Woburn resident Joe Viglione has filed disciplinary charges with the Dean of Students office against two Tufts students for "defamation of character" and "infliction of emotional distress," the latest development in an ongoing legal battle following an incident at the WMFO radio station this summer. The two seniors, Music Director Levi Novey and Program Director David Dougan, are both members of the station's executive board.
Viglione, who is also suing Dougan for $2,000 in damages in Woburn small claims court, was a volunteer DJ on the station until he was fired on July 1 by Dougan , Novey, and WMFO General Manager Michael Dupuy.
"I'm charging them with every single aspect of what they've done wrong, from being unprofessional to throwing me off the property," Viglione said yesterday. In an Oct. 16 letter to Dean of Students Bruce Reitman and Dean of Judicial Affairs Veronica Carter, Viglione accused the two students of numerous offenses, including holding double standards and failing to follow due process.
"It was malicious, it was done with premeditation, and it is a total abuse of power," said Viglione of a July 2 e-mail from Dougan that notified him of his dismissal.
According to Reitman, both students have been informed of the charges being pressed against them, and the University will attempt to resolve the conflict within its own judicial system. "We will provide all of the due process we can," he said. "It's not clear to me whether there is wrong doing here or not. That is not my role. My role is to facilitate the process that will make the determination as to whether there is validity to [Viglione's] argument."
Dupuy called the charges "ridiculous" and stood by the board's original decision to dismiss Viglione for "impeding the operations of the station" after the incident, which occurred in the WMFO studio last June.
"No one is at fault here," he said. "We went as closely as we possibly could as to the policies laid out in our constitution. In that sense, I don't think we did anything wrong."
While Reitman declined to comment on the specifics of the legal proceedings, he acknowledged that his office "is involved in the adjudication of the case," and added that Tufts provides legal counsel for all students who are charged with non-criminal offenses all relate to their capacities as leaders in campus groups.
Viglione has accused the University of "dragging its feet" on the issue, misleading him on his options, and withholding his police report for an unreasonable period of time. In a letter last week to Nathan Gantcher, chairman of the University Board of Trustees, he called for the WMFO executive board to be abolished and for Tufts to turn over items which he plans to use as evidence in court.
It is unclear exactly what procedure Tufts' disciplinary system will follow in the adjudication of the case, though it will most likely be heard by some sort of student-administrative judiciary committee.
According to a report filed by the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD), the dispute erupted on June 22 while Viglione was preparing music for his show, Joe Vig's Pop Explosion. Both Viglione and June Weintraub, another WMFO community DJ, wished to use the same recording studio, which Viglione claims to have reserved according to procedure. Alleging that the quarrel made her feel uncomfortable, Weintraub phoned the TUPD and accused Viglione of "verbally assaulting" her.
"She said I needed to leave immediately because she needed to use not only my studio, but another studio as well," Viglione said. "Finally, when she realized that I wasn't going to relinquish the room, and that she had not signed into the room, she phoned the Tufts police."
According to the police report, Weintraub "did not respond to the officer's suggestion [that she use a different studio], and then left the area without further incident." The TUPD left Viglione in possession of the room. Weintraub was contacted yesterday, but declined to comment.
As a result of the conflict, Dupuy, Novey, and Dougan decided to suspend both DJs from their shows for the rest the summer. While Viglione is still denied access to the station, Dupuy acknowledged that Weintraub is still a member of WMFO, although she does not currently host a show.
The case has attracted the attention of national media outlets, and Viglione received a letter from the television program Judge Judy requesting that he and Dougan attempt to mediate the problem on television. CourtTV has also expressed interest in the case.
The radio station, which is owned by Tufts, integrates both Tufts students and community members into their programming. Dupuy, who serves as the station's general manager, values this combination of talents.
"They are a huge asset in terms of programming," he said of the community DJs, who are usually older than the students and have worked at WMFO for a much longer period of time. These DJs also help to provide continuity and to smooth the rough transitions caused by the rapid turnover of student employees.
