News

Anderson upholds suspension

By Kenneth Fortier

Posted on May 08, 2003, at 12:00 a.m.

Julie Altenhoff

The Jerseys of University of Maine junior wide receivers Stefan Gomes (8) and Paris Minor (9) hang on the bench during a game against Rhode Island on Sept. 28.

First appeared Nov. 21, 2002

Mark Anderson, the University of Maine’s interim chief financial officer, announced his decision to uphold the suspension of former Black Bear football players Stefan Gomes and Paris Minor Monday.

His decision upheld the original finding of the Student Conduct Code Committee that found the two in violation of the conduct code and suspended them from the University Sept. 25.

President Peter S. Hoff appointed Anderson, a former SCCC chair, to hear the second and final appeal in October.

On June 10, a female student who is no longer enrolled at UMaine, told local police that Minor and Gomes had sexually assaulted her at her Old Town apartment.

The female student brought the allegations before Judicial Affairs, but she did not file criminal charges. Gomes and Minor were then suspended by the university because of their alleged involvement with the girl.

After researching and evaluating each aspect of the trial, Anderson said he concluded that the original finding of the SCCC should be upheld and that the students are responsible for violations of the code.

“The decision has been made after over 30 hours of evaluation,” Anderson said. “I have spent the last three weeks pouring over materials submitted by the attorneys for Minor and Gomes, reviewing UMaine’s conduct code, and listening to a recording of the conduct code hearing.”

Anderson announced his decision Monday in a letter to the attorneys representing the students, Harry Richardson and Fred Costlow. By his findings, he said he had no other option but to uphold the suspension of the two football players.

An initial appeal committee, chaired by Robert Whelan of the UMaine English faculty, upheld the SCCC’s suspension Oct. 21. The conduct code allows for a second appeal to the university’s president or hir or her appointed designee.

On Oct. 28, President Peter Hoff appointed Anderson, a long-time faculty member who served as the Conduct Code Committee chair from 1990-92, to hear the second appeal. Anderson was given the task of deciding whether or not the hearings properly followed every aspect of the conduct code.

The students’ attorneys said in an Oct. 31 article of The Maine Campus that they wished to have the appeal heard by an independent body.

Nathan Webster, interim news editor, contributed to this article.

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