CFs Violate Alcohol Policy

By Kurt Wagner

Despite garnering the support of residents and fellow student leaders, four community facilitators were dismissed from their positions last November after university officials found that the students had participated in off-campus drinking.

The decision to release the CFs – sophomore David Garcia and juniors Leslie Quintanilla, Graham Turbyne and Dimitri Woods – was reached after Residence Life learned the students had consumed alcohol at the off-campus residence of a graduate student over Halloween weekend. All four students, who were off-duty when caught drinking, unsuccessfully appealed their punishment to Residence Life.

The four CFs were members of the da Vinci Residential Learning Community and lived in Casa Italiana before being asked to leave the building and the da Vinci community midway through last quarter.

Although they knew their decision to drink was against the guidelines they agreed to, all four students remain frustrated with the severity of the punishment, citing similar incidents from previous years that have resulted in weaker repercussions, according to Turbyne.

The students were kicked out of the building less than a week after the decision was made, said Garcia.

"We write up kids for drugs and drinking all the time," said Quintanilla. "And what (happens)? You give them a slap on the hand, make them write an essay, maybe some community service. You don't kick them out like they're nothing."

Turbyne and Quintanilla were not alone in feeling that the punishment didn't fit the crime. Residents from the da Vinci community hung signs throughout the hallways of Casa in support of their CFs. One sign read, "Casa can't run without a Turbyne."

Garcia, Turbyne, Quintanilla and Woods are all under 21 years of age. A fifth CF, over 21, was placed on probation but not dismissed.

"I'm just really surprised because it's Santa Clara and there's an expectation of how they treat their students," said Quintanilla, who felt the punishment was too strong. "One bad move and all of a sudden we're kicked out of the building and we can't come in. It's just a complete 180."

All four students signed in agreement to all departmental expectations prior to accepting their positions, according to Director of Residence Life Heather Dumas-Dyer, who said in email that she could not discuss the details of student personnel matters.

Outside of da Vinci, a number of fellow CFs from other communities signed a petition in support of their four dismissed co-workers.

In addition to the four replacements hired by Dumas-Dyer to begin working this quarter, Residence Life is in the process of hiring all the CFs for the 2012-13 school year. Over 60 applications were submitted within the first 72 hours, said Dumas-Dyer.

"We are confident we will have a quality applicant pool of student leaders who are committed to the responsibilities of being a CF," she said.

Contact Kurt Wagner at jwagner@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.