The Hearing - Part 7

 

CASE HEARING RACISM

Chair:                           Professor Deltdrick Ross, Head of Electrical Engineering

Department

Committee Members:   Professor Floyd Bohrer, Architecture

                                    Professor Elena O’Brien, Civil Engineering

                                    Professor Moses Fogel, Mineral and Mining Engineering

Witnesses:                    Delbert Ballas, Electrical Engineering student

                                    Frank Covington Posey, Electrical Engineering student

Agnes Davis, Electrical Engineering student

                                    Carlo Erickson, Electrical Engineering student

                                    John Martin, Electrical Engineering student

                                    Yolanda Miller, Electrical Engineering student

                                    Angeline O’Connell, Electrical Engineering student

                                    Jennifer Wallace, Electrical Engineering student

Logan Wittels, Electrical Engineering student

Professor Phyllis Bligh, Electrical Engineering

Professor Richard Grant, Electrical Engineering

Victim:                         Frieda Pianas, Electrical Engineering student

                                   

Accused:                      Jennifer Miller, Electrical Engineering student

                                    Dina Wise, Electrical Engineering student

While Yolanda leaves, fights back her tears, Professor Ross looks up the next person.

DR:                              Could we have Angeline O’Connell, please?

Angeline O’Connell seems to be calm and collected. She takes her seat, her blue eyes

are alert.

DR:                              Please tell us about what you witnessed three weeks ago.

Angeline O’Connell (AOC): I heard Jennifer M. tell something. It looked like the others around her were having a good time, so I went also to see what was going on.

DR:                              And what was going on?

AOC (fidgets on her chair): Well. If you don’t mind, I don’t want to repeat it.

DR (tries to keep his impatient under check): Why wouldn’t you want to repeat it?

AOC:                           It’s racist.

DR (angry):                  It seemed you didn’t mind at the time. You laughed at whatever Ms. Miller was saying – based on what I have heard from the other witnesses - so please repeat what she was saying.

AOC (blanches):          I… I…

DR (impatient by now): We don’t have all day, Ms. O’Connell.

AOC:                           Basically she told a joke. It was about some guys meeting at a bar. I think one was Mexican or something and the other from Iraq … Maybe. The last was American and in the end shoots the other two, because he believes the US has too many illegal immigrants, and it doesn’t matter if two are missing.

DR (stern):                   Is that funny, Ms. O’Connell.

AOC (lowers her eyelids and looks embarrassed): No. It’s not.

DR:                              Out of interest: Why did you laugh?

AOC:                           I… I guess I didn’t think. It was just stupid.

DR:                              That’s all, Ms. O’Connell. You can go.

AOC (relieved):            Thanks, Professor Ross.

 

©2012