Spring Break
Homeless student banned from campus
Taylor Bendig
Issue date: 3/4/08 Section: News
The Carillon (University of Regina)
REGINA (CUP) -- A temporarily homeless young man has been banned from the University of Regina. Now some students are asking where the line is drawn between preventing vagrants from living on campus and lending students a helping hand.
On Jan. 31, campus security served a man that students identified as Mike Wilkinson with a letter permanently banning him from the university's property, and escorted him off campus.
Wilkinson was not enrolled in classes at the time, but according to Wes McBride, a current student and friend of Wilkinson's, he had taken classes in the fall semester and chosen not to attend this semester due to housing problems that left him homeless between mid-January and early February.
During that period, Wilkinson apparently spent several nights sleeping on campus, which is forbidden by university policy except in emergency circumstances such as blizzards.
Barb Pollock, the University of Regina's vice-president of external affairs, said that Wilkinson's banishment was unrelated to his housing situation.
"[He displayed] behaviour that was not appropriate for campus, and we requested him to leave and stay away," said Pollock. "I'm not aware of him not having a home. The reason we required him to leave and stay away is his conduct."
She explained that Wilkinson had been the subject of numerous complaints of belligerent behaviour, intoxication and sleeping on campus after hours over the past year. He had been asked to leave the campus as a result of those behaviours several times in the past, she said.
Wilkinson's companions, however, defended his character and criticized the administration's handling of the situation.
"He was a good person. He never caused trouble among us," said McBride. "He wasn't causing any harm. He went to school here. He's a good person; he's not going to mug people."
Another student, who did not wish to be identified, said that Wilkinson was somewhat unusual in his behaviour, was noticeably older than most students and was typically ragged and unshaven.
REGINA (CUP) -- A temporarily homeless young man has been banned from the University of Regina. Now some students are asking where the line is drawn between preventing vagrants from living on campus and lending students a helping hand.
On Jan. 31, campus security served a man that students identified as Mike Wilkinson with a letter permanently banning him from the university's property, and escorted him off campus.
Wilkinson was not enrolled in classes at the time, but according to Wes McBride, a current student and friend of Wilkinson's, he had taken classes in the fall semester and chosen not to attend this semester due to housing problems that left him homeless between mid-January and early February.
During that period, Wilkinson apparently spent several nights sleeping on campus, which is forbidden by university policy except in emergency circumstances such as blizzards.
Barb Pollock, the University of Regina's vice-president of external affairs, said that Wilkinson's banishment was unrelated to his housing situation.
"[He displayed] behaviour that was not appropriate for campus, and we requested him to leave and stay away," said Pollock. "I'm not aware of him not having a home. The reason we required him to leave and stay away is his conduct."
She explained that Wilkinson had been the subject of numerous complaints of belligerent behaviour, intoxication and sleeping on campus after hours over the past year. He had been asked to leave the campus as a result of those behaviours several times in the past, she said.
Wilkinson's companions, however, defended his character and criticized the administration's handling of the situation.
"He was a good person. He never caused trouble among us," said McBride. "He wasn't causing any harm. He went to school here. He's a good person; he's not going to mug people."
Another student, who did not wish to be identified, said that Wilkinson was somewhat unusual in his behaviour, was noticeably older than most students and was typically ragged and unshaven.
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