I have a feeling the Alumni aren't going to let this one go. They are going to start digging for the truth and there's going to be a substantial backlash. Fauria should rethink his decision as he has now brought this problem (Res Life) to light and can be a motivating factor for positive change if he stays! I say this as he's a good kid with good grades and throwing away a Notre Dame future because of an injustice is a great waste. Stay and fight this Joseph! You will not be alone!
SpeedsterX | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 11:13 am | #

this seems odd. couldn't he just live off campus if he loved nd so much and it had nothing to do with the team or his status on the depth chart?
something smells fishy....
oakvilleirish | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 12:11 pm | #

Fauria, Rueland, Rowers-Neal

did I miss anyone?
Craig, Lincoln NE | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 12:13 pm | #

You missed Yeatman
borromini | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 12:36 pm | #

We do not know the reason for Fauria's suspension, but one must still ask...WHY?

We do not want, nor will we condone, actions from players like we hear about at FL, TX, USC, AL, etc. Very little is ever done to those athletes, so why does Notre Dame have to be so different.

I agree with Speedster X. Someone needs to get that message to Joseph...if it isn't too late.
Ted | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 12:38 pm | #

If Fauria really wants to shed some light on the system he should come clean with what he did. Then the University and Alumni can weigh in on whether the punishment was appropriate.
Otherwise, this will all go away because no one can challenge the ruling when no one knows the facts of the case.
San Diego Irish | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 12:48 pm | #

He is cutting off his face in spite of his nose. Somebody should have sat that kid down and had a conversation about the real world. Self righteousness gets you no where in this situation.
JD | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 1:27 pm | #

I do not know what the issue was but I have a feeling it is minor and possibly embarrassing. This is why Fauria is not going to come out and say what happened.


I have a bit of a conspiracy theory that some people at Notre Dame do not like Weis and are willing to take it out on his players.

I think it goes back to the days of Lou, when there was some leniency given in exchange for winning. I feel this rubbed some people the wrong way and they are overreacting with the Weis program to prevent this from happening again.
Chris | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 1:39 pm | #

It goes without saying, just how important it is to know just exactly what happened. There is a difference between Notre Dame and the other D1 programs. This is not USC, Alabama, Florida St., or Ohio St.....we hold our players to a higher standard, and expect more both on and off the football field. But with that said I can't help but notice how Notre Dame seems to continually distance itself from its Catholic and religious background. Whatever happened to second chances, forgiveness, and incorporating the religion the school was built on? What ever happened to forgiving someone who seems to be sorry and truly in love with the University, as Fauria seems to be? I wish I knew, but again it really depends on what exactly Fauria did.
Trevor | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 2:16 pm | #

He was not allowed back onto Campus until after the fall semester, not even to visit, according to South Bend Trib.
Is Res Life located in the US or in Iran?
Maybe Res Life should try to adapt sharia law. Cut off a part of the body and get the punishment over quickly. Res Life could then force the victim of Du Lac sharia discipline to sign a non-disclosure agreement, under penalty of another part being lopped from body.
Presto! No negative perceptions, except from the victim.
Ska | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 2:18 pm | #

Alluding to what Chris said...and first hand observation, there seemed to be more leniency back in the Holtz era.
Alluding to the above point on this site a year or so ago ...I got a bit of grief from some posters.
Were I in a similar situation, and I felt it was a miner {not minor act} I probably would put my version out there.
Just one grad's opinion.
Dana Payne | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 2:43 pm | #

I guess a minor act is spelled the same.

Probably why I don't write a blog.
Dana Payne | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 2:48 pm | #

People always have their own versions of what ND was, is and will be. Those in power have the leverage to impose their own visions and versions. My views align with the perspective of Trevor and SpeedsterX. As I stated in a previous comment, ND (and religion) should be about giving second chances to make thing better. Lou was tough, tough, tough, but he had the heart, soul and sense of forgiveness to have his players learn from their minor and major mistakes. (Real old timers will bring up the Gipper. I will bring up Stonebreaker.)
The University and Mike Wadsworth should have learned from their major mistake of pushing out Holtz and his Fighting Spirit. Anyway, onwards to 2009 and Jimmy for the Heisman!
Gold Wave | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 3:17 pm | #

what i find very interesting about the whole situation is that corwin brown did something similar at michigan way back when (if true of course) and he still coaches at ND
soupy1061 | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 3:53 pm | #

I wouldn't be so quick to call this an injustice. Right now we're weighing the opinion of a teenager against that of ResLife. There aren't any facts. Just our feeling of loss after seeing another TE leave the program because of his own poor decision. He wasn't kicked out of school, and the second chance given to him was the opportunity to come back in the Spring. Darrin Walls took that second chance without complaining and I think that says a lot about his character.
Philliph | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 4:12 pm | #

what type of action could cause someone to be suspended from campus for a semester?


getting caught drinking in the dorms? having a girl in your room after curfew? those would both certainly fall under the category of "you'd laugh if you knew".

its unfortunate that joseph is leaving as, based on his quotes, he seemed to be a pretty intelligent kid
nathan | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 4:49 pm | #

