilt on the part of the Peace and Justice Coalition the faculty advisor said “We are not a body that determines guilt or innocence.” Robyn Pennacchia, of the Peace and Justice Coalition had a line by line defense prepared which answered all the charges with legal precedents. She was only able to present fragments of her case. While the Student Government and faculty advisors were indeed determining innocence or guilt, they were not allowing for a thorough defense to be presented. At various points audience members attempted to speak and were asked by the student government assembly speaker only to do so if they had direct knowledge of the events of October 28th. Yet, several members of student government were given free reign to speak who had no direct knowledge of the events. What was considered relevant in the discussion was arbitrarily decided by the speaker of the student assembly, who was also a faculty advisor. &nbsp;<BR> While much of the coalition’s defense was not considered, members of the group were able to successfully argue against some of the claims of student government. For instance, the claim of “obscene and abusive” language was based on a placard that read; “bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity.” Using legal precedents and the Supreme Court’s definition of obscenity, Pennacchia was able to win a concession from the faculty advisor as to the unconstitutionality of this charge. However, even after conceding this point, the student government went forward with no amendment on this point. The Coalition students even brought the one “identified representative of the college” who had asked them to refrain from making too much noise in a classroom area to the hearing to testify that the students did indeed honor this teacher’s request. &nbsp;<BR> After some extra-procedural exchange between the Peace and Justice Coalition members and student government members, a vote was finally called and the student government voted to sanction the coalition members. The sanctions include: 1- a written letter of apology to the Global Union group, 2- a submission of this letter to the campus newspaper the “Monroe doctrine”, 3- Probationary status of the coalition as a student club until December 19th 2002, 4- 4 hours of community service to the Student Government Assembly by the members of the Peace and Justice Coalition. The overall sense audience members expressed after the decision was that there was a lack of clarity on the part of the student government assembly as to whether they were functioning as a legislative body or a judicial body. It was this confusion, among other factors, that allowed for a decision to be made with no consideration of the Coalitions’ defense arguments. &nbsp;<BR>Robyn Pennacchia, said that the coalition would appeal the case to the next level and would continue to do so until the Peace and Justice group felt they had received a fair hearing. The Next level of appeals is a hearing before the vice president of the college.

<p>Transfered from old site</p> <!--break--><p>Monroe Community College Student Peace Group “Punished” by MCC Student Government Assembly.<br />  <br /><br />  <br />Hearing lacked procedural opportunity for defense.<br />  <br /><br />  <br />November 12, 2002, MCC Brighton Campus<br />  <br /><br />  <br />A Hearing was held Tuesday afternoon in which the Monroe Community College Student Government voted on a resolution that would place sanctions on the newly formed student group called the MCC Peace and Justice Coalition. The resolution listed violations allegedly committed by the Peace and Justice Coalition during an October 28th permitted campus demonstration against Bush’s proposed war against Iraq. The Hearing was held in the Brick Oven Café in the Student Union at the Brighton MCC campus and was open to the public. About 20 members of the Peace and Justice Coalition and their supporters attended the event in a show of defense of the right to demonstrate at educational institutions. Throughout the hearing, many students and faculty stopped to listen to the spirited exchange.<br />  <br /> According to Ryan of the Peace and Justice coalition, their group went through all the college’s accepted procedures in planning and carrying out the October 28th march and demonstration. He said that the student government became involved because there was another event booked by Global Union at the Brick Oven Café area, one stop in the peace march, which had been disrupted momentarily by the march. However, Ryan explained, he had spoken with the organizers of Global Union event and the Global Union did not feel that the event was disrupted to the extent that they felt a need to lodge a formal complaint. The Student Government listed several violations of the Monroe Community College policies and regulations including; 1- that the peace and justice coalition violated their own constitution that sets goals to educate students around issues of peace. 2-MCC Bill of Rights, violation of freedom of inquiry (students are free to be involved in activities which do not disrupt the normal functioning of the college.) 3- Engagement in prohibited activities: i- Obstruction or disruption of any college function or activity. ii- Use of obscene or abusive language or any other means of expression which may provoke or encourage physical violence by other persons. iii- The aiding, assisting and abetting of any persons in any action or conduct stated to be prohibited. iv- the refusal to obey any reasonable directive of an identified representative of the college. 4- That peaceful picketing is limited to outside the buildings unless granted permission by the appropriate vice president.<br />  <br /> Students involved with the Peace and Justice Coalition began to address some of the charges, but were short circuited when a faculty advisor on the Student Government suggested a vote to amend the resolution being discussed so that no further action would be taken against the peace and justice group. Referring to Roberts Rules of Order (parliamentary procedure, this advisor demanded that discussion stop and a vote be taken. The vote did not pass for the amended resolution, but the students from the peace and justice coalition were given virtually no procedural opportunity to defend themselves. When asked by a member of the audience as to whether the student government was trying to determine guilt on the part of the Peace and Justice Coalition the faculty advisor said “We are not a body that determines guilt or innocence.” Robyn Pennacchia, of the Peace and Justice Coalition had a line by line defense prepared which answered all the charges with legal precedents. She was only able to present fragments of her case. While the Student Government and faculty advisors were indeed determining innocence or guilt, they were not allowing for a thorough defense to be presented. At various points audience members attempted to speak and were asked by the student government assembly speaker only to do so if they had direct knowledge of the events of October 28th. Yet, several members of student government were given free reign to speak who had no direct knowledge of the events. What was considered relevant in the discussion was arbitrarily decided by the speaker of the student assembly, who was also a faculty advisor.<br />  <br /> While much of the coalition’s defense was not considered, members of the group were able to successfully argue against some of the claims of student government. For instance, the claim of “obscene and abusive” language was based on a placard that read; “bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity.” Using legal precedents and the Supreme Court’s definition of obscenity, Pennacchia was able to win a concession from the faculty advisor as to the unconstitutionality of this charge. However, even after conceding this point, the student government went forward with no amendment on this point. The Coalition students even brought the one “identified representative of the college” who had asked them to refrain from making too much noise in a classroom area to the hearing to testify that the students did indeed honor this teacher’s request.<br />  <br /> After some extra-procedural exchange between the Peace and Justice Coalition members and student government members, a vote was finally called and the student government voted to sanction the coalition members. The sanctions include: 1- a written letter of apology to the Global Union group, 2- a submission of this letter to the campus newspaper the “Monroe doctrine”, 3- Probationary status of the coalition as a student club until December 19th 2002, 4- 4 hours of community service to the Student Government Assembly by the members of the Peace and Justice Coalition. The overall sense audience members expressed after the decision was that there was a lack of clarity on the part of the student government assembly as to whether they were functioning as a legislative body or a judicial body. It was this confusion, among other factors, that allowed for a decision to be made with no consideration of the Coalitions’ defense arguments.<br />  <br />Robyn Pennacchia, said that the coalition would appeal the case to the next level and would continue to do so until the Peace and Justice group felt they had received a fair hearing. The Next level of appeals is a hearing before the vice president of the college. </p>