Ciaran O'Donovan will not be returning to Tufts University.
With a Jan. 18 hearing before the Committee on Student Life, the junior had hoped to overrule an expulsion letter he received from the Dean of Students' Office on Dec. 5.
The letter from the administration came in response to O'Donovan's physical assault on campus police officer Cheri Burton in the early morning of Nov. 23 of last year. He also directed racist and homophobic remarks towards her and other officers.
After a two-hour debate among the eight faculty members and three of the five student members on the committee, the Committee ultimately upheld the expulsion decision.
"Our hearts go out to him and his family, but actions have consequences, "Committee Chair Barbara Grossman said. "Given the gravity of what transpired that night, we upheld the expulsion."
"The appeal was predicated on two grounds: the availability of new evidence and the claim that the severity of the consequence assigned was inconsistent with the values and practices of the University community," a statement by the Committee on Student Life read. "After careful deliberation, the Committee on Student Life voted by majority to uphold the decision made by the Dean of Students' office."
"We voted with our heads and our hearts, and consciences," committee chair Barbara Grossman said. "[With] great depth of concern for Ciaran, for Ciaran's family and friends, for the Tufts University police, and for the campus community."
Michael Schneider, O'Donovan's attorney, said that he was "very disappointed" with the Committee's decision.
"From the very beginning Ciaran has taken responsibility for the incident, apologizing to the officer and to the Tufts community," Schneider said. "He has taken steps to figure out why this happened."
Committee members said that the decision was very complex. "I've been on the Committee on Student Life for several years, and this has certainly been the most difficult, complex and challenging case that any of us has had to deal with," Grossman said.
Schneider presented a letter from a psychiatric expert who evaluated O'Donovan at length and determined that the remarks O'Donovan made on December 23rd were not a reflection of an organized viewpoint towards any groups of people.
"People who've known him for a very long time... testified... that this was out of character and not part of a pattern of behavior," Schneider said.
Minority friends and teammates of Ciaran's corroborated this assertion in testimony at the hearing.
Grossman noted that the Committee heard testimony that the vast majority of serious offenses that occur on campus are influenced by alcohol. She hopes that the incident will "bring focus on the epidemic of alcohol abuse that goes on, not just on this campus but nationwide, because it is really quite alarming and we need to do something about it."
The hearing followed the procedure set forth in the Student Judicial Process handbook. The appealing party and the responding party both made five-minute opening statements. The responding party was represented by Judicial Affairs Officer Veronica Carter and Dean of Students Bruce Reitman.
Both parties were questioned by the Committee on Student Life for approximately half an hour. Witnesses were also questioned, and each party was given five minutes to make closing statements.
Carter declined to comment on the case and Reitman could not be
reached.
"We all hope that with his family's support and his own inner strength, Ciaran will get the help that he needs and that he will be able to go on to lead a happy and productive life," Grossman said.
O'Donovan said that he did not yet have plans for what he will do in the wake of his expulsion, and did not wish to comment further.
O'Donovan will appear in Somerville Court on January 23. He faces charges of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and assault and battery of a police officer. Schneider declined to comment on how O'Donovan will plead.
