U. admins still tight-lipped about Gajare

Following the fire in Rodin College House on April 22, many University administrators remain unsure regarding a number of details about Neil Gajare, the Penn student who is suspected of starting the fire.

Gajare's arraignment, originally scheduled for April 29, was postponed until May 20. The 22-year-old College student is being charged with arson and four related offenses in connection with the fire.

University spokeswoman Lori Doyle said Gajare will remain a Penn student, pending the outcome of his disciplinary process. As of a little over a week ago, he had restricted access at Penn and was not allowed to be on campus without prior approval.

More information about his status as a student and whether he will be allowed to take his finals should be available later this week, Doyle said.

Gajare previously attended Northwestern University from fall 2005 to winter 2006. The school's Office of the Registrar could not specify the circumstances under which he left.

According to The Daily Northwestern, the school's student newspaper, Gajare faced charges related to anti-Semitic graffiti in a Northwestern dormitory in January 2006.

However, Cook County State's Attorney's office spokesman Andy Conklin said he could not find any record of charges filed against Gajare.

Doyle also said she did not know whether Gajare applied to Penn as a first-year or transfer student, and therefore was unsure whether he was a junior or a senior.

Dean of Admissions Eric Furda declined to say whether the University knew of the incident at Northwestern when Gajare applied, but he wrote in an e-mail that transfer applicants have been asked to disclose past felonies on applications "for a long time."