PC firings frame debate over Bard’s disciplinary system
by J.P. Lawrence
It seemed a party like just any other party for Hamza Haya-ud Din ‘11. By his account, Hamza arrived with a six-pack of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, stayed for just an hour, and then left.
It would end up more than just an average party, however, as before the end of the week, Hamza and two other students would find their peer counselor jobs terminated as a result of it.
The violation lies in a peer counselor, a student who is trained by the college to be a leader and a resource, bringing alcohol into a freshman dorm. Hamza, who is over the legal drinking age, said a room check after a fire alarm the next day led to the discovery of the alcohol.
The firing of the three peer counselors touched off a firestorm of campus protest, as students rallied in their defense. Many were shocked by the divide between their view of Bard’s disciplinary system and the actions taken in this case.
Members of the Office of Residence Life, which oversees and trains a staff of over 50 PCs, arranged a meeting with each dorm affected by the firings to talk about the reasoning behind the decision and acknowledge its impact on the residents.
While the meetings were emotional, heated, and highly confidential, many of those present were willing to talk about the issue afterward, including Hamza, who attended the Leonard dorm meeting on the slim chance it would help save his job.
While acknowledging that there was a violation, Hamza, a political science major in the last semester of his time at Bard, and his 50 or so supporters argued that the punishment allotted to him was too harsh, especially in light of his previous service to the Bard community.
For the Islamabad, Pakistan native, the events of the past week are an unexpected stain on a Bard career that had included four years as an emergency responder, three years as a respected PC, and two years on the rugby team.
In support were the residents of Leonard, who felt their dorm was closer than most thanks to Hamza’s work. They also encouraged others to join them at the meeting in support, via a Facebook group.
“There’s just something about Hamza,” said Melissa Jarrett ‘14, her voice cracking as she described her PC. “You don’t want to disappoint him. He feels like a big brother. You can talk to him.”
“From the very beginning of the year he’s been somebody I feel that I can go to for support, emotionally or academically, and yet I still respect him as an authority figure,” said Jarrett. “And I think that’s what being a PC is all about.”
Gretchen Perry, Dean of Campus Life, has been the chief target of the outrage the firings have generated. Since the decision Perry has been working overtime to speak with her staff, her peers and angry, despondent students.
Her situation is complicated by confidentiality rules - Perry cannot provide details of what occurred, and cannot clarify when facts are misrepresented. But still she must deal with the tender feelings of students, like Jarrett, who were affected by the decisions.
“There is a lot of emotion, and sometimes it’s hard to look beyond the emotions when you think someone you care about is being treated unfairly,” Perry said. Still, she expects that when the dust settles, people will realize how important it was to maintain the long-term credibility of the PC position and the responsibilities, as represented by the code of conduct, inherent to it.
Additionally, both Perry and Ashley Boltrushek, Hamza’s supervisor and area coordinator for South Campus, stressed that students, especially the 50 who gathered at the meeting to support Hamza, must be aware that there are other valid viewpoints besides their own.
“The thing that you all are not seeing are the peer counselors who are coming to us and thanking us for holding their peer and their colleague accountable,” said Boltrushek. “You’re missing the students who feel strong enough to say, ‘I am glad that something is being done.’ We have an obligation to the rest of those students who don’t feel like their voices have been heard.”
“There are students who meet with administrators on a fairly regular basis who really struggle around the culture of alcohol and drugs on this campus,” said Perry. “For those students....it can get very isolating, because even the people who are supposed to be leaders are violating the policy.”
Both Perry and Boltrushek stressed that they are not bureaucratic automatons, and that the decision to fire students they have employed was a hard one. But, they argue, the needs of both the individual and the larger community need to be addressed.
“It’s not something we take lightly,” Boltrushek said. “I was the person who said to him, “Hamza, I’m sorry, but you’re being terminated from your position.” There was never a time when I wasn’t considering not only Hamza and his residents, but also the impact on my 15 other PCs and the greater student body. There is a trust....we have to put in the hands of our PCs. And there was a violation of that trust. The intentions are what we believe is best, both for Hamza as a student and as a person.”
Hamza the person, on the other hand, said he disagrees with the college’s intentions. He sees a huge gap between the current disciplinary system and the systems of previous years.
“What I believe, is – usually at least – Bard operates on the notion that this isn’t an institution where restitution is practiced, where Botstein and the teachers will say, ‘oh, you’re going to drink but hey, be smart about it,’” Hamza said. “What I heard from somebody was, ‘This isn’t the school I signed up to go to.’ Because usually you’re told that Bard is all about second chances.
“That being said... I would expect a very severe backlash” Hamza continued. “Either PC probation and something as silly as say, 2000 pushups a week, or anything that they find to be the next degree below termination, essentially; whether that be alcohol education, community service, anything.”
While to some this may sound like expecting second chances as a right, not a privilege, Hamza’s supporters disagree. Some argued that they are seeking not a separate set of rules for Hamza, but rather consideration for the students caught in the crossfire: the residents of Leonard.
“There is no justice in this situation, because Hamza’s wrong,” said Alexander Kirkpatrick ‘14, a Leonard resident and prospective poli sci major. “I was just trying to ask for mercy for Leonard. Mercy doesn’t mean that you’re right; it means that you’ve admitted that you’re wrong. It means you’re asking for help, you’re asking for repentance.
“I’m not claiming that this is some little thing, so let him off the hook,” continued Kirkpatrick, who said he often talked to Hamza about political topics, “I think that alcohol is a big deal and obviously in the eyes of the college is something that should not be taken lightly....[but] Hamza, to me, is an exceptional situation. He’s done an exceptional job. And sometimes, in a system where you have to judge wrong from right, you can make these exceptional exceptions.”
Hamza said that, officially speaking, he has been terminated as a PC - but that an appeal is currently in process. He said there is a “1 to 3% chance” that ResLife will reconsider. ResLife would not comment on the odds of a successful appeal. But they promise to take student feedback seriously, and to recognize students’ right to be angry.
On his part, Hamza said he regrets the choice he made, but will continue to fight. If he cannot be PC of Leonard, he will still be around, albeit not as frequently.“I made a mistake,” he said. “I made a bad choice. As a result, it cost me my job at ResLife. And now, I’m appealing to get them to reconsider.”
Until that appeal is done, however, Hamza and the two other PCs will remain in limbo, Bard students will remain in protest, Bard administrators will remain in meetings to discuss what is to be done, and normal business of Bard will, as always, continue.