Felon in dorm raises issues at Akron College

Parents Forum
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<p>
[quote]
The University of Akron is reviewing its don’t-ask, don’t-tell policy regarding admission of felons to the school after a 45-yearold ex-convict was found living in a dorm.</p>

<p>Harry Collier is in the Summit County jail awaiting trial on several criminal charges, including accusations that he swiped money from an Akron woman and used a university golf cart without permission.</p>

<p>Collier has been banned from the Akron dorm, and a disciplinary hearing will be held later to determine whether he can return to class after he is released from jail.</p>

<p>...</p>

<p>With no access to a database that provides convictions for every person, it’s a tough issue to resolve, university spokesman Paul Herold said.</p>

<p>...</p>

<p>Collier roomed with a 19-year-old freshman in Bulger Hall. He had served about five years in prison in the 1990s for robbing a 70-year-old Akron woman with a pellet gun.</p>

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<a href="http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/11/27/20061127-E4-02.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/11/27/20061127-E4-02.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

2

<p>wow........</p>

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<p>I would surely be very concerned about the whole situation in general but specifically why the school would ever consider putting a 19 yo freshman in the same dorm room as a 45 yo guy - criminal or not.</p>

<p>Ex-cons can be rehab'd and do have the right to attend college - but living in a dorm to me is a bit out there - I can certainly understand him attending classes - but not living in a dorm with a bunch of young folks - that really bothers me alot.</p>

<p>I guess it comes down to - what is this school thinking?!?</p>

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<p>I hadn't thought about it but isn't there an age limit at most dorms? If not, shouldn't there be?</p>

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<p>That is one of the issues that arise when you put your 18 year old in a college with open admissions and many nontraditional and part-time students. Also, too many commuters, often means they bring their non student friends to college, and you do not get the controlled population you would get at a school where 90% of the students are straight from highschool, fulltime and live on campus. </p>

<p>I agree with the foolishness of permitting a 45 to room with a teenager. Don't know where to draw the line for age in dormitories, though.</p>

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<p>I don't know about "foolishness" of putting a fully grown adult in a dorm room with a teenager...in my college class, we had a guy in his late 60s, a retired rodeo clown no less, living in the guys' dorm freshman year. He got his own apartment sophomore year, but he did live in the dorm freshman year to fulfill the housing requirement. He was one of my favorite guys in my graduating class, and he died soon after graduation. I really miss ya, Bill!</p>

7

<p>I don't know. I'm not much older than 45, and I don't think I'd cause any problems for 18- to 22-year-olds. I might even be a good influence on them! </p>

<p>I think the real problem is his criminal background, and violently disposed criminals, unfortunately, come in a variety of ages. At the local branch of our state U., a traditional-aged student murdered another student a couple of years ago. It turns out he had a criminal record that might have revealed his tendencies, but the background had been concealed. I think as a result of that crime the UNC system now requires more investigation and disclosure of criminal records.</p>

8

<p>I'm trying to picture this --- You go to drop off your very excited and nervous freshman at his new dorm. He is anxious to meet his new roommate, and a little worried because he never showed up on Facebook. You open the door and there is...a 45 year old dude?! </p>

<p>You've got to be kidding me.</p>

<p>Oh well, at least everyone knows who's going to be able to buy the beer for the freshman dorm.</p>

9

<p>NCEPH no NC does not - I know the incident you are talking about - at UNC-W - the only place that this is inquired about is on the FAFSA - asking if one has ever been convicted of a felony/crime/drug related usually - for financial purposes.</p>

<p>After students matriculate - some circumstances do require a CORY check - like for student teaching and internships. If a record does exist - some re not going to admit to it.</p>

<p>But it certainly bothers me that they put this guy with a teen - they could/should have at least given him his own room - no matter the circumstances. Hey regular aged college students commit felonies and end up being banned from campuses.</p>

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<p>JeepMOM - You're right. There is no current requirement to do criminal background checks, but there is legislation pending to require such checks. I think some of the problems with the legislation stem from the fact that lots of the applicants' records would have been sealed because they were under 18. In the meantime UNC did change its admissions procedures and now asks all prospective students about their criminal records, and if red flags arise (like significant gaps in their history), a campus can do a criminal check.</p>

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<p>Actually sealing records is at 16 for juvi's - those darn 17 and 18 yo's can still manage to get in alot of trouble before they leave for college - so it can actually be pretty easy to hide gaps for those kids in many respects. Just cuz they ask doesn't mean that the UNC's are gonna get the truths. Just because there is an arrest/conviction on a record does not mean they won't be admitted as well - it will depend on the extent of the crime.</p>

<p>A drug conviction that results in the student's inability to get financial aid for a while - but will not prevent them from attending school.</p>

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<p>It seems to me that a 45 year old with even a pristine background would not WANT to live in a college dorm - the fact that a 45 year old would be willing to do so raises red flags on its own merit, never mind the rest of it...</p>

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<p>weenie, my thoughts exactly right down to the beer buyer. But it gets worse! What if it is a co-ed floor, and your new roommate wants to date someone on the hall.</p>