Did Darrin Walls leaving ND have anything to do with Res Life? That may (probably) not be the case. And you definitely don't know (Philliph-get a new talking point).
Taking Res Life's opinion over a person of any age is dubious at best. Never trust hypocrites. Must be nice to never have sinned.
Hats off to Mr. Fauria for standing up for himself. As a ND grad, it would be great to see Joe return. Notre Dame is a Very Special University and Joseph should be part of ND.
This kind of give-up/surrender attitude after the Res Life wackos allegedly discipline a student athlete is indicative of ND football's decline. Its hard to live life looking over your shoulder and second guessing everything you do. There apparently is no understanding or mercy from Res Life.
Joseph this is your life and you are applauded for not kowtowing to Res Life. The best to you. You'll do well at your new university because you are a ND type guy.
Ska | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 5:08 pm | #

He should have done his penance and moved off campus for his final years at ND. He could have earned his ND degree and been a large part of the rise of the football program. Instead, he is going to have to sit out a year anywhere he goes, and it might be a crappy school.
Nate | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 5:17 pm | #

On UHND someone posted what he did (supposedly).

There's two versions.

One is he went streaking somewhere on campus.

Two is he flashed his junk at some ND girl who went ballistic and threatened a lawsuit against the University unless they expelled him.

Either way, I think ND mishandled this. However, that's par for the course for ND's administration.

Now that being said, I don't know if the UHND rumors are true.
atepesm | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 5:38 pm | #

By the way, from 1986-1999 (when my brother started at ND to when my cousin graduated), there have ALWAYS been streakers at ND.

In fact, my DORM organized an ANNUAL streaking during the Sunday evening before XMAS finals at the library. I still remember my RA trying to wrangle people together for this madness.

ND's admin is just f'd up.
atepesm | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 5:42 pm | #

I have no experience with ND, but I got kicked out of Georgetown and I can empathize with the guy. There was zero Catholicism involved in my process except maybe the Inquisition and Crucifixion. The Dean of Student Affairs outright lied to us, fellow students were coerced into testifying against us by having their law school apps held hostage, the administration refused to grant an appeal, etc.

Our offense? An abandoned car had been sitting in an unmetered parking space (extremely rare and valuable in DC) for several months. The university had done nothing, so one night on the way home from the bars a group of us decided to "move" it. It was parallel parked, so a buddy had the genius idea that flipping it out of the spot would be a good first step. Problem was, none of us played that scenario out and the car got stuck upside down on its roof blocking traffic.

We deserved to be punished, but they went berzerk on us. We were good kids with good grades with no "priors" and they expelled us.

We would have been completely screwed had we not been saved by the Student Body President and the Chair of the Faculty Senate who intervened on our behalf and had it reduced to a one semester suspension.

So without knowing any details, my gut is to stand in solidarity with Fauria. Sorry to see him go.
HoyaIrish | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 5:56 pm | #

Anyone remember the Elephant Walk in the hotel lobby by the Rugby Club? No one suspended.
Ska | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 7:19 pm | #

Well..... The Rugby Club did get suspended. No players!!!!!
Ska | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 7:21 pm | #

atepesm,
Notice that little phrase in Fauria's comments, "I'm not some predator." Just based on that, it's not too difficult to guess.
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 8:18 pm | #

This "Nate" isn't the "Nate" that commented above. Maybe I should change to "Nate in Japan...soon to be elsewhere" though that's a bit unwieldy.

Hard to know without facts who is right and who is wrong. ResLife is a Draconian operation that more often than not is heavy handed in it's judgements. However, we can't judge that unless we know what happened and what Fauria did or did not do. Some things that would be "laughable" elsewhere are against the rules at ND. Whether or not you agree with the rule, the rule is the rule. One of the things that makes ND "ND" is that we don't treat players any different than regular students. So that said, if it's something that would have gotten me kicked off campus, then at least ResLife is consistent. You know the rules, you break the rules, you take the punishment, ticky-tack rule or not. If ResLife isn't being even (I wanted to say "fair", but that's unreasonable when it comes to ResLife) in how it applies the rule, then there is a major issue.
Nate | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 9:09 pm | #

Actually in the winter of 72 and 73{ I believe} There was a streak race around the North Quad , with lots of spectators.
One guys package got hit by a snow ball.
Dana Payne | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 9:22 pm | #

What people don't consider is the limited number of actions available to Res Life to punish people at ND. There just aren't many things they can do other than suspend students for a semester. In Fauria's case he could be suspended for a certain number of football games, but he was being disciplined as a student, not as a football player.

What else can they do...fine students? They already take almost 200k from them, imagine the uproar about revenue whoring if they started levying substantial fines. Give them meaningless community service hours? We all know how that system can be gamed.

What should be clear to everyone is that if you put the university in a corner on these issues, this is what happens.
Flanner525 | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 9:55 pm | #

The approach of ResLife was very Catholic. One confesses one's sin, one expresses contrition, and one is given penance and absolution.

