The Colby Echo

Issue date: 4/22/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Chris Hoder

As students demanded answers following the arrests of three students Easter Sunday, President William Adams held a campus-wide forum last Thursday April 16 and worked to hire an independent investigator, who came to campus yesterday to begin meeting with students, staff and faculty.

In the early morning of April 12, police arrested Jacob Roundtree '10 and Ozzy Ramirez '09 and charged them with criminal trespassing and assault, after they allegedly tried to interfere with medical care of a fellow student in the Pugh Center. Later, Michael Talarico '10 was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct.

Hundreds of students gathered Monday, April 13 to watch a video taken during the event, leading to a massive rally on Tuesday, April 14. Members of the student body have mobilized, circulating petitions and meeting with administrators to fight against what they deem brutality from police and Security officers involved.

The independent investigator hired by the College, Ralph Martin, is a prominent, Boston-based attorney. Martin spent Tuesday on campus meeting with students, staff and faculty members. As an independent consultant, Martin is personally deciding how to conduct interviews, with Adams' office providing logistical assistance.
According to an e-mail from Adams, Martin's current areas of practice are corporate investigations, white-collar defense and civil litigation. Adams noted that Martin acted as a consultant to another university in its review of campus community policing practices. "Clearly, Mr. Martin's work as a trial lawyer, district attorney and prosecutor affords him excellent credentials in organizing investigations and assessing facts and evidence," Adams wrote.

The Alfond Rink ran high with emotions during Thursday's forum as confused, angry and tenacious students had a chance to question administrators and express their views on the "incident," as the events of early Sunday, April 12 are widely referred to. Adams, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Student Jim Terhune, Vice President for College Relations Richard Ammons and Vice President for Administration Doug Terp sat at a table facing a cluster of hundreds of folding chairs, punctuated by three microphones. Local news organizations lined the periphery.

Adams acknowledged that he, like students, felt many emotions, including "confusion, surprise, shock and dismay." He noted that a sense of community was lost, coupled by the emergence of feelings of insecurity among students and questions about the racial dimension of the incident.

Continued...

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