The "incident," if you will, occured a couple of weeks ago. My roommate Jeff and I were screwing around in the room about 10 some weeknight. We had just rediscovered an airsoft pistol I had tucked away in some bag. 
Jeff was holding it in his hand, not shooting it or pointing it at anything in particular, just as an RA walked by the open door. She sort of did a double-take, then chirped "SOOOOO not allowed."
Damn. Makes sense though, should've seen it coming. She asked him to unload the thing (wasn't loaded to begin with) and give her the gun and any pellets we had for it, which he did. Then she asked us if we had anything else in the room she should know about, and of course we said no (our bags full of paintball junk were stowed away fairly secretively). She was acting like this was no big deal at all, and being fairly friendly about the whole thing, and for SOME reason I chimed in with "we don't have anything else, but actually that's mine, Jeff was just messing with it."
Hurrrrr...
So she got my name and ID number too, and left with the stuff. We had completely forgotten about the situation within 15 minutes.
A couple of days later, I got a charge notice in my mailbox, informing me I had been charged with a weapons violation and should contact judicial affairs to schedule a hearing. *sigh* I called them and scheduled the appointment, but still didn't expect much more than a slap on the wrist.
Two days ago was my meeting. I met with Katie, the Coordinator of Judicial Affairs, this past Tuesday. She asked me such meaningful questions as "Are you a gun enthusiast? Do you own a gun? Would you consider purchasing a firearm in the future? If so, would you research the model of the firearm, and its power?" ad nauseum, for half an hour. I thought I achieved the perfect balance of honesty and PC bullcrap she wanted to hear, and left her office still not anticipating any serious consequences. She was surprisingly amiable throughout the whole discussion.
Today, I found an envelope in my mailbox from Judicial Affairs, marked CONFIDENTIAL. A very thick, forboding envelope. I don't have a camera, but I'll transcribe some of the 3-page letter that was inside.
From our discussion and the related incident report No. 5FA0041, the following is believed to be true:
As a result of your infraction, the following sanctions will apply:
The above sanctions cannot be appealed unless based on a due process violation or upon receipt of information not available at the time of the Initial Conference...
Here's that enclosed sheet (grammatical nuances and all):
Write a reflective paper responding to the following questions:
The paper must be 10-12 pages in length, double-spaced, and in 12 point Times New Roman font with no larger than 1" margins. Submit your composed paper to... blah blah, blah blah.
Disciplinary probation? Deferred Suspension? 10 page paper? MICHAEL MOORE?!? All for an airsoft gun. That I wasn't even holding, that wasn't even fired.
Jeff was holding it in his hand, not shooting it or pointing it at anything in particular, just as an RA walked by the open door. She sort of did a double-take, then chirped "SOOOOO not allowed."Damn. Makes sense though, should've seen it coming. She asked him to unload the thing (wasn't loaded to begin with) and give her the gun and any pellets we had for it, which he did. Then she asked us if we had anything else in the room she should know about, and of course we said no (our bags full of paintball junk were stowed away fairly secretively). She was acting like this was no big deal at all, and being fairly friendly about the whole thing, and for SOME reason I chimed in with "we don't have anything else, but actually that's mine, Jeff was just messing with it."
Hurrrrr...
So she got my name and ID number too, and left with the stuff. We had completely forgotten about the situation within 15 minutes.
A couple of days later, I got a charge notice in my mailbox, informing me I had been charged with a weapons violation and should contact judicial affairs to schedule a hearing. *sigh* I called them and scheduled the appointment, but still didn't expect much more than a slap on the wrist.
Two days ago was my meeting. I met with Katie, the Coordinator of Judicial Affairs, this past Tuesday. She asked me such meaningful questions as "Are you a gun enthusiast? Do you own a gun? Would you consider purchasing a firearm in the future? If so, would you research the model of the firearm, and its power?" ad nauseum, for half an hour. I thought I achieved the perfect balance of honesty and PC bullcrap she wanted to hear, and left her office still not anticipating any serious consequences. She was surprisingly amiable throughout the whole discussion.
Today, I found an envelope in my mailbox from Judicial Affairs, marked CONFIDENTIAL. A very thick, forboding envelope. I don't have a camera, but I'll transcribe some of the 3-page letter that was inside.
From our discussion and the related incident report No. 5FA0041, the following is believed to be true:
- You are responsible for violating the University weapons policy.
As a result of your infraction, the following sanctions will apply:
- You have been placed on disciplinary probation through May 31, 2006. This means that further violations of University policy may lead to the sanction of suspension. A student on such probation may remain at the University only upon the condition that the student comply with regulations and standards of the institution and with such other measures as may be imposed as a condition of the student's probation.
- You have been placed on deferred suspension from University residential facilities through May 31, 2006. Further violations of University policy may lead to the sanction of suspension from the residence halls. A student on such a deferred sanction may remain in University residential facilities only upon the condition that the student complies with regulations and standards for the institution and with such other measures as may be imposed as a condition of the student's sanction.
- You must write a reflective paper (refer to the enclosed instruction sheet). Your paper is due no later than Ocotber 14, 2005... blah blah blah.
- A copy of this letter of censure will be placed in your file.
- Failure to comply with the above listed sanctions may result in more severe sanctions, including the possibility of suspension from the University.
The above sanctions cannot be appealed unless based on a due process violation or upon receipt of information not available at the time of the Initial Conference...
Here's that enclosed sheet (grammatical nuances and all):
Write a reflective paper responding to the following questions:
- Research the make and model of the weapon that you fired on campus. Write a description of its power, including velocity of bb, firing range, etc.
- The guiding mantra of the Office of Judicial Affairs is responsible freedom. Develop an interpretation of responsible freedom and apply this meaning to your actions in the incident.
- Watch the movie, Bowling For Columbine, by filmmaker Michael Moore. Identify the main theme of the movie. Comment on your thoughts on the film's theme. How do you feel about the film's portrayal of the Columbine incident and its critique of current societal laws regarding gun control? What duties do you feel accompany gun ownership and/or use of a firearm.
The paper must be 10-12 pages in length, double-spaced, and in 12 point Times New Roman font with no larger than 1" margins. Submit your composed paper to... blah blah, blah blah.
Disciplinary probation? Deferred Suspension? 10 page paper? MICHAEL MOORE?!? All for an airsoft gun. That I wasn't even holding, that wasn't even fired.
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