Lennox, Gates butt heads
By Frank Wisswell News Editor
Isabella County prosecutors decided not to press charges in two related cases filed Oct. 16, involving a CMU student and a university administrator, said Steve Smith, director of media relations.
Topinabee junior Dennis Lennox II and Pam Gates, interim dean of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences, each filed incident reports and charges with CMU Police following the Oct. 15 incident.
CMU Police handed the reports to the prosecutor's office.
Even though the county isn't pressing charges, the university is going forward with an investigation of its own.
"I would just say that the university is disappointed in the events that occurred," Smith said.
During the incident, which took place between 3 and 4 p.m. in the reception area of Gates' office, Lennox said he attempted to serve the administrator with papers requesting access to e-mails under the Freedom of Information Act. Lennox said he asked Gates for every correspondence concerning Griffin Endowed Chair Gary Peters and himself.
Lennox, president of Students Against Gary Peters, said Gates initially denied his request but accepted it after talking to legal counsel.
"She grudgingly accepted (the papers)," he said.
However, Lennox said he was worried Gates would change her mind about accepting the papers and took out his camcorder to record her reaction.
Gates then swatted the camera and asked Lennox to leave her office.
The video of Gates swatting the camera showed up Oct. 15 on the popular Web site Youtube.com, as well as on Channel 5 WNEM News.
Gates did not talk to the media about the incident.
Smith said he has asked Barb Taylor, interim affirmative action officer, to lead the investigation.
Charges still could be filed through the Office of Student Life and Faculty Personnel Services, he said.
"(In any similar case) we would do some kind of internal investigation," he said.
Campus privacy issues
Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe gave Lennox a letter on Oct. 15, after the incident with Gates, asking him to stop videotaping students and professors on campus.
"Employers and students have a reasonable expectation of privacy, which includes the right to be free of recording," Roscoe wrote in the letter to Lennox.
Video and audio recording, Roscoe wrote, is not protected by the U.S. Constitution.
Roscoe said Oct. 16 the letter was drafted the week before, well before Lennox's incident with Gates. He said he attempted to give the letter to Lennox, but Lennox was in Canada.
Roscoe said the letter applies to publications and all students.
"This is not directed toward an individual," he said. "It would be appropriate to ask permission (before videotaping)."
Tim Boudreau, an assistant journalism professor who teaches media law, said office spaces are gray areas.
Disrupting classroom environments and hassling or badgering others could be violating others' rights, he said.
"If someone is in a public place, the journalist is free to record them," Boudreau said.
Smith said the case comes down to respect.
"(We expect) all employees and students to respect personal space," he said.
