SCOPE on deferred suspension after incident
The org is a minor violation from ‘immediate’ suspension
Published: Friday, October 5, 2012
Updated: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 15:02
 "Photo: Julie Fortin/Staff")
Julie Fortin/Staff
SCOPE has been placed on deferred suspension following multiple violations.
The Student Committee on Popular Entertainment (SCOPE) has been found responsible for violation of the UNH Student Code of Conduct in the form of “attempted or actual theft of public property,” according to Anne Lawing, dean of students.
As of this week, SCOPE is considered to be on “deferred suspension.” This means that, according to material provided in the incident’s conduct report, “in the event the organization violates the Code of Conduct, no matter how minor the violation, the organization shall be suspended immediately.”
SCOPE may be reinstated as long as the organization complies with requirements set forward by the university, including the revising of organizational manuals and leadership job descriptions, as well as providing mandatory accountability training and hazing workshops. In addition, all activities, meetings and training must be approved and supervised by an advisory board. The group will be on probation for two years following its reinstatement as a student organization.
Leaders of SCOPE are not permitted to officially speak on behalf of the organization, per instruction of university administration. Once permitted, the organization is willing to comment.
The incident occurred last April 10-11, 2012. According to the report, the theft took place in Portsmouth during “an official SCOPE event designed for new members to bond with current members.” Current members were educating new members as to how to request menus from restaurants to provide to visiting performers. The new members were allowed to continue alone and one stole a couple of signs and put them in the other’s car.
According to the report, the Portsmouth Police Department was contacted and alerted of the theft. The new member who owned the car told a supervisor at a campus job about stealing the sign, and the supervisor then told the MUB staff. Then, the Portsmouth police informed the UNH Police Department of the anonymous tip that they had received, investigated, and informed the MUB staff. Once they received the information, the MUB staff “took SCOPE through the conduct system.”
Although the students were not on school property, the incident was associated with the university because the students were in Portsmouth to fulfill a UNH student organization responsibility. Administration was also dissatisfied with the manner in which SCOPE leaders handled the incident and those involved, resulting in the group’s requirement to reorganize their system, through measures such as revising manuals and job descriptions.
The incident was revisited in June and the hearing took place in early August. SCOPE was allowed to work throughout the summer, but the group is now waiting for the advisory board members to be appointed. Dr. Kevin Charles, assistant vice president of student and academic affairs (as well as executive director of Health Services), will be selecting board members.
SCOPE cannot take any action until the board is created to oversee activities and, thus, cannot complete the requirements to be reinstated until the board is appointed to approve and oversee them. As of right now, no concerts have been scheduled by SCOPE.
Contrary to rumors, the Tiesto concert is in no way affiliated with the organization, and the organizational status of SCOPE will have no effect on that particular performance.
This violation falls under Section 18.5 of the Student Organization Recognition Policies, and specifically violates responsibilities 1, 2, 6. These responsibilities are as follows:
Recognized Student Organizations at the University of New Hampshire are required to:
1. Be designed and operated by students and to consider student development, Citizenship and safety (physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological) of paramount importance; 2. Adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and University policies 6. Hold membership of their organization accountable to the organization’s policies and procedures, as well as to the policies and procedures of the Student Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities (SRRR), MUB, and Student Organizational Manual.
30 comments
alumna
It's very disappointing to read posts where the writers are making uninformed comments. It was clearly proven that there was no hazing involved. The students who committed the crime acted independently of the SCOPE organization and were dealt with by the police. There was no deliberate "cover up". Last year's SCOPE directors did not even know about the incident until after the police told them about it. The only mistake the organization made was by not properly notifying the MUB staff - certainly deserving of some sanction, but not serious enough to warrant revoking the membership of all of its members.
SCOPE was willing to accept sanctions and were ready to work with an advisory board to make changes and move forward. Without pointing fingers at anyone, if you look at all of the facts, there are too many discrepancies and misinformation presented during the process that would make most people wonder how a fair and just decision could have been reached.
When you consider that the college population rotates through every four years, it took passion, dedication and commitment by the SCOPE students - no small feat of accomplishment - to give SCOPE the superb professional reputation that it earned.
By shutting down the organization, the university has lost years of experience that were passed down between members from one year to the next. Without that knowledge, there is no way SCOPE can be rebuilt.
SCOPE was willing to accept sanctions and were ready to work with an advisory board to make changes and move forward. Without pointing fingers at anyone, if you look at all of the facts, there are too many discrepancies and misinformation presented during the process that would make most people wonder how a fair and just decision could have been reached.
