I am not a member of The September 29th Movement. I’m just a student at Iowa State. But like every student at Iowa State, the administration and its policies have an immediate and important effect on my life.

Recently, members of The September 29th Movement have made serious allegations against the administration. They have raised serious questions about the administration’s honesty and its good will. The administration has said relatively little in response. So, as a student, I thought I would try to get some answers.

For me, one of the most pressing issues was whether the administration misled The Movement before the demonstration in Beardshear Hall. The administration met with members of The Movement the evening prior to the demonstration.

Members of The Movement said they were told by Dean MacKay that they would face only minor disciplinary consequences for holding the rally.

According to the Movement, they were told that conduct probation and suspension were usually reserved for criminal offenses, and that whatever actual charges were brought against them, they would almost certainly receive only disciplinary reprimands.

So what happened? First, I called Loras Jaeger, the director of DPS. He was present at the meeting on Nov. 4. However, Jaeger told me that he was only at the meeting to coordinate security with the Movement, and to make sure the demonstration would be conducted safely. At first I thought he meant he wasn’t there for the rest of the meeting, so I asked him if he heard the discussion between MacKay and members of The Movement. His reply was that he was present, but he would not care to comment on what he heard. Well, fair enough.

Next, I talked to Dean of Students Kathleen MacKay. MacKay readily admitted she had told the students that they would most likely receive disciplinary reprimands. She told them it was unlikely they would receive conduct probation or suspension.

Yet, Dean MacKay stressed the fact that she offered no guarantees. In fact, she could not, because the OJA proceedings that would inevitably result would be completely beyond her control. MacKay’s office was responsible only for bringing the complaints against the students.

Then it became an OJA matter. And so there was little MacKay could say about why the consequences were more severe than she anticipated. It wasn’t her decision.

So, I thought I would talk to Grace Weigel. It was her decision. She’s the Programs Coordinator for the OJA, and she presided over the trials. She’s the one who handed down the sentences of conduct probation. Weigel is a pretty important figure in recent events, so I thought that if anyone could provide some answers and make sense of this situation, she could.

But she isn’t talking to anyone. If you call her office, you’ll be told to talk to John Anderson, the interim director of university relations.

Anderson is essentially a public relations representative for the university. I asked him if Weigel had any response to accusations that she is running a star-chamber court.

The official university response is that everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, but the administration feels the trials were conducted fairly. I then asked him if Weigel was ordered not to discuss the trials with anyone, but he said she made that decision.

So that’s my report to the students. I have to praise the administration for being so accessible. Everyone I contacted returned my phone calls promptly, and they were all friendly and courteous. Dean MacKay asked me to mention that anyone who has questions about this situation is more than welcome to call her.

Furthermore, she encourages the students to appeal if they feel the decisions of the OJA were unfair. She will be the complainant in the AUJ proceedings as well, but she said it’s not a part of her job she enjoys.

It is unfortunate that Grace Weigel will not discuss this matter. I suppose she is protecting confidentiality.

I can understand that, but it doesn’t change the fact that many members of the Iowa State community are frustrated and angry, and rightly so. Weigel was solely responsible for the way the OJA trials were conducted. Will she ever have to answer for her decisions?

Will she ever respond to the accusations that have been brought against her and her court? There are many students who have completely lost their trust in the administration, and her decisions are the reason for that.

So, put the blame where it belongs. If she thought she was only doing her job she should have done it better. If she was put under pressure, she should say so. If she wasn’t, then she has some explaining to do.

I’m just grateful the appeals will be handled by the AUJ. The trials will be open. The answers to our questions will be open. It’s about time.

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Brian Johnson is a junior in English and philosophy from Amarillo, Texas.