I'm getting kicked off campus for having a letter opener.

Got to agree with Mr. Clark here. If I were in your shoes I'd feel hard done by too.
But consider this: even though you lucked out there is probably a record of the event in your university file. And you know, they will lose your financial paperwork, your credit forms, and any other paperwork without blinking an eye but they won't forget this one thing that can get you in trouble again. I'm not going to suggest that you should ditch the stuff, but you should take into consideration that the second time they "catch" you with it, it will most likely go down much worse for you.
 
First off congrats on the whole situation getting resolved without any seriouse consequences. As rediculous as the whole situation is the others are right and the uni does kinda have you if the handbook classifies letter openers as weapons then on their turf they're weapons especially if you signed an agreement to live by their rules. I can't blame you for not reading it in much deatail, I sure as heck didn't bother to do anything more than skim mine in my first year before signing the residence contract. Needless to say you should probably listen to your dad on this one especially since this RA is probably gonna have a hard on for getting you pinched now that you made them look bad. Besides, I imagine you're almost halfway through the year anyway. Anyway, congrats again and good luck to you on your studies.

-Lindey
 
Obviously if they returned it and voided the eviction, he did not break a rule.

I have trouble believing and normal person would anticipate that a wooden letter opener could be mis-perceived to be a "weapon."

The whole story sounds like someone was specifically trying to find something to use against this guy.
 
How much notice did they give of the "health and safety" inspection? Was this notice in line with your state and/or local landlord/tenant laws? (Check to see if state university dormitories are specifically excluded from landlord/tenant laws...)
 
I just can't get over the idea that this happened in Teddy Kennedy's backyard... Here's a guy who (based on the available evidence), in July of '69, driving through the Island of Chappaquiddick, while under the influence, takes actions that lead to the death of one Mary Jo Kopechne, and gets off 'scott free'. I'm left with the understanding that murder can earn you an elected office, in Mass. but having a wooden envelope open in your dorm room can get you homeless. Don't even get me started.
 
Freaking ridiculous how much has changed.

I went to college in MA, and I kept a CAT in my dorm room for two years. In addition to the various and sundry tools, knives (including autos), bokken, etc. Sad world we live in these days.

Oh, and what did I do for health and safety inspections? She hid in a drawer whenever a stranger came in the room.
 
This seems outrageous. The only way it makes sense is if you have a history of past trouble at this school, and even if that's the case, it seems that they're going after you in a way that is arbitrary capricious, and unfair. (BTW, I am a professor at a large state university). FWIW, faculty often like administrators even less than students do, and you may be able to get one of your profs to go to bat for you.
 
Better yet, join the military and see the world for awhile before continuing your book education, you'll have more worldly experience and mental ammo later to debate the liberal candy-ass professors into a corner when they try to brainwash you with their ideological BS they learned from their mentors that have helped to load our world with ridiculous laws and rules in the 1st place.
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Um, Runinmike, his problem was not with his professors. P'raps you might read what a post actually says before responding, eh?
 
Just to keep some ideas on this issue going, I will note that when I went to Georgia Tech in the late 80's--early 90's, people routinely kept a wide variety of potentially dangerous objects in their dorms. I understand the point about rules and all and we all sign these documents when we are 18 or so that we may not really read. When you consider, however, how many people are killed or injured by drunk drivers or simply reckless drivers, you could make a much better case for keeping cars off campus than knives! Noone would propose keeping cars off campus because they are 'useful' and not weapons. Well, not too many years ago, it was a given that just about any person carried a knife of some kind. These days, the tide has turned politically. It is too bad, imho. I would like my son and daughter to be able to carry a pocket knife for when the need arises.
 
What a shame shuch a stupid thing happened to you. But, you are probably at the mercy of the school.

You might win if you can afford expensive legal fees.

Too bad you're not an illegal alien. You would have been alright then.
 
This is very strange to me because at Nothern Michigan I am allowed to keep a sword hanging on my wall. In fact I looked at my handbook and I can bring a rifle to school during hunting season, provided I leave it with campus security and can check it out whenever I want. Amazing how much these rules can differ regionally.
 
Rivit said:
This is very strange to me because at Nothern Michigan I am allowed to keep a sword hanging on my wall. In fact I looked at my handbook and I can bring a rifle to school during hunting season, provided I leave it with campus security and can check it out whenever I want. Amazing how much these rules can differ regionally.
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Yeah, I go to SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry and every guy here carries a knife, and at our other campus it's required that you have an axe and knife, and guns may be kept in your dorm as long as they're not loaded. My school shares a campus and dorms with syracuse university, so at our main campus, technically i'm not allowed to have a knife, but I dont think they'd ever enforce that rule with us. It would be ridiculous to tell a forestry major that they cant have a knife.
 