When you consider that the college population rotates through every four years, it took passion, dedication and commitment by the SCOPE students - no small feat of accomplishment - to give SCOPE the superb professional reputation that it earned.
By shutting down the organization, the university has lost years of experience that were passed down between members from one year to the next. Without that knowledge, there is no way SCOPE can be rebuilt.
Jason Marcil - SCOPE Publicity Director '11-'12
AB (A Bro?),NV Concepts has COST the school money with both shows that they have brought. And if you had paid any attention to anything that happened between SCOPE and NV Concepts last year, you'd know that we collaborated with them on Avicii, and built the stage for David Guetta. Not to mention that SCOPE provided NV with press and staff passes when they forgot to bring their own to David Guetta. They have said that SCOPE is the best student org they have ever worked with. I read your comments and see you as another spoiled person who only cares about what satisfies yourself and that isn't SCOPE's job. If you wanted to have a say in what was ever brought to campus then you could have volunteered or applied. You actually might have learned something.
Cory Montreuil
AB,I am completely ashamed to call you an alumni of this community as well. I am a proud alumni of SCOPE. Do I agree with the actions of the new members? Not in the least. They should be held accountable. Do I think that an entire organization should be disbanded for this? NO. There was a member who was abroad during the incident. ABROAD, as in not in this country. How can you hold a member who was not in this country accountable for the actions of two new members here in the States? On top of that, the leadership did not tell them to steal signs. They were told, like always, to familiarize themselves with the restaurants in the surrounding community and grab updated menus so the artists that SCOPE brings have a full array of dining choices. Is it busy work? Yes. However, you would expect a college student to be able to handle that. They showed poor judgement and since it was late at night, the leadership of SCOPE was informed in the morning(after the cops were involved). Now onto your claim that NV Concepts is ousting SCOPE. 1)NV Concepts offered tickets for double what SCOPE charges. 2) They only brought one genre, SCOPE's mission is to satisfy the largest cross-section of the student population with regards to genre. 3) NV Concepts doesn't bring anything back to the University. SCOPE allowed between 20-50 students (per show) to begin learning the ins and outs of putting a show on. As production director for two years, I used it as an opportunity to teach any volunteer who wanted to learn more. Any outside promoter is just in it for the money. SCOPE is in it to learn and grow. This sanction allows neither to happen. I have also worked with Dave through Project LEAD and other opportunities. While I felt he recognized my leadership skills, I never thought he supported SCOPE. Even while I was using the knowledge I had gained through SCOPE to build up other organizations' events (SEAC's Solarfest, UNH for ONE, multiple Mills Hall Council events, DSC's Haiti Benefit Show, and anyone who asked) I still saw Dave Z fight us on multiple issues in SAFC on multiple occasions. I just wish he had been candid and honest with me during the times we had met in his office. I am not an irrational person. The only way to grow is to hear differing viewpoints. And while Dave has done a lot for the university, he has made an error in judgement this time.
AB
I am completely ashamed to call myself an alumni of this community. I am willing to bet any amount of money that everyone who is singling Dave Zamansky out as the sole cause of SCOPE's suspension, is or has been a part of SCOPE. You should all just crawl back into the hole you came from. Everyone knows that SCOPE has disappointed the UNH community incredibly over the past couple of years. This is what happens when a popular organization realizes that they aren't as good as they used to be. They slip up. NV Concepts outdid them last year and they couldn't handle it. I know it must have been hard for them to have another company outdo them twice in a year by bringing in the WORLD'S BEST DJ's. It's okay SCOPE. You had a good run. Just change your name to NV Concepts and people will like you again. As for the ones that are saying that its BS to blame the organization for what their new members do? You are joking with me right? Hypothetical situation. Let's say that I am in a fraternity. I tell all of my pledges that as a bonding event with the actual brothers, You have to go to Stoke and steal at least 5 pairs of underwear from 5 different girls. It will bring us so much closer as a brotherhood. My fraternity won't get in trouble, because we didn't do anything, our new members did. Or let's say that I am on the football team and there are a couple of new freshman that join. I get a bunch of the older guys together for an initiation into the team. We tell them that if they let us kick the crap out of them, we will be that much closer as a team because it happened to me when I was a freshman and it made me love my older teammates. We can't possibly get in trouble because they agreed to let us do it. I am also on the dance team. As an older and more experienced dancer, I take it upon myself to teach the girls how to become the best dancers they can be. The most important thing to be the best is to sleep with two seniors on the football team. After that, we will be bonded, because I did the same thing. My dance team can't possibly get in