Fauria didn't like the penance and didn't want to perform it. When this is the case in the Sacrament of Confession, the belief is that one did not actually receive absolution.

And I would think that, if he did flash a couple of co-eds, he should be punished in this manner. That's not a case of boys being boys. If he had done that at a workplace, what do you think would have happened? If this were UF's tight end, what would we be saying if Urban Meyer left him on the team?

And all those thinking back to the glory days of Lou need to remember that he himself regretted that he was too lax with his later teams. In retrospect, he wished he had been as tough in his later classes as he was with his early classes.
Kris | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 10:05 pm | #

As a current grad student, I certainly see my share of letters to the editor complaining about ResLife's punishments. It's easy to imagine that office taking a harsh line with a kid, and maybe even wanting to make an example of him (is that automatically wrong?).

But I'm also a youth pastor, and it makes me a little suspicious when a young guy won't own up to what it was, and then wants to put all the blame on the "other guy." Hard to say...

And on a personal note, I find it hard to sympathize with the undergrads when they blatantly break a duLac rule and get punished. It's not like those rules are hard to find or be aware of...

My two cents.
bluedevildave | Email | Homepage | 06.27.09 - 10:19 pm | #

Well, we don't know what the Fauria situation involved. My guess is Fauria isn't stupid enough to think in the internet age that some or all of the truth won't get out, so it seems unlikely he'd lie about it being laughable. We DO know what happened with RPN, KMac, and Yeatman and what the offenses were. They were also technically criminal offenses (at least for RPN, KMac and the first Yeatman incident). I have some serious doubts about whether this was a comparable offense. And I am not sure the severity of those punishments were merited either. There is clearly a perception of unfairness and that is not a good thing for ND in general.
Thundershaker | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 9:15 am | #

"And I would think that, if he did flash a couple of co-eds, he should be punished in this manner. That's not a case of boys being boys."

If (!) that's what he did, then it is actually a crime and it would be difficult to argue with Res Life. But we'll probably never know exactly what happened.
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 9:31 am | #

I don't know what the kid did and it's not my business. But I do know that it's stupid and wrong to go saying that the "spirit of the law" should be what a Catholic institution cares about. What planet is this kid from? Catholicism is a highly legalistic religion and culture---our laws don't involve stoning or maiming people, but this "spirit of the law" crap is for hippies and Lutherans. As a popular Catholic writer from the early 20th century wrote, when a man talks to you "of the spirit and intention, and complains of the dryness of the word, look at him askance. He is not far removed from heresy."

If you violated a stipulated rule, were afforded the stipulated procedure, and given a punishment that fell within the stipulated range, what's the complaint? That's the rule of law; it is, in fact, our nation's very definition of justice. The way to avoid punishments altogether is not to be stupid, even if the chattering classes think your transgression of the month should be acceptable behavior.
Titus Andronicus | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 10:15 am | #

This is not about Catholicism and forgiveness, it is about rules. I don't know what he did, but I know what some of my kids did and they didn't get thrown out. It had to be something not nice and we can speculate and be shocked about it without knowing the facts. Whatever it was, it was bad enough to get tossed for a semester. Tell him to talk to MacAlarney and not make a life decisison based on some dumb actions on his part.
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 11:34 am | #

The "predator" reference has me a little uncomfortable with condemning Res Lif without knowing more details. Let's look at his options ef JF were to suck it up, do his penance and return to ND in the spring. If I am not mistaken, the original plan was to try to red shirt him his first year. So he gets his obligatory disciplinary red shirt season, returns to ND in the spring, moves off campus, gets to play on a team that has a group of very talented upperclassmen with significant potential to be BCS bound if not playing for a NC, he plays for the coaches that he respects and loves, and he ends up with a diploma from ND. Personally, I would have to think long and hard before I would throw all this away.
WISubway | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 12:14 pm | #

Football players are given $49,000 per year in tuition/room/board, plus a lot of clothes, plane trips, books, meals out, hotel rooms, free services and academic support. This is huge gift from the University. If one of them breaks a rule at ND, gets punished, attacks the university for the severity, transfers because he doesn't want to fill his punishment, and all the while won't admit to what he did, he doesn't have much sympathy from me.

Punishments for athletes should be just as severe as those for other students. A lot of athletes seem to think that they can do whatever they want because of who they are. That gets them into more trouble the higher up they get. If ND can teach their athletes that they have to follow the law just like everyone else, then they won't get into trouble when they're in the NFL or whatever they do after college.
Jugmed | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 12:27 pm | #

I think Fauria needs to man up and admit what he did if he's going to attack the university. His approach has been cowardly and, frankly, if he's a sleazy person, I don't want him at my alma mater. I love ND football, but the university is more important to me than the football program. I roomed next to a football player my senior year of ND and it was a horrible experience because he was high on drugs most weekends and terrorized his dormmates and their visitors. The last thing we need is more guys like that.
class of 2002 | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 1:38 pm | #

I don't think its the business of anyone here to be guessing at rumors about what the kid did. I know what he did, and I don't think its anyone's business but him and his family. If he is unhappy with the approach and wants to leave, thats fine, and best of luck to him. Back to football.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 2:38 pm | #

