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Prior days' news: By date | Search This week's print issue Back issues: By date | Search May 4, 2008Ohio State U. Housing Administrator Is Suspended After Arrest on Drug ChargesOhio State University has suspended an assistant vice president for student housing who was arrested on Friday on charges of drug possession, The Columbus Dispatch reported. According to the newspaper, the administrator, Ronald T. Kochendoerfer, was arrested by Franklin County deputies who found less than one ounce of methamphetamine in a search of his home. The search was related to an investigation of drug smuggling at the county jail. Mr. Kochendoerfer has not been charged in connection with the smuggling. The university suspended Mr. Kochendoerfer with pay pending an investigation, a spokeswoman told the Columbus newspaper. —Andrea L. Foster Posted on Sunday May 4, 2008 | Permalink |Comments
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Wow, this level of corruption and dysfunction and this guy STILL gets paid? Do we really need to wonder why the academy is becoming a bigger target of criticism by those have to really work for a living? Like grandpa used to say…“if you give me a barn to shoot at, don’t expect me to miss it”. OSU is definitely better than this. News at 11.
— Javier May 4, 07:50 PM #
Javier – You’ve judged and sentenced this person when he’s only been charged. I’m not sure what country you and your grandpa are from, but at least in these here parts we’re innocent until proven guilty. A person cannot necessarily get in trouble for being arrested, especially at a public school. What if he was fired, but later found not guilty of any wrong doing? Now, once he’s actually convicted, even before sentencing, then you can fire him and then start shooting at barns and what not. Let’s get more of the story before locking up this guy and tossing out the key.
— Tommy May 5, 07:54 AM #
Hey Javier, in the United States people are innocent until proven guilty. Sounds like there are more details to come so let’s allow the facts to determine the man’s fate.
— Kenner May 5, 09:15 AM #
“Innocent until proven guilty” applies only in a court of law, i.e., one cannot be imprisoned or fined or otherwise legally sanctioned until a judge or jury have weighed in. public opinion is another story. people don’t have to wait that long to have opinions. based on the arrest-to-conviction ratio in franklin county drug cases, you could probably get better than even odds on kochendoerfer’s guilt in vegas.
— O.J. May 5, 09:44 AM #
Drug possession is at present, illegal. Sorry, no pay until he can prove to the court that he was just holding it for a friend. That “innocent until proven guilty thing” is only for lost bloody gloves that may or may not fit.
— Jus Kidden May 5, 09:53 AM #
Jus Kidden (I’m Not) …move past that ole southern texas justice and hold on for dear life to the protections afforded by the “Bill of Rights”
— Joe May 5, 10:07 AM #
Kenner and Tommy,
Can we please stop with the not so subtle racist comments about Javier. The whole, “In the US” and “I am not sure what country you and your grandpa are from” are pretty low and show that you both also jump the gun!
— No Hate Please May 5, 10:07 AM #
Why would an assistant vice president for student housing at a university find himself in a situation where he has to be charged with drug possession in the first place? We know all about being innocent until proven guilty. As a public servant, it baffles me why people like this get involved in such social vices. Is it about money, personal habit, or American culture? Some one please enlighten me. Such a position of responsibility, it goes without saying, should be held with dignity, respect, and integrity. Getting involved in drugs, whether guilty or not, negates all these essential values for public office.
— Tamba M'bayo May 5, 10:17 AM #
Dear No Hate Please – I apologize if my comment appeared to be racist to you. That was certainly not my intent. Instead, I was attempting to be sarcastic, and was poking fun at Javier’s comment about a barn. Obviously I failed miserably.
— Tommy May 5, 10:20 AM #
I don’t understand why Javier and his grandfather have been implicated in this investigation. Kenner…didn’t you invent that Lite Brite toy from the 1970’s—jeez man, that was a fun toy. Why don’t you make that any more? Remember the Six Million Dollar Man? “Steve Austin…Astronaut…A man barely alive…we can rebuild him”. I liked that show and the lite brite. Thanks, and good luck in court Javier!