trouble for the new girls doing something on their own, right?The point is that organizations have been getting away with this crap for way too long. The only thing that people hear about getting busted for hazing are the Greek chapters, for little things. The community that gives more money and donates more community service hours than almost every UNH student organization combined. Hazing does not only happen in fraternities and sororities. It happens across the board in all kinds of organizations. If someone is caught doing it, they should and will be punished like they should be. Personally I am glad that SCOPE is being punished for what they did. They call themselves a close-knit organization, well then they should own up to their new members screwing up. Even if they are new, they are still new MEMBERS. Suck it up and accept you messed up. If you are as strong as you say you are, then you will bounce back. If not, NV Concepts did a great job twice, I'm sure they can provide again. Show some class and don't put blame on someone just because you don't know what else to do. Just goes to show how many SECOND CLASS CITIZENS there are out there. Dave Zamansky has done more for this school than probably any of you could do in a lifetime. I have had the pleasure to work with him in my college career and enjoyed every second of it. I have never worked with someone that cared about the community so much. UNH is lucky to have him. If SCOPE is bashing him for their mistakes, then I think that UNH is lucky to have the chance to get rid of them.
UNH the no fun school
who's da snitch?
Apparently Not
Peoples' opinions of Dave and the MUB administration, as a whole, really depend on whether the MUB "likes" (for lack of a better word) the organization you are a part of or not. If you are involved with one of the organizations advised by the MUB administration (CAB, PAWS, etc.) then you are clearly going to feel supported by the administration and have the utmost respect for them. If you are part of an organization that the MUB dislikes, as I was, then you could feel betrayed by the MUB staff and have a lack of respect for them. Ever since the MUB administration praised my leadership to my face while at the same time was building a case against the organization I was a part of I have lost all respect for them, and Dave. SCOPE had become the MUBs biggest target because they no longer needed the MUB. They switched to Ticketmaster and worked with UNH athletics this past year, and while I can't prove that this isn't a coincidence, I think if I ran a ticket office and my biggest client left, I'd be pretty pissed too.Also how is it fair that an organization takes the heat for one person breaking the law? New members are the people an organization trusts the least. I could see if there was a big scandal with the upper classmen leadership doing something illegal, but a new member, come on now. They barely know the names of the people leading the orgs, let alone should be trusted to represent them.I won't even start to on the fact that it seems a little shady that with Dave as the adviser of CAB, that he is gunning for CABs biggest competition when it comes to concert entertainment, especially with the likelihood of a big bump in CABs budget with SCOPE out of the picture. Which isn't happening by the way, if you actually read the article, you would know this.
Did anyone here read the article?
SCOPE isn't out of the picture, they're waiting for an advisory board to be formed and then they'll get back to business. Yes, they'll will be under the microscope (pun intended) when it comes to the social happenings within the org, but they're still going to be organizing shows and I highly doubt that the advisory board will question or manipulate their choices about what acts they bring to campus or how the actual shows are run. Last spring, SCOPE held back to back shows in the Whit, made buying tickets easier, and overall finished off the year on a high note as far as executing shows without any help from the MUB. I think people here need to chill the hell out. SCOPE messed up, those problems are being dealt with, and we'll still get some concerts. Probably won't have any this semester but if they didn't spend any money in the fall, they've got a pretty full wallet for the spring.
Anonymouse
E.S.,That is how frats are revoked of their recognition. If they haze more than three times in a ten year span they lose recognition for four years. Why do you think the members stole the signs in the first place? If the members went out by themselves to steal the signs, then why would the SCOPE name be dragged into it? Based off that reasoning, to me it sounds like it was probably some sort of freshman initiation. No student organization I was a part of did anything that would be considered hazing, and SCOPE is not above that because they get a lot of money from the school and a lot of people go to their eventsAccusing an educator of not caring about his or her students is really disgusting. There are multiple people on the advisory board so I do not understand why Dave is being singled out. I don't even think he is on the board to begin with.Again, this is really disappointing for the students and its unfortunate that the actions of a few will affect many. As I said already, there are over 200 organizations that put on events daily but no one cares because its not some big name rapper headlining them. Hopefully these organizations will be given a bigger chance to shine with SCOPE out of the picture, but I imagine the student body will probably continue to ignore them anyway which is a real shame because of all the hard work those other organizations put in.
