Point and Counter-Point: A Response from Mark Johnson, Interim Dean of Student Affairs

by: Sara Gregory

As stated in the very first college catalog: “New College was named for a purpose. It is not, and never will be another college. It is, and will always remain, the new college, seeking new solutions to educational needs, accepting no dogma without test, striving to eliminate all barriers that inhibit the growth of ideas.”

I emailed Interim Dean of Students Affairs Mark Johnson fairly convinced nothing would come of it. After having unsuccessfully reached out to President Don O’Shea multiple times for an interview or formal response concerning the Alumni Letter, I was impressed and excited when, within hours, Dean Johnson responded, inviting me to his office the following day. I arrived at Dean Johnson’s office on February 4th, slightly nervous to broach the sensitive topics concerning New College’s campus climate. I hoped our conversation would be the perfect counterpoint to my interview with Rick Doblin, the impassioned alum and founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. In Doblin’s opinion, the direction President O’Shea and the administration are taking New College is away from its founding ideals and spirit: challenging normative beliefs, questioning dogma and exploring intellectual thought and opportunity.

As with Doblin, my conversation with Johnson was grounded in recent events and controversies: the arrests of four students in a single semester, the presence of Carlos Ramirez, the sudden departure of former Dean Tracy Murry, the proposed Student Code of Conduct policy changes (which by the way will essentially turn New into a dry campus and challenge student’s Miranda rights to deny answering “reasonable” police questions), and the Open Letter Regarding New College Drug and Alcohol Policy sent out by Carl Romer, an active member of our community arrested in November.

For my part, I found Dean Johnson a genuine and engaging person. He seemed to really care about New College and expressed his desire to see more open and productive dialogue between students and the administration. He, too, released an open letter to students, faculty, and staff outlining his core values for an ideal community: educationally purposeful, open, just, disciplined, caring, celebratory. I especially savor the sentiment of “holding all members [of the community] accountable for their actions”, when throughout our meeting, and in New College in general, there is a notable lack of accountability and transparency for the actions of the New College Police Department (NCPD) and the administration.

Dean Johnson first came to New College in 1985 working as a part of the Student Life team, eventually serving at the Director of Student Affairs during his 13 year tenure before leaving in 1998 to work at Ringling College. Johnson was surprised when offered the role of interim Dean after Tracy Murry’s sudden resignation, but said, “it’s a unique opportunity. So far it’s been engaging. I’ve had fun reconnecting, I’ve maintained a lot of good relations with faculty and staff and I know a lot of alumns and have maintained contact with a lot of alums over the years”.

Johnson’s love for New College and its students was apparent throughout our conversation, but he impressed upon me that the opinions he presented were his own and not representative of the administration as a whole. Though I agree with his sentiment and found him the most well-intentioned and responsive administrator I’ve spoken with, Dean Johnson represented in many ways the attitude the administration takes in regards to student life and the New College community. I will give my personal reactions at the end of the interview so as to not shade the tone of this article in too biased a manner.

From his many opinions expressed during our conversation I came away with six major points of Dean Johnson’s views:

1.The arrests of four students in a single semester has been dismissed as isolated incidents.

2. The NCPD regards sexual threats to our community as much less important than non-violent drug-related offenses.

3. The problematic actions of the NCPD and their decisions regarding potential sexual threats versus non violent students has been defended with the “well they really care about you kids” cliche.

4. There could have been intermediary action taken on behalf of the school before Romer was arrested.

5. A “why can’t we focus on the good things at New College” mentality was pervasive.

6. Johnson was unable to talk about any specific actions the administration is taking to prevent other student arrests or establish internal mechanism to deal with drug violations/allegations of violations without involving the NCPD.

Can you tell me about your intentions behind the “In Search of Community” Open letter? How does justness, openness, and the pursuit of diversity translate into action?

“When I first read [Ernest Boyer’s book Campus Life] as a young student affair specialist…it spoke to me. I kind of used it as my guiding post. When you’re in student affairs it’s not that much different from the faculty’s: academics drive students to go to college. The principles sounded to me like the kind of community I would love to be a part of and why couldn’t that [community] be New College?

One of the credos I remember was ‘challenge authority’ that often resulted in difficult relationships. Discipline was never a major part of what the student life staff needed to be involved in and I appreciated that.

Discipline wasn’t the reason I wanted to work in student life and at New College it was a relatively small part. I seldom remember students being suspended, but it’s not that it never happened. Even today I don’t think it happens regularly though I know of a few cases one this fall early in the school year that resulted in a student being suspended. But those are isolated. They’re not something that I think are a regular part of the culture here at New College. So it’s difficult when I see an incident highlighted and focused on when there are a lot of good things going on here.”