I did not have the brains, $$$$, athleticism, or “pull” to have been accepted at Notre Dame. They didn’t even want me to shovel s*** out the back door.
Society is full of rules. The work environment is full of rules. Catholicism is full of rules. ND is full of rules.
I agree with the last half-dozen posts.
The kid needs to pull himself up by the bootstraps. He’s made two mistakes already in life. Doin something against someone’s rules and then crapping out and running away.
Subway Alumni | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 2:45 pm | #

I think things have changed at ND since I was there, 1976-80, including my senior year as an RA. I can't recall a single incident that required suspension from school. Most , if not all incidents were resolved with handshakes, appologies, and promises to change behavior. I don't think kids have changed but consequences sure have. Glad I went there when I did. My best to Joe F.
As for ResLife, I believe there should be an appeals process for such a strict (life altering) punishment.
Jim | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 3:09 pm | #

"I don't think its the business of anyone here to be guessing at rumors about what the kid did. I know what he did, and I don't think its anyone's business but him and his family."

You don't see the irony in that statement?
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 3:12 pm | #

Joseph is not attacking Notre Dame. He has stated that he loves ND. He has issues with the way he feels he was treated by Res Life. Considering that Res Life has continuously painted themselves into the corner of non-credibility, a thinking person has to go with Joseph's version. The following is taken directly from the South Bend Tribune:
"The teardrops pocked the release papers as Joseph Fauria signed away his dream.
"When I committed to Notre Dame there were tears too," the now former Irish tight end said Friday afternoon."There was joy. It was all great. Now it's tears of sadness.
"I never lost my love for Notre Dame, and I never will. But my lifelong dream is over. It's time to move on and get a fresh start somewhere else."
Go to the SBT web-site if you do not believe.
"Class of 2002", if you had a football player, as you claim terrorizing the dorm high on drugs, why did you not man-up and go to Res Life? Something stinks in your version.
Notre Dame should have broadened your reasoning and mental capability. Some of you writing on BGS only see black and white. Sorry to tell you this, but life is mostly gray. Clearly too late for some of you.
"Mr. Subway Alumni": just because you did not go to ND does not make you any less of a person. You sound very bitter. This is why we have courts in this country, so people can address a problem and get a fair decision rendered. Granted, that does not always happen. So then, if you feel the decision is wrong, you have a right to appeal.
Ska | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 3:15 pm | #

Not a graduate of ND, but fully support the University and have no opinion regarding Fauria's remarks.

Since Fauria didn't divulge on the nature of the offense to determine if the punishment was appropriate, I'll just move on to the next topic.
borromini | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 3:33 pm | #

Whatever happened, Fauria is handling this poorly.

Ignoring the issue of whether or not leaving was a mistake, his comments were childish. If he feels his punishment was unjust, he should make a public and formal complaint with a complete, honest, and unbiased account of the events. Otherwise he should listen to his mother and just says some nice things about the team on his way out.

As is, he seems more concerned about winning the court of public opinion than righting injustice in reslife or his dreams of playing ND football.
obediah | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 3:41 pm | #

I'm with obediah et al. If what Fauria did was really so laughable, then he should spill the beans so we can all have a good chuckle before joining him in his frustration with ResLife. But short of that, he best keep quiet.
John | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 3:57 pm | #

As someone who also got sent to ResLife (sophmore year, 2001), I empathize with Fauria and think most of you holier-than-thou idiots who didn't both go to ND and get in trouble with ResLife need to get off your high horse.

My experience involved getting "charged" with breaking parietals, actually getting cleared of that charge and instead receiving 40hrs of community service for an underage alcohol violation. I did my service time and don't dispute the alcohol charge, but feel that the whole incident should have been handled in-dorm...as similar incidents had been in the past.

The people at reslife who conducted the hearing seemed less concerned about the facts in the case and more concerned with embarrassing me and my roomate (who received equal punishment) and making sure we knew we were criminals deserving of punishment. The whole system is a joke and I had many high-character ND friends who had similar experiences.

From what I've heard, what Fauria did was some type of "fight" with another student in a dorm. Without the details it's hard to comment but I feel confident it was a small indiscretion that should have been handled in-dorm with probably garbage detail for a few weekends.

Bottom line is college kids are going to be college kids and the kids that get into Notre Dame, athletes included, have more maturity and character than 99% of our society. They should not be treated like children or like the drug dealers and rapists that will be starting at many SEC schools this fall.

Fauria is NOT a whiner or a coward. ResLife (which should not be confused with the majority of the administration or athletic department at ND) needs to reconsider their treatment of athletes and students in general, and most of you on this thread who are casting stones are douchebags who give Domers a bad name.
caveman03 | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 9:19 pm | #

I'm actually pretty tired of ResLife being set up as the heavy here. They have to enforce DuLac, which all students are made aware of when they enter the university.