— Rolph May 5, 10:28 AM #
For my enlightened American colleagues…my background is French/Spanish Basque from Cajun country in Louisiana. Sorry to let my “tolerant” and ever-so-informed colleagues down with my total lack of brownness or blackness. Your response to my name with your not-so-cryptic jingoistic slurs are nothing new to me. Nothing like tired old American stereo-types to screw-up an otherwise spirited conversation. But don’t feel bad, when I first met my wife’s family they couldn’t get over how “White” I looked and that I spoke such good English (my only language) and they promised her not to report me to immigration service for good measure. Don’t you just love American provincialism. Having lived abroad in Europe, the Caribbean and in South America, it was such a pleasure to be amidst people whose view of others doesn’t come from old Chico and the Man re-runs or from a ChiChi’s menu. P.S. My dad’s name is Javier also and he is PINK white with red hair and living in New Iberia, LA. Wait til I tell him this one. No, I didn’t name my own son the name of Javier, because I couldn’t do that to him, in a culture that increasing resents ANYTHING and ANYONE with a Spanish name or connection. I was recently on a search committe on my campus and a fellow with a Spanish name interviewed and the tacky conversations about his candidacy of course included comments like…“he’s so White”, “he’s really learned to speak English good” and of course, “but, we shouldn’t offer him the job, because apparently he is such a sell-out”. At that point, not being one to let this level of stupidity pass by, I explained that I had learned that he was born in Puerto Rico of Spanish and Corsican parents, so of course he was White. You should have seen the vacant expressions on these peoples’ faces as the flies flew in and out of their gaping mouths, ‘cause once again, having a Spanish name automatically makes one brown and illegal. Wow, I need to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming this nonsense, in the academy of all places. Thanks guys for the laugh. Oh, and regarding the OSU guy with the drugs, really now, do we need to look much further. Of course we do, but let’s be honest, how many of us keep illegal drugs in our homes? Good try though to defend the obviously indefensible. I have to run, my Andean poncho and tailfeathers are ready at the drycleaners and my bongos have just been re-skinned with cheetah pelts and are waiting for me at the music store…javier
— Javier May 5, 10:35 AM #
Oops
— kevin edwards May 5, 10:40 AM #
Javier, you made my day. I almost had to reach for another Depends reading your story. This is hilarious and i loved it. I know what you mean though, my friend is Cuban of Galician (nortern Spain) and Polish background and he gets this nonsense all the time, but he doesn’t handle it as humorously or in as witty a manner as you did. thanks again, i am sending this to everyone i know on campus, especially the campus “diversity” experts, whose idea of multi-culturalism is no deeper than the comical scenes you described. loved it!
— Greg May 5, 10:46 AM #
Wow – what a long and winding way to just say “Lighten up, folks.” Oops – that “lighten up” sounds racist, huh??
— GT May 5, 10:46 AM #
“No Hate Please” thanks for pointing out the bigoted speech used by Kenner and Tommy. It is very important to educate in all arenas. Folks need to think before they speak (or write). As for your attempt at sarcasm, Tommy, it failed. All you did is raise the question of your being a bigot. Others who read Tommy’s comment and didn’t cringe, you are part of the problem. People, especially educators should know better. Javier, good response!! For the record, I do have brown skin and you bet I’m reminded of it everday – I work in academia. Aside from that, having brown skin is not a bad thing as US society would have one believe.
— Rita May 5, 10:49 AM #
Javier: With all your super-sensitivity and paranoia I’m surprised you haven’t considered the possibility of planted evidence in this drug case. For a surprisingly small amount of money one of your enemies could give you this same experience. I’m sure the presumption of innocence would take on new meaning to you then.
You have certainly established your victim status in this world. Now, why don’t you just get over it? There is a danger you could become a bore.
— T Paine May 5, 11:19 AM #
Never thought viewing an article about a housing administrator being busted for having drugs in his house would so unexpectedly enlighten.
