ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, September 4, 1994                   TAG: 9409060052
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE                                 LENGTH: Short

UVA PRESIDENT: PANEL BOTCHED CASE

University of Virginia President John Casteen says the school's administration acted properly by getting involved in a student honor committee case.

Casteen said Friday the case was so mishandled by the honor committee that the university faced having a federal court throw out the system of student self-governance. The school also likely would have had to pay at least $100,000 in damages to the student, he said.

Christopher Leggett was expelled for cheating in 1992 but was exonerated this summer in an unusual retrial by the student-run honor committee.

The retrial has brought much criticism to the university, which entered into an agreement with the honor committee and Leggett's lawyer to allow the retrial. The school released a statement two weeks ago saying it used state funds to pay Leggett's $40,000 legal fees.

Casteen said the money came from the state's self-insurance fund, not from university revenues or tuition payments.

- Associated Press 


 by CNB