Hi There,
This is the story. I stole something from my campus bookstore. I was caught. Returned a few weeks later and paid for the item. (value $120 CDN). I was then brought before our school's JAC (Judical Advisory Council) and they assigned me the following punishment. 10 hours of community service and I have to write a letter to the School's newspaper apologizing for what I did and describing how theft it bad etc.... The problem for me here is that I was a member of the student's union board of directors. I have subsiquently resigned BUT if I write this letter with my name attached it will destory my reputation on campus as well the board is releasing a press statment saying that they accepted my resignation as a result of the letter I have to write (they have to respond to look good).
This letter that I have to write informing ALL of what I did seems more like public humiliation than a fair punishment. In speaking to some former members of the JAC I have discovered that this is very harsh indeed and wonder if they were not just using me as an example rather than treating me fairly. This letter will cause my reputation to be DESTROYED not to mention the emotional trauma it is and will cause me ( I am in councilling now, I am so worried). What is my legal recourse here? They have specifically stated that appeals will NOT be heard on the grounds that the punishment is too harsh etc...
What can I do? I realize what I did was horrible HOWEVER students are caught smoking bongs in their dorm rooms and recieve FAR less sever punishments than this.
Thanks
This is the story. I stole something from my campus bookstore. I was caught. Returned a few weeks later and paid for the item. (value $120 CDN). I was then brought before our school's JAC (Judical Advisory Council) and they assigned me the following punishment. 10 hours of community service and I have to write a letter to the School's newspaper apologizing for what I did and describing how theft it bad etc.... The problem for me here is that I was a member of the student's union board of directors. I have subsiquently resigned BUT if I write this letter with my name attached it will destory my reputation on campus as well the board is releasing a press statment saying that they accepted my resignation as a result of the letter I have to write (they have to respond to look good).
This letter that I have to write informing ALL of what I did seems more like public humiliation than a fair punishment. In speaking to some former members of the JAC I have discovered that this is very harsh indeed and wonder if they were not just using me as an example rather than treating me fairly. This letter will cause my reputation to be DESTROYED not to mention the emotional trauma it is and will cause me ( I am in councilling now, I am so worried). What is my legal recourse here? They have specifically stated that appeals will NOT be heard on the grounds that the punishment is too harsh etc...
What can I do? I realize what I did was horrible HOWEVER students are caught smoking bongs in their dorm rooms and recieve FAR less sever punishments than this.
Thanks