Javier, you made my day in helping to point out the out right ignorance that runs rampant in this ever so ‘tolerant’ country when it comes to issues of race and ethnicity….dfferences in general. And no I’m not leaving.
— RL May 5, 11:27 AM #
Why do we see personal drug use and the ability to lead a responsible professional and civil existence as mutually exclusive? Drug misuse or abuse? Certainly, there we have a problem.
In this specific case, the habits of the accused indeed made it into the light of day, and the university has every right to respond in whatever manner it deems reasonable. The insinuation in this discussion, however, that someone such as a university VP never should engage in legally sanctioned activities is unbelievable. I thought academics might be trusted to see beyond the surface of the media hype about the newest drug “epidemic” and our nation’s draconian drug laws.
— Micah May 5, 11:32 AM #
I knew a bongo player named Javier. He drove an MG roadster, but always with the top up because “convertibles messed up his hair.” He married rich, and I never heard from him again. But I’ve still got the bongos he left here one memorable night.
— first marci May 5, 11:35 AM #
on the other hand, i’m constantly amazed at the number of people who a) regard america as provincial and/or racist, b) have lived elsewhere, and c) apparently have the backgrounds and tools to live elsewhere, and who yet choose to live…HERE. is it that those other wonderful places are even more provincial and racist (in their own inimitable ways) as america, or does the material quality of life available in america outweigh everything? just asking.
— O.J. May 5, 12:06 PM #
T.Paine, there is no danger of you possibly “becoming” a bore. You are already there with your hyper-extrapolated Dr. Phil analysis of others. Is that Oprah calling your name. Please let the rest of us enjoy each other’s company and commentaries. Now I better (in my paranoia) check my twin sons’ backpacks. You never know how much crystal meth their Catholic school nuns might have slipped into their Mickey Mouse lunch boxes.
— grace May 5, 12:56 PM #
Hi O.J. hope you got that blood off your Bruno Magli shoes by now. The reason many of us who have spent time away are critical of our country is that we really love it and hate to see it act badly. Pointing out the warts of our country doesn’t mean we hate it, in fact it means the opposite. Having lived abroad on different occasions (Europe and Middle East) I am always thrilled to be back home, even with its ugly racism, vicisious politics and insensitive public policies that hurt the elderly, the sick and the poor. But I do love my country and just want it to be better.
— giardino May 5, 01:03 PM #
I am amazed at how many people who actually seem enlightened about racial issues and are offended by any intimation of racism in this commentary have not picked up on the “yeah, my name sounds Spanish, but I am really white.” or my Cuban-Polish-Spanish friend gets this stuff, but he is really white, so he is ok really”-talk. I am a hispanic from Spaniard/French and Dutch descent and I look white, but I would never pretend that I am better or that I am ok because really I am white. That is called internalized racism. Having to cover, or pretend you are something other than your background so that whites accept you and think you are ok is never OK. When I point out to my friends that I am a person of color and they say “But we don’t see you as a person of color, you are white to us” or “But you are lighter skin than us, how are you a person of color?” I always say “But I am not white, and I am very happy being who I am, a person of color.” Being a person of color in a racist society to me is like a badge of honor. I have survived the racist system!!
— J. Herrera May 5, 01:18 PM #
“Now see here Luke” he said, “What we have here is a failure to communicate”. How did the fact of smuggled heroin intended for incarcerated individuals being tracked back to a guy with meth in his home become a race issue with you all? Of course this person has rights…the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney and………
— Jus Kidden May 5, 02:12 PM #
giardino:
you begged the question. i didn’t ask why one criticizes this country (i’ve lived abroad, and i criticize it, too). i asked why, if one has serious criticisms on the scale of “it’s racist and provincial,” and one has the wherewithal to live elsewhere, why doesn’t one live elsewhere?
possible answers would seem to include: a) it ain’t all that provincial and racist compared to the other places i could live, so i figure i’m better off here; b) america’s bennies outweigh its racist and provincial nature, so i’m willing to put up with it; c) I was born here or came here at an early age, so i’m used to it, have family and friends here, and don’t really want to change my address.