Whether some get caught or some get away with something against DuLac is irrelevant, because both run the same risk, and both, objectively speaking, choose to do something against the student code of conduct. Choices have consequences, whether its the 2nd string TE on the football team or a dormmate caught breaking parietals.

There are gray areas in life, but there are also black and white areas. Some things, believe it or not, are actually either right or wrong. Claiming all is gray often is used to allow folks to define for themselves what is right or wrong, depending on what they want.

As a student of Notre Dame, one is made aware of what violations will put one's attendance at the University in jeopardy. If one does them anyway, it's not the fault of ResLife for enforcing the rules and sanctions that apply.
Kris | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 9:25 pm | #

As I said before, unless you know all the facts, none of these OPINIONS really matter at all. As a matter of fact, they don't really matter if you DO have the facts. Fauria's leaving, whether he was a persecuted innocent or a grievous felon, very few of us claim to know, and probably none of us really do. Truth, as usual, probably falls somewhere in the middle. Rules are rules and should be enforced, but ResLife habitually overdoes their "justice". Did I miss any of the key points here?

Sad to see Joseph go, wish he had the mind to stick it out, deal with it, and contribute, since he says he loves ND. But, he's not--so here's hoping Ragone stays healthy, that either the younger Golic or Eifert can contribute right off the bat, and we're okay. Life goes on, let's let Joseph get on with his, and we'll go on with ours. And please...please...don't email him or facebook message him or whatever.
Nate | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 10:32 pm | #

Fauria specifically remarked that he would leave it up to fans to conjecture what he did, after having criticized Reslife. So I don't feel bad about calling him out on his remarks or surmising about his violation. The fact is that if Fauria got off with a handshake and an apology, it would be unfair to the numerous non-athletes at ND who get busted by Reslife all the time. As someone else mentioned, athletes are on a 200K scholarship that comes with gear, travel, etc, not to mention a fast track to the NFL or professional life with an ND degree; I don't think it's too hard to ask them to follow the rules. Additionally, he was suspended, not expelled. As far as I'm concerned, he was too proud to humble himself and accept the suspension the way more responsible guys like Darrin Walls did. In the long run, the guys who accept responsibility will be better for it.
class of 2002 | Email | Homepage | 06.28.09 - 11:39 pm | #

I think back to Ross Browner, Willie Fry and Luther Bradley getting suspended. All three were All-Americans and could have transferred to any other school in the country. All three returned and won a second national championship. They were never villified, just admired.
DB12 | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 8:04 am | #

I think "admired" is a little strong a word for what I think I remember they did.
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 8:29 am | #

Thank you caveman03 for telling of your experience with ResLife. We did not have ResLife when I was at ND. If there was a problem, we would get called in to see Fr. James Riehle. No one wanted that to happen. Lots of bark, little bite, in comparison to ResLife. I have heard numerous secondhand stories about ResLife, all of it draconian and at times psychologically sadistic. And we thought it was tough with Fr. Riehle.
To get suspended or expelled would have required doing something really, really bad. Yeatman for example, at worst, would have had to face the good Father's bark.
Ska | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 10:26 am | #

Reality check people. You are all condemning/supporting the actions of a teenager.

Res Life can absolutely fine students and does.

As a current grad student do I think most of Notre Dames rules are a little out of touch? Yes. But coming here I must follow those rules. I say, wish the kid good luck. I get so angry when athletes get away with stuff when they are my own age, I don't want to say justice done to a younger kid but sometimes we all learn lessons the hard way. It is an unfortunate situation.
Matt B. | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 10:37 am | #

Oh, by the way caveman03, your horrible crime in the eyes of ResLife, would not have even gotten a response from the Rector during my days at ND.
Ska | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 11:07 am | #

As a recent graduate of ND ('06), I can echo prior criticisms and identifications of flaws in the ResLife department and disciplinary procedures at ND. While I don't know in this case whether the punishment fit the crime, I do know that people who have never gone through the disciplinary process at ND in the past couple of years really have no idea what ResLife is - in the real world, for 19-22 year olds, not in theory. Thus those who are unfamiliar should hesitate when making blanket statements about its efficacy or justness.
Steve | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 11:54 am | #

i am almost always inclined to side against reslife. in my two years here, i have seen a couple of my friends get sent to reslife. i myself was sent to reslife. (i was bringing in beer from the parking lot-GASP!!!) note: i take full responsibility for this, i should not have gotten caught and should have run from the cops. anyway, when i went in to talk to the reslife people there was this total bitch named jessica schumann. my first act after graduating will be to send a bag of shit to her office every holiday. she repeatedly treated me like a little child and could not believe that i would do such a thing as drink underage. I don't understand how such a foolish lady could be hired by this university. What kind of moron doesn't think college students drink underage? She could have just given me my punishment and sent me on my way. but no. Me being a simple-minded teenager in her eyes, she tried to trick me into telling her who had bought the beer for me. i was truly stunned by her idiocy and refused to tell her anything about it. in the end i got so pissed off at her that i called her an incompetent, naive, and despicable woman at which point my ra who had accompanied me sent me out of the room and tried to reason with the devil woman. in short, reslife is in no way trying to help students. their sole purpose is to punish students as evidenced by the fact that there are no appeals. this institution is what forces most seniors off campus. their punishments are total overkill and they are the closest you can get to the inquisition nowadays. sorry that you had to read all of this but i just wanted to show you all a student's perspective of reslife. we hate them...very much.
ndrules | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 1:47 pm | #

It was more laissez faire in the early 70s.

