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

DATE: FRIDAY, June 16, 1995                   TAG: 9506160061
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

VET SCHOOL, STUDENT FAIL TO AGREE

Deborah Ann Carboni has not been allowed to start her last year of classes at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Classes began in May.

Carboni was accused of going to the women's room during a make-up exam for her urology class and consulting crib notes.

Carboni said in a lawsuit that she was strip-searched by two school administrators in the bathroom. She said she was shocked by the request, but "under the circumstances, she felt compelled to comply."

She then was frisked, she said.

The school objects to the term "strip search" because Carboni was asked to lift her shirt and drop her jeans, but was not completely undressed.

The school insists the search was "consensual" and involved "her voluntarily rearranging articles of clothing on her person," said school spokesman Jeffrey Douglas.

Nothing was found during the search, but notes of hers were discovered in a credenza in the exam room where she was taking the test alone.

Carboni sought a temporary restraining order last week that would have allowed her to attend classes while the lawsuit was pending. U.S. District Judge James Turk hoped the two sides could settle it themselves and gave them a week. But they were back in court Wednesday, unable to resolve anything.

The school has expelled Carboni because she did not pass the urology class. After the incident, she was not allowed to finish the test.

"This college has stood firm on the principles of honor and academic integrity," Douglas said.

The fourth year of veterinary school consists of clinical work with animals, and if there is a delay between her academic studies and the clinical work, her knowledge may not be as fresh, she said in the suit. The fourth year lasts almost 12 months.

One of her attorneys told Turk it would be "impossible" for her to transfer to another school under the circumstances.

Turk has scheduled an evidentiary hearing July 21. In addition to seeking a court order to readmit her, Carboni is suing four school administrators for an unspecified amount of money. The four administrators have filed a motion to dismiss the suit.