Some of you may remember the anti-Semitic scrawlings from the fall of 1999 alleged to be the work of Peter Cataldo ’00, who was evicted from his dorm room and thrown off campus.
I have posted here (and, yes, this is in a readable font and everything!) an interview I conducted with Cataldo in 2000 that never saw the light of day because our editor at the time was afraid to pursue the story.
TDR really screwed up on this one, and it’s no consolation that everyone else did too. I still think it would be interesting to find out what really happened administratively (and w/r/t to the the racial threats, as well, though I doubt that will ever be fully solved) and why due process, which I realize the College isn’t obliged to follow, got thrown out the window.
And if anyone knows how all of this ended up (e.g., what Cataldo’s up to now), please leave a comment.
Update: Some readers left a few good comments, as well as a link to Cataldo’s personal website; click the above link and scroll down to read them.
For what it’s worth, “Scooter” sums my position well: Cataldo had a lot of problem and maybe should have been on medical leave anyway, but that is no excuse for the way that the matter was handled by the College. Disciplinary procedures exist for a reason, and it appears that they were overlooked entirely in Cataldo’s case.
If it could be proven that Cataldo was indeed the author of the threats attributed to him, both criminal and disciplinary action would be entirely appropriate. But Cataldo was deemed guilty and practically expelled before that level of process could be reached.
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