U. will not release assault verdict

The University's Office of Student Conduct has completed some of its investigations into the five Penn students accused of assaulting a Princeton debater last November, according to OSC Director Michele Goldfarb. However, the OSC cannot release information regarding any sanctions taken against the students. The OSC investigations stem from an incident that allegedly occurred in the Quadrangle in November when five Penn students -- College freshmen David Hochfelder and Philip Balderston, College sophomore Thomas Bispham Jr., Wharton sophomore Tavraj Banga and College senior Steven Stolk -- allegedly assaulted Princeton student and debate team member John Brantl by pouring motor oil on him and threatening to light him on fire. Goldfarb would not comment on which of the investigations have been completed and what sanctions have been decided at this point, but said that it is unlikely that all five students will receive the same punishment. "We do our very best to have the consequences, sanctions, etc., reflect the... degrees of responsibility," Goldfarb said. "If our investigation revealed that there were differences in terms of the seriousness or participation or culpability in any case, then our resolutions would reflect those differences." While declining to comment on which cases remain open, Goldfarb did say that the status of the cases in no way reflects the severity of the sanctions. The status merely reflects the clarity of the evidence that was obtained. The OSC hopes to have all of the cases closed in a "reasonable time frame," but would not define what that is. In addition to the charges the students may be facing from the University, they are also scheduled to appear in municipal court this Friday at a preliminary hearing. The students may face charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment of another person's life, terroristic threats and conspiracy to commit a crime. Each has retained an individual lawyer to represent him in the pending criminal investigation. According to the OSC charter, every student that retains a lawyer to assist with external charges is permitted to have that attorney advise them during the OSC investigation, but the degree to which they participate depends on the wishes of the student. "Attorneys in general are not a part of our disciplinary system," Goldfarb said. "However, when students have pending criminal matters, they are permitted to have outside attorneys participate in their disciplinary cases." These attorneys act as disciplinary advisors to the student, but since the process is outside of the legal realm, they cannot act in a typical legal role. Allowing the lawyers to be present "seems like the fairest way to handle it," Goldfarb said. If the students are indeed found guilty of violating the Code of Student Conduct, they have two options for resolution. The first option, which most students choose, is to mutually agree to sanctions with the OSC, sign an agreement and abide by the terms. "Even with very serious sanctions," Goldfarb said, "students often appreciate that there's been a thorough investigation, and the sanctions are fair." However, if the student disagrees with the findings or cannot come to terms with the sanctions requested by the OSC, the second option is to request a disciplinary hearing in front of students and faculty, where the student and the OSC present their cases and the panel decides culpability and punishment. If the student disagrees with the findings of the panel, he or she may then appeal to the Disciplinary Appellate Officer, one tenured faculty member appointed for a set amount of time, who reviews the case and offers a final decision. According to Goldfarb, at this point, it is too early to know whether any of the OSC findings will be used in the criminal proceedings, and as a matter of policy the office will not release any files unless subpoenaed by the court. In Goldfarb's tenure as director, she has never received a subpoena or released any documents, she said.