Logical Person
Dave Zamansky is one of the most genuine faculty members at UNH. He does so much good for so many and he does all of this for the students/university. He is a role model and one of the most admirable person I've ever met. For people to blame him for any of this is absurd. You can blame SCOPE, the snitch, the University, but certainly don't blame Dave. UNH has rules, SCOPE broke the rules, end of story.
Power vs. Force
Unfortunately it does seem like the administration may have over reacted on this issue when it designated a punishment that wouldn't only affect SCOPE but the whole student body. With that being said, the whole community should be ashmed of using Dave Zamansky as a scape goat for their frustrations. Clearly SCOPE did break the rules, and they were held accountable, as are all the orgs (especially Greek letter orgs), which is fair. SCOPE wasn't brought down by Dave Zamansky, it was held accountable by the entire MUB Leadership Staff. I think what people should focus their energy on instead of blaming Dave Zamansky for something that isn't his fault, it to be positive and work towards a solution to this problem. Maybe people could try writing letters on behalf of SCOPE and asking for the University to allow them to continue operations so the whole student body isn't punished for the actions of a few. Use your voice, let your school know you think this isn't fair. And also for all the Dave haters out there, I challenge you, if you don't know the guy maybe you should meet him before you go slandering his person in the public media. In my opinion Dave is genuinely nice guy who truely cares for the students and the orgs on campus; he wouldn't viciously pursue an organization such as SCOPE with intent to rid campus of them due to some personal vendetta.
Haters
Before you go around bashing him on the internet like little cowards, I would urge you to get to know Dave Zamansky. He given every minute of his time and every ounce of his heart and soul to this university for the past 19 years. He has successfully put on thousands of events for this school, including 9 Freshman Jukebox's and 100's of Ted Talks. I will also add that he has been cranking out the "Toliet Paper" weekly since 2000. He is also a great dad. Dave works his butt off and makes miracles happen for this university every single day. You un-grateful slobs are wasting your time bashing my man Dave. Don't you have better things do? Ya'll ain't any better than those friendless internet weirdos on 4chan. Probably better to just keep your mouth shut because all you pseudo-intellectuals sound real stupid when you try to talk. Go drink Goji juice or something you hipsters!
Anonymous
Time to bring back MUSO! Long Live the Pig!
Active UNH Student
Everyone needs to look at who is really at fault. It is about time SCOPE finally got in trouble for what they have been doing. They have constantly been brought up on violation charges without any consequences. They were smart enough to keep the group as exclusive as possible so that nothing ever got leaked but finally they are being held responsible. SCOPE is not that detrimental to campus that they should have been protected for this long.
Also, Dave Zamansky is not the one seeking out to ruin SCOPE. It is an advisory board that determines the fines and I am sure that none of you can name another representative on that board unless you are a part of SCOPE right now and have been dealing with them. You are just choosing Dave to make an example out of him because he is the face of the MUB. He is doing his job so stop taking it so personal and taking it out on him. Also, when Barstool was bashing on SCOPE, Dave was supporting SCOPE the whole time.
Grow up and realize SCOPE needs to be held at the same standards as the rest of the student organizations. It sucks that the hazing policy is so broad and everything is very sensitive now that literally anything can be called hazing.
Also, Dave Zamansky is not the one seeking out to ruin SCOPE. It is an advisory board that determines the fines and I am sure that none of you can name another representative on that board unless you are a part of SCOPE right now and have been dealing with them. You are just choosing Dave to make an example out of him because he is the face of the MUB. He is doing his job so stop taking it so personal and taking it out on him. Also, when Barstool was bashing on SCOPE, Dave was supporting SCOPE the whole time.
Grow up and realize SCOPE needs to be held at the same standards as the rest of the student organizations. It sucks that the hazing policy is so broad and everything is very sensitive now that literally anything can be called hazing.
Anonymous
Nice. I was worried I'd miss a good concert now that I've graduated, but luckily the administration is there to ensure the steady downfall of the school.
sorryunh
I feel ashamed to be an alumn as well. Dave and the administration have been trying to get SCOPE shut down for years for the most minor charges. From what I remember, no one was ever hurt physically or emotionally due to SCOPE "bonding" activities. What is boils down to is UNH's reputation and how they and the Durham police department "want" things to be run. SCOPE was the only organization with the ability to bring thousands of people (and dollars) together. UNH HATES when that happens (aside from graduation and tuition fees). I remember when Snoop came to the Whit. The night before/after UNH he was in either URI or UVM and they only had a handful of arrests. When he was at UNH there were over 80 arrests. UNH loves money and their police department far too much and it ultimately ruins it for the kids.