Looking back, it could have been because ND was all male when I arrived and overwhelmingly male when I left.

I think the Administration { being virtually all male themselves} remembered their own youth.

When people you trust{going both ways} treat one another with respect civility and order are maintained .

That was my experience at least.
Dana Payne | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 1:52 pm | #

Anon,

No, I see no irony in my statement, since I didn't discuss any rumors. Look up the phrase 'irony,' and get back to me.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 2:18 pm | #

Hi,

I am reading the posts trying to find out if anyone on campus actually knows what happened.

It is too often the case that power corrupts and there is no excuse for a process that does not mirror the US system, so an appeal process is warranted. Please don't quote religion as a foundation for a less than republican process, this country was founded arguing against such zeal and expliclity forbids mixing church and state.

My greater concern is that I found a post (from CA I believe, his home state) that was direct and definitive as to his offensives. Although not explicit, it sounds as though he was not treated unfairly up until their was no appeal.

It was claimed he was suspended for two separate incidents a week apart in the spring: one involving a rector and another involving indecency in an elevator with a member of the faculty.

If true that he exposed himself to a female member of the faculty in an elevator, I would not laugh and question whether he should be allowed back in school anywhere without counseling, etc.

Therefore, I am not in agreement with a sub-optimal process as to appeals, but question whether he was treated unfairly in the intial sentencing.

I hope someone who knows will post on this.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 2:26 pm | #

Okay, found a post that responded to a LA times article.
--Joe is suspended for a semester for two separate incidents occurring a week apart last spring. One dealt with conduct concerning a dorm rector, and the other, for allegedly confronting a member of the faculty in the elevator.--

Does this sound right?
Pat | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 2:46 pm | #

ndrules,

ResLife's job isn't to condone what is a common behavior among students. It is to enforce DuLac. I'm sure the woman you are talking about is well aware of underage drinking. She is also aware that underage drinking is a violation of DuLac and Indiana state law, and her job is to enforce DuLac.

ResLife and the University are cracking down the way they are for some very valid reasons. One is that we live in a far more litigious society now than the 70s or 80s, and if Junior drinks himself to death, Mom and Dad may sue the University for not having prevented a wrongful death.

Additionally, Notre Dame has been highlighted as being a place where binge drinking has been a problem. I saw it in my time at the University, and the intellectually honest among the current students will admit that they've seen it too.

The reason ResLife is so "draconian" is because it became clear to them that many students weren't responsible in their alcohol consumption, and the University was--and is--vulnerable to litigation if something tragic happens. ResLife exists to enforce DuLac and state law, if for no other reason than to protect the University from liability.

No matter how unfair you think a rule is, no matter how unfair you think a punishment is, DuLac's pretty transparent, and everyone knows ResLife will take a hard line on violators. If you know all this, and you still do something that puts you at risk for going before ResLife, who is to blame?
Kris | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 3:31 pm | #

Brad, the irony is twofold: (1) You didn't block yourself from finding out by telling your source you didn't want to know or stopping reading about the incident, yet you want others to stop speculating. (2) Fauria doesn't want to keep it just between him and his family. As others have pointed out, he has dropped teasers to Chicago Tribute, Pete Sampson, Mike Frank, etc practically inviting speculation.

so get off your sarcastic high horse.
bgr | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 3:54 pm | #

kris im not saying that i despise reslife and want to send shit to jessica schuman because they punished me. i fully deserved the punishment because i knowingly and willingly broke the rules. what i think is unfair is that fauria did not get an appeal (obviously there wouldn't have been an appeal in my case because i was caught redhanded). also, you have not met this woman and for that you should drop to your knees and praise God. she is, to put it quite simply and frankly, a bitch. i honestly don't think she is aware underage drinking happens quite frequently. her eyes were popping out of her head when i told her i was getting the beer for a party my roommates were throwing. she asked if my roommates and potential partygoers were of age and i declined to comment. and as i said before she wouldnt stop badgering me about who bought me the beer. she even threatened to hand down a heavier punishment if i didnt tell her their names. this is what i feel is the main problem with reslife. they haven't set down any guidelines for punishments. they basically hand out whatever they want and since there arent any appeals, the student cant do anything. also, throughout the hearing the student in question is bullied mercilessly. this is not just from my experience. many of my friends have been interrogated in like manner. schuman(aka devil bitch) in particular takes savage delight in such psychological terrorism and actually wouldnt let me leave until i looked her in the eyes and told her that the punishment was fair and deserved. true story. and yes there is quite a bit of binge drinking.
ndrules | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 4:01 pm | #