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<p>^ Yeah. It's almost as icky as my recurring dreams that I am moving into a dorm...And seriously, I'm 49 and my roommates (for some reason there's always several) are just regular teenagers. Of course they are NOT HAPPY about me in their room! LOL</p>

15

<p>There's a sitcom on Oxygen called Campus Ladies, about 2 40-something women who enroll in the University of the Midwest, and live in the dorms, their roommate is an 18 year old freshman. The show is directed by the fabulous comic David Steinberg, and is a riot.</p>

<p>I suspect the situation at Akron College may not be as funny.</p>

16

<p>What's even more amazing and troubling is that this is not the first time of U of Akron has run into problems with an older felon living in the dorm.</p>

<p>In 2004, the university hired a 35-year-old felon as a "confidential informant" to live in the dorm and turn in students for drug violations. He was to receive a bounty of $50 per student that he turned in. (This guy had four felony convictions, plus a dozen misdemeanors, some violent on his record.)</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/14157562.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/14157562.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The felon-informant claimed that Charles Felton, a student living in the dorm, had offered to sell him drugs. Felton was acquitted in a court trial (apparently the judge or jury didn't believe the informant.) Despite the acquittal, a university disciplinary committee suspended Felton, took away his campus job, and told him that he was forever banned from university housing. (This seems sadly ironic--they hired a felon to live in the dorm as an informant-for-hire, but then they kicked an acquitted student out!)</p>

<p>Tragically, Charles Felton committed suicide after all this happened.</p>

<p>And in yet another horrific error, last year the U of Akron hired an RA with a criminal history. He had been convicted of assault on a former girlfriend in 1999 and there had been multiple charges of stalking behavior since then. </p>

<p>This history did not prevent the university from hiring him as an RA last year (apparently because he did not volunteer the information about his criminal history.)</p>

<p>
[quote]
Currently, applicants need to be full-time students with at least a 2.5 GPA. They cannot have a felony record. Applicants, however, are expected to self-report their felony status.

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<p><a href="http://www.buchtelite.com/2006/0828/news_02.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.buchtelite.com/2006/0828/news_02.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>According to this press release from the university, last spring he went to the woman's apartment, kidnapped her, attempted to strangle her, and held her captive in his student apartment until the next day. (She was also a student.) The university press release states that he has now been convicted and sentenced to eight years for kidnapping and felonious assault. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.co.summit.oh.us%2FProsecutor%2Fnewsreleases%2FUniversity%2520of%2520Akron%2520Student%2520Sentenced.pdf&ei=UmhuReLVCZT-qAKF9LjbBQ&usg=__T049Nm_Hw1MAtgJCeNwXkjmb5Uk=&sig2=EqwaPDnWZTcI-c6uJaqFNg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.co.summit.oh.us%2FProsecutor%2Fnewsreleases%2FUniversity%2520of%2520Akron%2520Student%2520Sentenced.pdf&ei=UmhuReLVCZT-qAKF9LjbBQ&usg=__T049Nm_Hw1MAtgJCeNwXkjmb5Uk=&sig2=EqwaPDnWZTcI-c6uJaqFNg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Like that old song says......''When will they ever learn?"</p>

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<p>My daughter takes post secondary classes at U of Akron and there has also been a string of muggings going on off campus. This college is basically a commuter school although they are building more dorms now, so there is a lot of students living in rented houses right off campus. I haven't heard of anyone getting hurt yet, but I worry about my daughter walking to and from the parking garage to class. She won't be going to school there once she graduates from high school (not just because of the a crime stuff and ex-cons). It's a shame, too, because the current president of the university has really done a lot to make the campus more competitive with other state schools in Ohio. Many improvements especially honors housing and college. But obviously they haven't learned from their prior mistakes.</p>

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<p>My neice attends U. of Akron in the honors college and loves it. She will be a senior this year. They have done a lot of work the past few years to make the campus attractive and attract resident students. This is actually a very popular school for many from my D highschool. I must say the strides they have made in the last 5 years are wonderful for the students in the neighborhood.</p>

<p>That being said, in 2011 with my D a rising senior, I still would not feel 100% comfortable sending her there. First off, it doesn’t have her major but most of all I just don’t think they have quite managed to shrug off the commuter reputation. The area surrounding Akron is not that great either and I would feel worried. One thing good about Akron is their satellite campuses. They have them in places where normally certain people would not have access to education. The University of Akron is a fantastic school for nontraditional students and a great school for vocational training/science education like nursing, PT, OT and ST. My neice is in training to be a speech pathologist and I have no doubt Akron has given her a quality education. They have some bugs to work out on their main campus but I have to say they are a great school that really helps put people to work. You may not want to come here for a degree in classic languages but if you want to become a certified nurse practitioner and get a great education and make good money - come to Akron.</p>

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<p>Uh…mspearl, have you even read the thread that you just responded to? It is from 2006 and you responded to nothing that the thread is about. Are you going to be comfortable with your college student living with a 45 year old ex-felon? ;)</p>