Spring Break
Darwish case moves to appeal
by Jillian Wagner
News Editor
News | 4/8/08
Posted online at 4:44 AM EST on 4/8/08
/ Last updated at 6:13 PM EST on 4/8/08
Several Student Union officials are coming to the defense of Mamoon Darwish (TYP), who was suspended after being arrested by Waltham and Brandeis officers Feb. 16 for getting into a fistfight on South Street. The University Board on Student Conduct held a hearing and found Darwish responsible for the fight.
There are two cases against Darwish, according to Laura Cohen '09, who has served as an advisor to Darwish and is a member of the Student Union's Office of Student Conduct Advisors. Before the fistfight took place, a separate individual accused Darwish of an undisclosed incident, but she later retracted these accusations, Cohen said. Neither Darwish nor Cohen would describe the incident.
According to Cohen, Erika Lamarre, the director of student development and conduct, said Darwish failed to hand in his disciplinary process form within 48 hours, so his case (on the undisclosed incident) wasn't heard before the UBSC. Instead, the administrative action was taken, and Darwish is not allowed on campus, Cohen said.
Darwish was granted an appeals hearing on the alleged incident and it will be heard before the University Board of Appeals Tuesday, Cohen said. This board will decide whether to uphold the sanctions against Darwish, who is waiting for a date to be set for an appeal on the fistfight case.
Darwish declined to comment on the case at this point.
In order for Darwish to be allowed back on campus, section 21.7 of the Rights and Responsibilities handbook states that Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer and the Committee on Academic Standing must approve.
Cohen said Darwish filed the appeal because several sections in the handbook were violated in the course of the UBSC hearing. Under section 19.6 it states that "notice of a hearing date shall be delivered to the student … at least 48 hours in advance of the hearing." According to Cohen, "the hearing was called 24 hours after [Darwish] signed his Choice of Action form and therefore, his right to adequate notice of his hearing date was violated," Cohen said.
There are two cases against Darwish, according to Laura Cohen '09, who has served as an advisor to Darwish and is a member of the Student Union's Office of Student Conduct Advisors. Before the fistfight took place, a separate individual accused Darwish of an undisclosed incident, but she later retracted these accusations, Cohen said. Neither Darwish nor Cohen would describe the incident.
According to Cohen, Erika Lamarre, the director of student development and conduct, said Darwish failed to hand in his disciplinary process form within 48 hours, so his case (on the undisclosed incident) wasn't heard before the UBSC. Instead, the administrative action was taken, and Darwish is not allowed on campus, Cohen said.
Darwish was granted an appeals hearing on the alleged incident and it will be heard before the University Board of Appeals Tuesday, Cohen said. This board will decide whether to uphold the sanctions against Darwish, who is waiting for a date to be set for an appeal on the fistfight case.
Darwish declined to comment on the case at this point.
In order for Darwish to be allowed back on campus, section 21.7 of the Rights and Responsibilities handbook states that Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer and the Committee on Academic Standing must approve.
Cohen said Darwish filed the appeal because several sections in the handbook were violated in the course of the UBSC hearing. Under section 19.6 it states that "notice of a hearing date shall be delivered to the student … at least 48 hours in advance of the hearing." According to Cohen, "the hearing was called 24 hours after [Darwish] signed his Choice of Action form and therefore, his right to adequate notice of his hearing date was violated," Cohen said.
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