Walker ruling said to be imminent

Walker ruling said to be imminent

Summarizes the legal actions that student O'Neil Walker took after filing a lawsuit against the college for racial discrimination. This was following the college's suspension of Walker after finding him guilty of “behavior unbecoming of a Middlebury student” and “disrespect for persons and property". This refers to Walker allegedly being the person who intruded into students' private dorms, starting in November of 2004. There was another intrusion in January 2005. This time, O'Neil Walker was retroactively identified as a suspect after the victim "identified several possible suspects in the college's “New Faces” book. The racial tensions that were underlying this case caused a significant campus uproar.

Volume 104, Number 2

Ben Salkowe

The Campus

09/22/2005

Ben Salkowe

"Later the same day, Lisa Boudah, Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Director of Public Safety, met with the victim. The reported physical description was a male with 'dark skin' and 'African-American features,' who was roughly six feet tall and 180-190 lbs. The victim reported that the intruder had been wearing a sweatshirt with the hood over his head, and described the intruder’s hair visible from under the hood as 'nappy.'"

"If racial tensions had been building throughout the year, they were at a boiling point that afternoon. About 75 students were allowed into the courthouse, and more than a hundred more stood outside. Following the hearing, many of those students returned to campus and staged a protest outside Old Chapel."