After an emergency meeting on February 19 the MATC Board voted 6-3 to fire Dr. Darnell Cole from his position as president after his highly publicized arrest for drunken driving.Dr. Cole spoke on his own behalf during the four-hour-long meeting. In a written statement the board declared it “decided to use its discretion to terminate Dr. Cole’s employment contract due to his conduct.”
The board also said it believed “operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol is not acceptable conduct for the President of MATC.”
Early February 9 Dr. Cole was cited for operating a vehicle while intoxicated after a Milwaukee County Sherriff’s Deputy found him pulled over on highway I-94.
His blood alcohol level registered at 0.20, more than twice the legal limit. His vehicle had two flat tires and he failed his field sobriety test.
Students, faculty, staff and community members supporting Dr. Cole felt the board should consider all the good things he had done for MATC in addition to this incident.
“Everybody makes mistakes” was the central theme of a rally held in support of Dr. Darnell Cole at MATC’s Downtown Milwaukee Campus.
Organized by members of the Black Student Union and other campus groups, the rally attracted over 100 participants who chanted and carried signs in a show of solidarity for Dr. Cole.
The rally took place immediately before an emergency MATC Board meeting to decide whether Dr. Cole would remain president of the college.
Former MATC student and entrepreneur Gaulien “Gee” Smith and local radio personality Homer Blow were two of the community members in attendance.
Student Senate Governor Dave Sommers stated the good things Dr. Cole did far outweighed the bad.
Sommers also mentioned that former State Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager was cited for driving while intoxicated three times before she was removed.
Juan Roque, an MATC Spanish instructor and member of a newly-formed Latino faculty organization, also expressed his support for Dr. Cole.
Roque said that members of the group always felt comfortable taking any grievances they had to Dr. Cole because he opened his door to them “in good faith.”
Assistant Athletic Director Carrie Grulke said that student athletes supported Dr. Cole because “he is one of them. He is a Stormer.”
Grulke added that Dr. Cole frequently attended Stormer athletic events and took time to speak with the athletes individually and collectively.
Many Stormer athletes petitioned for Dr. Cole to be allowed to stay as president, gathering signatures from hundreds of MATC students.
Soon after the board announced their decision Frank Gimbel, Dr. Cole’s attorney, announced they would seek legal action against MATC over the firing.
Provost Vicki Martin will serve as Interim President of MATC. One of her first official acts as Interim President was to address MATC students via e-mail.
In a prepared message sent to students on February 20, Dr. Martin stated her intention to speak with students on each campus.
“As students, you are our most important audience. We are here to serve you and we must remain committed to that mission.
“I will work closely with the student government to ensure the needs of students are being met,” Dr. Martin said in the statement.
