Hearing panel to consider HillTV case for reinstatement

Hearing panel to consider HillTV case for reinstatementNovember 07, 2005Kevin Morrowkdmorrow@syr.edu

A panel of three tenured faculty members will weigh HillTV’s petition for reconsideration during a Nov. 11 hearing at which the Syracuse University administration and the HillTV leadership will offer testimony and evidence.

Chancellor Nancy Cantor revoked HillTV’s status as an official student organization and closed the student-run television station Oct. 20 to protect the interests of the University community, citing HillTV’s violation of SU’s Code of Student Conduct and non-discrimination policy and the station’s own content sensitivity policy related to the “Over the Hill” series.

Subsequently, Andrew Robinson, general manager of the Orange Television Network (OTN), has been managing the station’s studio facilities and working with students previously involved with HillTV to create and review programming for airing on OTN, available on Channel 2 on campus cable.

HillTV general manager Rich Levy on Oct. 25 filed a petition of reconsideration of the Chancellor’s decision with Dean of Students Anastasia L. Urtz, who scheduled the hearing. Associate Provost Sandra Hurd selected the three faculty members; none have been involved with the HillTV situation.

The hearing will be conducted in private. A member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet will present the complaint against HillTV and may be accompanied by a procedural advisor-an attorney from Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC, SU’s legal counsel. HillTV may be represented by two student members and a procedural advisor, who may be an attorney. The procedural advisor can offer counsel to the advisee but cannot make a presentation before the panel.

Upon conclusion of the proceedings, the panel will present its decision in writing. After the decision has been delivered to the involved parties, it will be made public.