Drunk driving is a known and serious problem amongst college students, and the results are always devastating, whether for the driver, in fines or jail time, or in the death of someone else. What, then, should be the reaction of the students and faculty of MATC when our president, Dr. Darnell Cole, is arrested for drunk driving? For those who are unaware of the situation:
According to the Milwaukee county sheriff’s office, in the early morning hours of Monday, February 9, a sheriff’s deputy found Dr. Cole stopped on southbound I-43/94 near S. Chase Ave. At the time, Dr. Cole’s eyes were glassy, his speech was slurred, and the deputy could smell alcohol. Dr. Cole failed a field sobriety test and was taken to the sheriff’s station, where he was released into the custody of another person.
At the time of his arrest, Dr. Cole’s blood-alcohol level was recorded as 0.20, over twice the legal limit of 0.08.
Driving with a blood-alcohol level as high as Dr. Cole’s is extremely dangerous. Just two days earlier, a 22-year-old man with a blood-alcohol level only 0.03 points higher than that of Dr. Cole, crashed his vehicle head-on into another car killing a 41-year-old man and his 11-year-old son.
Dr. Cole has released a statement saying, “I apologize for a serious error in judgment, and regret how my actions may affect the entire MATC community.” He also issued statements to the board of MATC and his cabinet apologizing and informing them of the situation.
According to JSOnline, the earliest the MATC Board could meet to discuss Dr. Cole’s arrest would be the 24th of this month, if they decide to discuss the matter at all. Part of the reason for the delay is that several board members are attending a legislative summit in Washington. One of the topics being covered at the summit is the economic stimulus package and its benefits for technical colleges.
There have been some questions as to why Dr. Cole was not in DC representing the college himself.
As of now, most of the members of the MATC Board have declined to comment on the situation, though Bobbie Webber, a board member and captain with the Milwaukee Fire Department, said that he was happy that no one was hurt. Mr. Webber was trained as an EMT, at MATC no less, and must surely know
the dangers of drunk driving. Hopefully, platitude and seeming indifference will not be all that the board can muster.
Recently, the board of the University of Mary Washington, in Virginia, fired its president after he was charged with two DUIs and the president of Saint Joseph College, in Connecticut, resigned after she was arrested for drunk driving. Just last year two college presidents in Michigan resigned after being arrested for driving while under the influence.
So again, what should be the reaction of MATC’s faculty and students? Concern and outrage. Concern for our school and for the way it is seen in the community, and outrage at the fact that our president has acted in such a destructive way, both for himself and for our school. We should also not forget the impact Dr. Cole’s actions will have on the community as a whole.
Dr. Cole is an educated man and a school president; what was he doing driving drunk? What kind of message does that send to students?
The halls of MATC are filled with posters and pamphlets warning of the dangers of drunk driving and how to avoid it. And yet our president seems never to have stopped and read one. If he had, he surely would’ve known that driving under the influence was both illegal and dangerous, not only for himself, but for others as well.
Drunk driving is a serious offense because it can so easily end in death, and as such, a simple apology is far from adequate as a response.
If the MATC Board does not act to remove Dr. Cole, it is the opinion of the editorial board of the MATC Times that Dr. Darnell Cole should resign from MATC.