The Key Statement
Half way down is this hidden gem: "Administration was also dissatisfied with the manner in which SCOPE leaders handled the incident and those involved, resulting in the group's requirement to reorganize their system..."There was likely a cover-up or other effort to minimize this issue internally, and that was likely a strong contributor to this punishment. Remember that Bill Clinton wasn't impeached for cheating on Hilary with Monica Lewinsky, he was impeached because he tried to lie to cover it up after.
Anonymous
Responding to "Is it just me" This isn't the first time they take the actions of a few and doom the whole org with them. They did the same thing to Freshman Camp the year they finally got rid of them. A few members decided to be idiots and because the whole org was on probation for something that had happened 4 years previous they nailed the whole group and took them out.Completely unrelated, PAWS, an org run by none other than Dave Zamansky (shock) started up with next fall and took kids out camping off campus the few days before official freshman move-in day. Which is suspiciously similar to what Freshman Camp did for decades.It would be tragic if it wasn't so predictable.
Clark Kent
Unbelievable. UNH students out on a function as a UNH organization break the law and violate the rules for student orgs, and the people want to frame SCOPE as the victim. I think it's the people commenting here that need to get out of the college bubble. If you break the law, there are consequences. It's not the administrations or your classmates' job to condone breaking the law, it's your job to act responsibly.
E.S.
Hey anonymouse,
I think you need to read this article a bit more and get your facts straight. First of all what kind of time frame is 10 years for a student org that is made up of 4yr students? Second if you read this article, the first paragraph says they were caught for "attempted or actual theft of public property," not hazing. UNH code of conduct has violations for hazing and hazing related acts, which aren't mentioned here. I also know that in the past Dave brought hazing charges up against SCOPE that they were found not guilty of. Having been involved with many student orgs and the MUB while at UNH its obvious that certain orgs have been targeted for one reason or the other and "hazing" can pretty much be anything you (Dave) want(s) it to be and can make up a bunch of hearsay about an incident. Dave also has a bunch of little minions that will ask around and try to find dirt on other orgs (One of them once asked me about SCOPE because they knew i was friends with some members). While I was at UNH it was almost common knowledge among student orgs that the MUB staff (specifically Dave) didn't like SCOPE. The MUB needs to get out of their "college bubble" as someone put it. In all reality Dave is just a towny that has been in Durham his whole life, probably didn't get into SCOPE when he was a student (just speculating). Its too bad Bob P. isn't around anymore he was the only person involved with student orgs that actually gave a shit about the students, the man is a legend, RIP. I wish someone could change this, but it goes over the students' heads i guess.P.S. I have a strong suspicion that this "anonymouse" is Dave Zamansky. Sounds like something he would say.
I think you need to read this article a bit more and get your facts straight. First of all what kind of time frame is 10 years for a student org that is made up of 4yr students? Second if you read this article, the first paragraph says they were caught for "attempted or actual theft of public property," not hazing. UNH code of conduct has violations for hazing and hazing related acts, which aren't mentioned here. I also know that in the past Dave brought hazing charges up against SCOPE that they were found not guilty of. Having been involved with many student orgs and the MUB while at UNH its obvious that certain orgs have been targeted for one reason or the other and "hazing" can pretty much be anything you (Dave) want(s) it to be and can make up a bunch of hearsay about an incident. Dave also has a bunch of little minions that will ask around and try to find dirt on other orgs (One of them once asked me about SCOPE because they knew i was friends with some members). While I was at UNH it was almost common knowledge among student orgs that the MUB staff (specifically Dave) didn't like SCOPE. The MUB needs to get out of their "college bubble" as someone put it. In all reality Dave is just a towny that has been in Durham his whole life, probably didn't get into SCOPE when he was a student (just speculating). Its too bad Bob P. isn't around anymore he was the only person involved with student orgs that actually gave a shit about the students, the man is a legend, RIP. I wish someone could change this, but it goes over the students' heads i guess.P.S. I have a strong suspicion that this "anonymouse" is Dave Zamansky. Sounds like something he would say.
Anonymous
Does this mean the ballroom dancing club is going to be "taken through the conduct system" for "stealing" their idea from dancing with the stars?
is a member of the 