How would you view the campus climate right now. I’m hearing a lot of “us vs them mentality”. Do you feel like we’re meeting your ideals as a community right now?

“My ideals are worthy for the whole community to consider, Would anyone argue to goal to support others? Those things that Bouyer talked about should be strived for, they have a good feel to them. The discipline part is one that can be interpreted in many ways. I think we’re struggling right now trying to revise alcohol and drug policies and procedures and the Student Code of Conduct. It’s probably time.”

I wanted to ask about the Alumni Letter, you were there when it was presented. Could you talk about your opinions on the letter? How did you think it was received by the administration?

“I think when we talk about tolerance and drugs and alcohol in particular, my own opinion here is that drugs and alcohol are a part of the big picture. I don’t know of any college campus where there aren’t some issues around drug and alcohol use and abuse. I’ve probably become a little more concerned as I’ve become older because I’ve seen individuals hurt by the use of drugs and alcohol.

New College students are bright and inquisitive, and I think risk-takers by nature. One of the points in Carl’s letter states that students will always partake in drug and alcohol use regardless of the legality and I don’t necessarily agree and think every student would embrace that. I think [Carl’s Open Letter] suggests that every New College student embraces or feels strongly that they should have the right to act even if it’s outside the parameters of the law”

The Open Letter Regarding New College Drug and Alcohol Policy sent out by Carl recommended student access to “accurate and scientific information” regarding substance interaction and lethal dosages, recognition and action in response to overdose, and alcohol poisoning during Orientation week. Do you think this is something New College would incorporate into Orientation?

“I think the administration feels strongly about the Open Letter. My opinion is that these students are bright — they wouldn’t go to New College if they didn’t do the work [to look into substance interactions and effects]. You’ve heard over the years there have been plenty of opportunities to explore, you’ve heard from your families and health classes. There is a world of information out there if students are interested. And if they’re gonna be smart, they need to be aware. What I have always preached was discretion.

I think that it’s legitimate that orientation includes some good informational sessions.”

***The Open Letter Regarding New College Drug and Alcohol Policy specifically suggests New College alumni Fire and Earth Erowid, founder of the non-profit educational organization Erowid Center, provide an information session about psychoactive plants and chemicals. The couple also contributed to the Alumni Letter, strongly advocating for the adoption of harm reduction policies at New College.

One of the suggestions in Carl’s Open Letter was to have a healthcare worker on call to administer naloxone to students in the event of an overdose. Students would then feel safe calling for help without involving campus police.

Only police have access and the training to administer naloxone. Many students feel unsafe interacting with the police and there is a deep sense of distrust. It seems like that distrust would deter students to reaching out to police to administer the drug for fear of repercussions. How would you respond to those concerns?

“I think communicating clearly as i understand it there are opportunities to allow students in certain circumstances to reach out and act. It needs to be clearly communicated to students that they will be able to [do that] without ramifications and without putting themselves at risk for arrest. We’re updating our policies to allow amnesty to be a part of this. I’m supportive of that, the administration and I think Don O’Shea is supportive of that. I’ve heard him say clearly in early January when we met as a group that his hope is that student health is first and foremost, that we build stronger relationships and trust better. Since I’ve been back since December I have no reason to think that anyone would intend for students to be locked up as a first line of defense. We’re an educational institution and discipline should be administered through the educational institution and I think it generally has been. Discipline needed be unnecessarily punitive. I think we want students to graduate when they come here. There shouldn’t be administrative problems with the good samaritan and medical amnesty policies”

How do you reconcile the desire to protect students and rely on criminal disciplinary action as the absolute last resort with the two incidents of arrest we’ve seen last semester alone?

“Other than reading the police report I chose not to dive into that because it happened before I came and I wasn’t gonna change anything. I would prefer to move forward and look at what I can accomplish here and not question what happened before me.

My own decision was to not take sides. I don’t know enough about that situation to speak on it. I’ve heard enough that there were reasons to suspect that there were illegal activities occurring, that [the police] could not ignore. If that was in fact the case I have a hard time understanding how students couldn’t accept the fact that the police were responding to an issue that they could not ignore. They’re required as law enforcement officers to respond to certain levels of activity. I don’t have a hard time reconciling it, I haven’t spent a whole lot of time thinking about that particular case. I’ve heard that there were student complaints to students that were ignored. I don’t know if that’s true. But if there were students that felt they were in a situation they didn’t want to be in I think it’s very unfortunate that there was a lack of respect between roommates. I’d prefer for students to deal with personal problems directly, but when they come to student life with their problems and when student life intervenes things are definitely gonna go up a level and the response [of the administration and NCPD] occasionally may be questioned”

I think students acknowledge the validity of the administration taking action if they have knowledge about illegal activities happening in a room. The law is the law. But the high intensity of response was shocking to many students. I think there was space for reaching out to C, AS, and M. Suspension, or if the allegations were found to be true perhaps an investigation.