oh in case there are any other reslife (aka hypocritical asswipes confraternity) sympathizers out there let me tell you another story, also completely true. a male student was sent to reslife and punished because his sister slept in his room while his roommate was out of town and the hotels around town were sold out. the student nor his sister seem like the incestuous type to me so i was mildly shocked. then again, i realize reslife is gay and likes to punish students so nothing surprises me anymore
ndrules | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 4:05 pm | #

for those grammar nitpickers "neither" should go before "the student" as in, the thought of entering into sexual relations with his sister is abhorrent to him and he would never do such a thing
ndrules | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 4:07 pm | #

kgr,

Again, I'll stay right up on my sarcastic highhorse, if only because what I said wasn't ironic. Secondly, I never sought to find out what happened. Its something I happened to overhear in a private conversation. Next, if he wants to talk about it, more power to him. I am saying that guessing about what he did and did not do is really a pointless exercise until he decides to talk about it. THEN we can all talk about whether or not the punishment fits the crime to our hearts content.

Also, while I am not quite sure how I feel about ResLife, I thought I'd point out in the conversation something I haven't seen mentioned. Anyone who understands the situation with ResLife better should let me know. Its just that ResLife does provide some benefits to these kids. My understanding was that a lot of issues which would normally be dealt with through the criminal justice system at public schools are dealt with privately and behind closed doors at ND. I may be wrong about this. But it seems to me that if anything, that provides students with a better chance to avoid the court system and the permanent records that go with it, which seems like a pretty nice benefit. Is this accurate?
Brad | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 5:01 pm | #

no. for example, if you are caught by south bend police drinking underage, you get a ticket and the mark on your permanent record AND you get punished by reslife. as i have mentioned they take joy out of such things. the student meanwhile is shit out of luck and will most likely get handed a new a-hole by their parents. if you are caught by notre dame campus police on campus it stays on campus because it is a private school and thus they take care of it. the school is immediately notified by police so unless you got raped (the only case where you don't get in trouble for alcohol consumption while underage), reslife is going to tear your ass apart. pardon my french.
ndrules | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 5:58 pm | #

Anon, they were not admired for what they did nor were they villified by the fans. They were admired for what they accomplished after their return.
DB12 | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 8:10 pm | #

ndrules -

Did Jessica Schuman try teaching you anything about capitalization, punctuation, or the use of paragraphs? They all seem like lessons that could serve you well.

It's common for old Domers to believe that we couldn't be admitted to the school today given its increasingly selective admissions process. Reading your posts is making me rethink that belief.
Joe Magarac | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 8:48 pm | #

ndrules,

I don't think it helps your case to call someone from ResLife a bitch, ResLife gay, or those who may disagree with you asswipes or ResLife sympathizers. It indicates to me that your tone, as if you had some kind of right to drink underage and are shocked that someone may think that to be inappropriate, may have had something to do with her response and attitude. If you didn't want to narc on your friends, that's fine, but you can't possibly criticize her for trying to find that out. That's her job.

Take, for example, your friend's situation with his sister. I can tell you that if my mother were in my room, I would be violating parietals, pure and simple. I would try to avoid that at all costs. Rather, I would have sought a friend at SMC or on-campus to put her up for the night. If that wasn't possible, I would have asked my RA or Rector for assistance. Doing either would mitigate the risks of punishment, because I would be following both letter and spirit of the rules as much as possible, and seeing the staff as a help, not a hindrance.

Do you realize how many times a "sister" has stayed in dorm rooms at Notre Dame? It doesn't surprise me that ResLife takes a jaundiced eye to this. It's practically legend as a way to try to get over on having a girl after hours.

Let me clue you in on something. In my experience and discussions, ResLife has yet to punish a student who didn't violate DuLac. Let me clue you in on something more. Becoming an adult means owning your decisions, regardless of whether you think the direct logical ramifications of them are fair. The world doesn't care, whether it's ResLife, the law, corporate policies, etc., what mitigating circumstances a person claims when breaking a rule. When caught breaking a rule, the best thing you can do is accept responsibility, take the punishment, and learn from it, as an adult should. We've all been there.
Kris | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 9:31 pm | #

Maybe I'm getting crotchety after turning 30 this year, but people running the school aren't idiots. He did something wrong to warrant the sentence, whether he thought it was innocent and laughable, obviously someone didn't (whether that's a current student, administrator, or whomever). I'm actually glad the University takes a hard line on this. Lou always told his players they're not regular students...they're held to a higher standard. It's easy to play the "boys will be boys" card when it's our team, but when we turn around and bash schools' fans like FSU, Tenn, USC, for the same thought process we look like huge hypocrites. Yes these are good kids. Yes we all made mistakes in school. Yes we probably got away with more than we should have, but the individuals referenced in these comments aren't completely innocent. Yeatman drove drunk and broke the law. Powers-Neal was legally intoxicated and broke the law. K-Mac broke the law. College is about growing up and making mistakes is part of that. I get it. But breaking the law (whether Fauria did that or not) and getting away with it is not what it's all about.

That said, I want the best players on the field too, but not at the expense of becoming the teams we love to complain about.

