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Finlandia University investigating ‘hostile climate’

HANCOCK – Finlandia University is continuing to investigate what a campus email called a “quickly escalating hostile climate” that led to the university dismissing five student athletes on Tuesday.

Recent incidents included a fight at an off-campus party Friday between a football player and a baseball player. After the Friday incident, Houghton police arrested one Finlandia football player, Tajuante Anderson of Milwaukee.

Fredi deYampert, vice president of academic affairs for Finlandia, declined to comment on the students involved, specific acts tied to the climate on campus, or how long that climate had been in effect. However, she said the university’a goal is a “a learning community dedicated to academic excellence, as well as spiritual growth and service.”

“We want a climate that fosters learning, and that includes academic learning, that includes learning of the social skills, the soft skills, by dealing with people, learning how to enter a workforce,” she said. “…There is more investigation ongoing as to what’s going on. We haven’t made any direct decisions at this point in time. But the climate shifting is important to us, because we’re dedicated to a strong, positive learning environment. If we’ve deviated from that, we need to deviate back.”

The campus email referred to “student-to-student threats, intimidation, and retaliation.”

According to university bylaws, the university will launch a full investigation of a complaint with “evidence of a pattern of misconduct or a perceived threat of further harm to the community.”

The bylaws also state the university can provide interim suspensions before the completion of an investigation to address “the short or long-term effects of harassment, discrimination and/or retaliation,( i.e. No-Contact Order, interim suspension, etc.), to redress harm to the alleged victim and the community and to prevent further harassment or violations.”

One of the students removed from campus, Brandon Landin, said he had been given a two-year suspension. He said he had been given 45 minutes Tuesday to remove his belongings and leave campus. Finlandia bylaws allow for suspensions of up to two years.

deYampert would not comment on the disciplinary measures for the students, but said “Whenever we have multiple parties involved, we look for consistency and we shoot for consistency.”

Landin said Wednesday he planned to appeal the ruling. According to university bylawys, appeals must be filed within three days of written notification of the decision. They’re judged by a panel made of three people who were not involved in the original decision.

“That’s also something we pride ourselves on, is the ability of the students, to come back and say, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t get it,’ or ‘I differ,'” deYampert said. “In most of the situations, appeals are based on, ‘Was process followed?’ ‘Was there evidence that was never presented that needs to be presented?’ or ‘Did it deviate (from university policy) or was it harsher?’ Students have the right to do that.”

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