BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
OXFORD -- The great diploma debate will likely be brewing for a while at Miami University.
"We're a long way away from deciding what will happen with any individual case," Miami spokesman Richard Little said Tuesday, four days after off-campus partying escalated to vandalism in Oxford.
One thing, however, is certain, Mr. Little said: Diplomas of 12 graduating seniors are "on hold" until campus disciplinary proceedings are finished.
Mr. Little said he didn't know whether the university could or would withhold diplomas indefinitely, as part of the students' punishment.
Among those who appear poised to put up a fight is Benjamin Winfree -- whom Miami lists as a cum laude graduate with a bachelor's of science in business. He was cited for failure to obey a lawful order.
"I don't believe I was fairly treated, and my attorney and I will be taking appropriate action," Mr. Winfree said in a telephone interview from his Columbus home. He declined further comment. Another arrested senior, Brian Koehl, 22, of Eaton, worried about his chances of getting into law school with two misdemeanor criminal convictions on his record -- convictions he doesn't feel he deserves deserve.
"I was on the curb. I took one step into the street and a policeman arrested me. . . . When I asked why, they said it was because they issued a warning. But I didn't hear anything," he said.
Nevertheless, Mr. Koehl said, he felt compelled to plead no contest to charges of disorderly conduct and failure to disperse, both fourth-degree misdemeanors, to avoid interfering with his plans to move out of state.
Lt. Daniel Umbstead, Oxford police acting chief, said he ordered his officers to use their cruisers' loudspeakers at least twice to announce the order to disperse early Friday.
Meanwhile, Mr. Koehl said Tuesday he had little idea of what discipline he could expect from the university, saying he must participate in a telephone interview with school disciplinary officials early next week.
The university also must decide how to handle cases of at least 33 other students among those arrested in back-to-back disturbances early Friday and Saturday.
Most arrested students were charged with misdemeanors. But Mr. Little pointed out that under the university conduct code, the offenses "can be considered Code One offenses," the most serious infractions a student can commit.
Mark Skertic contributed.