Love thee Notre Dame.
liamg19 | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 9:53 pm | #

Joe Magarac you strike me as a particularly pompous rapscallion. Unfortunately, I overlooked the portion of the Terms and Conditions that stated that I must use proper capitalization in the comment section. I was particularly horrified that you used a contraction (it's !???!- heaven help us all, what is America coming to). I am not one to brag but when my intelligence is called into question I must defend myself. For your information, I received a perfect score on the ACT and was admitted to Harvard, Yale, and Stanford. I dislike all of these schools because I believe there are many people like you there (nitpicking, overblown losers). Unlike you, I realize that there is a different decorum for comments on a blog website. The rules for grammar are not strict. In fact, they don't even matter. It's people like you that make ND look bad. It's people like you who make ND alumni look like pompous pricks (a theory further substantiated by the lack of participation by older fans). Enough for now, begone with you vile troll.

Now Kris, I had not thought of that. I don't really know anybody that has used that excuse. What I was trying to say was that ResLife is notorious for disregarding common sense when handing down sentences. And not every ResLife administrator is like Jessica Schuman. She is the only one I have experience with and it was a very bad one, needless to say. I do not believe she is fit to objectively evaluate a young adult's mistakes since she has a flawed view of the way things work. I am in no way saying underage drinking should be overlooked. As aforementioned, I knowingly and willingly broke the rules and accepted the consequence. I just didn't appreciate the way she handled it. That is her job but I repeatedly told her that I would not tell her and informed her I was uncomfortable with her line of questioning and she persisted. Methinks she and Joe Magarac are of the same mold of scum.
ndrules | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 10:25 pm | #

I didn't call those who disagreed with me asswipes. I was talking about how the Zahm bun run, in which hundreds of Zahm men run through LaFortune naked draws virtually no attention from the administration yet they turn around and screw Fauria. I am a strong proponent of athletes being treated the same as students. It is ironic that in this case the tables have been turned.
ndrules | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 10:27 pm | #

Oh and Joe, you pretentious baboon, a more appropriate final sentence would have been: Reading your posts makes me reevaluate my belief. Yeah that stuff's on the ACT nowadays. Suck it Joe, GO IRISH GO
ndrules | Email | Homepage | 06.29.09 - 10:32 pm | #

NDrules,

Thanks for the clarification. That's kinda what I was getting at. I know someone who got drunk in a hall when she was a frosh there and gave an officer an ID of her older sister. Technically, that can get you in a lot of trouble, especially since she is now preparing for the bar. As a crime of dishonesty in Indiana, that could have been a big issue, but since it happened on campus, she never had to worry about it going on her criminal record (though she still has to report the incident to the bar). Either way, I don't know how things work in ResLife particularly well.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 06.30.09 - 8:22 am | #

I've dealt with ResLife a few years back twice, and my dealings were pretty civil. The one thing that they can't stand is people who act indignant (sort of like nddrules). You are always there because you did something wrong (minor or not). You fall on your sword and you fall hard.

My roommate and i got ResLife for throwing a firecracker in stonehenge (over easter break no less) and I got off with nothing because i acted as if i committed an atrocious act, while my buddy got his ass nailed to the wall.

Also, sleeping a sister in a guys dorm??? And you didn't see anything wrong with this?
Ice to See You | Email | Homepage | 06.30.09 - 10:59 am | #

So what the fook is Reslife?

We had the Dean of Students to look after us. Father McCaragher (referred to as Black Mac) would roam into the wee night looking for business and other mischief. No girls aboard, I guess that made it a little simpler.

The biggest debacle was a Knights of Columbus 'picnic' out in the boonies and all was well until the softball team 'mooned' a passing South Shore. Some dork on the train got a photo.

A guy couple doors down from me in Sorin had his ass up third from the right.

Big, big sweat about whether the administration had the capability of associating asses with errant students. We didn't even laugh about this. It would be the death knell.

I pretty much followed the rules but I screwed up one time when I went to meet my father in Chicago on a pass who was attending a medical convention. There was a one hour difference, and I got back about 20 minutes after 'sign in'.

The dorm watchmen had to be over 70 and have suffered two heart attacks to get on the force. We were friendly with them.

I asked Frank, "What's chance of signing in at 11:00?" Frank groans to consciousness and says, "No way."

Yeah okay, old fart.

Notice received I'm campused indefinitely. Looks like I can't go home for Thanksgiving. Then it looks like I can't get home for Christmas. I was not only late, I tried to ‘bribe’ a guard.

My mother writes Father Hesburg and tells him that if her son isn't home for Christmas he will be withdrawn and he will go somewhere else!

I’m sure this was taken into the inner council and they concluded, “Holy shit, we better let this kid go home for Christmas. Another $860 semester fee, we got to get these fooking sidewalks shoveled."

Ah, life was so much simpler then.

Walk on the grass and you would be sent home for a couple weeks. So, we didn’t walk on the grass. I mean, they could see you doing it, so you didn’t do it.
Judge60 | Email | Homepage | 06.30.09 - 7:16 pm | #