“loving this country” for most people derives from
{c}, maybe a little [b], but not [a]. hardly anybody gets the chance to shop around for countries of residence and then picks the one he or she “loves,” and then decides to live in it.
put it this way, if you lived in a conspicuously racist and provincial american city, you probably wouldn’t invoke the “i criticize my city, but i still love it, so i stay here” argument. if you could swing it without too much sacrifice, you’d probably move to another, less racist and less provincial city.
— O.J. May 5, 02:42 PM #
I’m really interested in seeing how this story unfolds, and hope the Chronicle will follow up in the coming days and weeks.
— Tommy May 5, 02:53 PM #
A review of the situation seems fair and necessary, ESPECIALLY at a public institution. Removing responsibilities may prevent him from endangering others, but doing so is preventative and not punitive as the review progresses.
— HIED doc May 5, 03:11 PM #
j. Herrera, good for you…a colored man who is really white….i think i met you in graduate school in one of those hilarious diversity workshops. and how is your blonde girlfriend, Buffy? What a fake filled with his own brand of pop-racism. you are indeed a sad person, but oh-so convinced of his contrived superioriity. And again regards to Buffy. And don’t hate your white children too much…Gunther, a White german-descended Brazilian who is proud of his European heritage and isn’t going to sell himself out for a few political crumbs in America. you are just laughable.
— Gunther May 5, 08:35 PM #
j. herrera, you wrote, “Being a person of color in a racist society to me is like a badge of honor. I have survived the racist system!!
I would suggest you have been eaten by the “racist system” and the first part of you consumed was your brain, followed by that small appendage called “integrity”. how sad for you to be so filled with racist hatred for who you really are. and while we’re at it, that’s called “denial”. your family must be thrilled with your hatred of who they are. now, try not squinting so much through your blue contact lenses at the next auditons of “swedish vixens gone wild” reality show. what a crock came out of you here.
— please pick up an atlas... May 5, 09:04 PM #
Has the OSU crystal meth-possessing Assistant Vice President had mitochondrial dna analysis performed on himself to determine if he is really white or just another fake “person of color”. I think this is important because if he is another FPOC, can we really believe him when he claims his cat dragged the drugs in through an open window and hid it in his sock drawer?
— rotfl May 5, 09:11 PM #
I urge you all to remember that racism is a system of advantages accorded to whites at the expense of people of color. By definition only whites can be racist, unless they are doing something to dismatle the racist system. Everyone else is just plain bigoted. Read your history. Or better yet listen to an actual Reverend Wright speech.
Rotfi have you not heard that there is no gene for race? We are all the same! “Oh, No! You say, what about that extra muscle in black people’s legs that make them be so fast?” Guess what? That extra muscle is only a fallacy invented by whites to live down their shame of always being beaten by stronger black runners.
— Josie Herrera May 6, 10:35 AM #
By the way Josie, the comment before yours is signed ROTFL or Rolling On The Floor Laughing. Why don’t you all move up here to Canada? We love all of you!
— Mark May 6, 11:53 AM #
Reverend Wright? Oh, yeah, the ultra-racist crackpot that will cost Obama the election? Now there’s a vote for racial solidarity. And I bet the illegal Mexican Indians that are landscaping his 10 MILLION dollar mansion just think the world of the good Rev. And the ones shining his 6 Escalades love him too. Oh, please Josie aim higher than a Benetton commercial! Rabbis with Indian head dress playing marackas make for a funny ad, but for a hysterically absurd promotion of “fake diversity”.
— Gregor May 6, 07:47 PM #
I am really disappointed by these comments going back and forth…they are not at all related to this news article. Further, it saddens me to know that this is the group of people who are educating our students. It would serve everyone to end this banter and focus more on making an impact in the lives of students and setting a good example.
— Disappointed May 6, 11:22 PM #