Release Date: February 3, 2004 This content is archived.
Media reports describing the arrest of Gerald Goldhaber, associate professor of communication in the School of Informatics, and two communication students and their subsequent guilty pleas to drug-possession charges have raised many questions among UB students, faculty and staff, as well as alumni and friends of the University at Buffalo.
The university takes such charges very seriously and has policies and procedures in place that provide guidelines on how such matters are to be handled. These policies and procedures are being followed as the university responds to the situation, keeping the concerns of all in mind.
Consistent with campus responsibilities and policies, judgments will be made on the appropriateness of employee and/or student discipline, charges and processes after a review of the records and meetings with those involved.
SUNY and campus policies, applicable collective bargaining agreements, and state and federal law govern internal administrative procedures regarding personnel. Contractual and legal provisions limit the release of information on employee matters.
When university faculty members face allegations of misconduct, they are handled through internal administrative procedures. These procedures recognize that faculty members have rights that need to be respected and that the university has responsibilities it must uphold. They involve investigation of the allegations and, where warranted, disciplinary charges and a hearing process. These procedures are, up until final determination, confidential.
Campus discipline for students is limited to circumstances that "...occur on university premises or off-campus and which adversely affects the university community, including any of its members, and/or the pursuit of its objectives." Under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), student records of campus discipline are not subject to public release.