It wasn’t the fact that the laws were being upheld on behalf of the administration, it was the fact that, especially in such a small campus and community, there should have been a space for intermediary or internal measures before such drastic action was taken, such as the arrests of non-violent students.

“I don’t fully understand how it evolved to that level. I question how it got there without some intermediate steps. But I don’t know enough about it to really offer a strong opinion. My preference would always be, should there be a similar situation, my response is that I would want to confront an individual student directly. And if a student doesn’t respond it may require an additional step up the hierarchy”

Do you think during your time here you’ll try and create that space for intermediary action and response?

“I’m hoping that enhancing communication and opening up lines to let students know about our purpose here, to be a student advocate. I can’t be an advocate for things outside the legal system and I won’t be. I want students to be able to come talk to me, to come kick around ideas. If there’s issues that students aren’t comfortable with, I hope I am perceived as a person that will intervene and a person to create space to talk about things and find solutions for everyone. It doesn’t need to be that difficult to enhance the community positively. I’m optimistic that there’s potential and some students are taking advantage of the opportunities here and are reaching for their true potential.

I think the faculty here and most of my colleges and the administration are here to create that space. The vast number are here for the right reasons. I would love for students to take responsibility for their own educations and I hope students are disciplined enough to realize we are working within parameters. If you wanna challenge them, challenge them. Push. But realize how that will affect you and other if you push too far. We value independence here but should value community and recognize the whole and that everyone contributes to what this community is.”

Getting back to recent events on campus events, the arrests of four New College students. A lot of distrust I’ve seen between students and the admin/NCPD was fueled by the presence of Carlos Ramirez on campus.

***Ramirez was a guest of a first year student. Without that student’s knowledge, Ramirez sent out emails and defamed the sexual consent posters around New College campus with phrases like “I’m out tonight, I hope you’ve got some fast legs,”, “Go ahead and rape someone…”, and “Be warned, your safe spaces are mine”.

Yet Ramirez was not arrested nor charged with any wrong-doing. He was given a no trespass order.

The Inhibitor interviewed Ramirez and he said he was driven to Coffee Loft, a local coffee and sandwich shop, by the NCPD. He claims the police were pretty lackadaisical towards him, friendly even.

So just thinking about how Ramirez was dealt with and the real sense of fear, threat, and lack of safety he created on campus, then comparing their treatment towards non-violent students makes me wonder about the role of the NCPD on campus right now. What are your thoughts on this?

“Well I know there was a petition about a month or so ago to lift the no trespass order on [Ramirez] and I realized I think that would have been the wrong thing to do. He is still not a welcome member on this campus. If in fact it’s true that the NCPD escorted him off campus, I have no idea why they might have taken him to an off campus location to talk to him or treat him to a cup of coffee if that’s the implication being suggested. That wouldn’t make sense to me.

It’s a different situation, it’s tough to compare. The detrimental effects, the threatening behavior that students might have felt seeing those posters or reading an email…that hits a person right here [motions at heart]. I think there needs to be a clear response and I thought there had been in terms of restricting him. I can’t respond to or even relate to the fact that he was treated, I mean he wasn’t arrested. I think he probably could have been charged with some sort of misdemeanor by sending some of that stuff out. I’m not sure that I can say a lot more about it”

If this were to happen again in the future or something similar, it’s the responsibility of the NCPD to respond appropriately to threats to students. This leads me to think that Ramirez should have been charged or faced greater repercussions for his actions, do you think he should have been charged, given that he was only escorted off campus and given a no trespass order?

“I think the police need a certain amount of discretion. I’m comfortable that they’re gonna need to make some decisions. I wasn’t there when they had their conversation with Ramirez. By restricting him from a community his significant other is a part of is a pretty significant sanction. But I don’t know if I would have done it differently, I think it’s important to recognize how actions are perceived or how lack of action is perceived. But I don’t wanna second guess the police here. I think they’re in a tough situation and I think generally they are a good group of people and they care about students.”

Are there any specific actions being taken on behalf of the administration that would prevent student arrests, or prevent overdose or drug related deaths that you want to talk about so that students are aware of these initiatives?

“That’s a good questions. There are a number of initiatives that will move forward this semester. One is reworking the policies and procedures and the Student Code of Conduct. There’s some frustration with the fact that there’s a push to move forward and some students have suggested we need to slow down and give it more consideration. I think President O’Shea has made it very clear these policies need to be living documents that can be amended.”

• **All italicized quotes from Mark Johnson are added emphasis on behalf of the author.

Retraction: a former version of this piece included a statement saying that Carlos Ramirez is a sexual predator, which is untrue. We apologize for any confusion caused.