DGG said:
I would write letters to the local newspapers. I would write letters to the big contributors in the school's alumni paper (the ones giving the big bucks).
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LOL I think that this is a good idea
 
So, I am no lawyer. I did do some time with the campus peer review committe/tribunal thingy when in University. We had an attorney present during all litigation to ensure the Universities laws/rules did not violate "real" rules/laws/civil rights. There is a certain principal in law that was brought up regularly to toss out University "rules". The principal was something about consistent application of the rules. i.e. they can write in their little handbook that a letter opener is a weapon, but that is completely negated if they do not consistently and vigorously treat it as a weapon.

In your case, there are at least two very important facts:

1. I doubt very strongly they are searching everyone's dorm room and prosecuting everyone with a letter opener &
2. after all was said and done, they didn't treat your letter opener as a weapon. Hence, they are not being true and consistent as to how they apply this rule.

This inconsistency makes for a good civil rights case...no matter what you signed you are entitled to equal and fair treatment if not at least consistent treatment.

3. Oh, and so I guess all the staff throughout the University can have lethal weapons in their desk...i.e. letter openers?

Contracts and agreements are rarely black and white. People often mistakenly believe they have signed their rights away and given someone permission to poke them in the booty. The truth is all agreements are generally two sided. The university in your case has to show good faith in its interpretation and application of the rules you have both agreed to. Do not presume you have no rights because you signed some pull out sheet in a handbook.
 
I am at school in SIU in Carbondale Illinois. A buddy of mine got stopped for having a leatherman in a belt holster. Unfortunately thats the way the school is run. Students had butcher knives and some other cooking knives which was fine but a leathernman was a dangerous weapon. I was told that my CRKT was considered a weapon and I had to dispose of it.

Unfortunately the dorm inspections are done that way. Whether one of the residents is there or not was not of any concern for the RAs (Resident Advisors). All the school requires is that two RAs are present or the RA and another student to witness the inspection. I felt reall uncomfortable with the idea of people I dont know (or have little knowledge of in some cases) searching my private possessions.

A lot of students complained of damage to the room such as posters being ripped down, beer boxes taped to the wall being pulled down, and DVD/CDs being rifled through. I made a very bid deal about it and rose enough hell that I got them to inspect while I was there.

Good job to the original poster for winning. In my university the dorms are not subject to tenant laws. It may differ from state to state and university to university. Now that I am off campus I feel a lot better and more secure in knowing who is in my house.
 
For some reason, I feel that perhaps the whole story may not have been disclosed here?

If, however, you were entirely "in the right", and this search was unexpected and unwarranted, I'd urge you to look in that Student Handbook again to review the policy regarding dormroom searches. Most campuses will NOT permit a search without the student actually being physically present at the time -- furthermore, many campuses actually are required to give ADVANCE NOTICE (often more than 24 hours) before conducting a search -- unless, maybe, a "clear and present danger to residents or staff" was known to exist. It seems highly irregular that a Resident Advisor (another student?) would be permitted to enter a student's locked private room to rummage through his personal effects without oversight of any kind. Was said search conducted solely at the unsupervised RA's discretion? Without any witnesses present? And items were then removed from the room by this sneaky degenerate? Then -- based solely on said RA's unsworn testimony, with no evidence -- or even a Polaroid of said evidence -- being in the possession of Administrators, eviction proceedings are finalized and an armed raid at 2300 hrs is conducted to escort the student from the premises in the middle of a rainstorm with no criminal charges being pressed and no means of alternate housing made available? I dunno, but my BS detector's going off . . . even though I'm familiar with administrative incompetance, this seems a bit TOO unbelievable.

Unless there's certain other issues that have not been brought up, I would definitely pursue a Civil lawsuit versus both the University and the RA personally. If your story is accurate, that RA is quite possibly guilty of "malice", "filing a false report", "intentional infliction of mental pain and suffering", and just abusing his position of authority in general. At the VERY LEAST, he should be removed from his position of authority, and the campus should immediately institute a policy where such random searches -- if permitted -- must be conducted under the supervision of a staff member who actually seems to have a brain.

Talk to a sue-happy lawyer who knows his stuff. Write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. Talk to the editorial staff of the campus newspaper. I have trouble believing that such a thing actually happened -- a decorative wood letter opener is NOT a knife, and sending the police to throw you out in the street in the middle of the night seems a bit extreme, even for having a samurai sword hanging on your wall! This doesn't make sense. . .
 
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