QU Chronicle

Issue date: 10/26/05 Section: Campus News

Media Credit: Nancy Hall Where it happened: Several university students who live at 3211 Whitney Avenue in Hamden hosted a party that ended when police responded.

EDITORS NOTE: Mike Bars was exonerated by Quinnipiac in the investigation by the school and his arrest was nullified by the Meriden Superior Court.

At the end of the semester Bars transfered to Notre Dame University.


Sixteen Quinnipiac students were arrested on Friday evening during a party on Whitney Avenue. Of the 16 students that were arrested, eight were immediately expelled by the university.

The party at 3211 Whitney Avenue was broken up by 30 Hamden police officers approximately 11:36 p.m. according to police records. Further records indicate that a K-9 unit arrived on the scene at approximately 1 a.m. Lieutenant Dunham, a spokesman for the Hamden Police Department, said approximately 300 students were at the party at the time.

The six house residents, Jeffrey Saliture, 22, Yusef Qasim, Michael Persico, Anthony Falangas, Ben Baroody, and Michael Solebello, all 21, were arrested on charges of procuring alcohol for minors. Dunham also confirmed The New Haven Register's report that 13 others were arrested at the scene, including 10 Quinnipiac students, nine of whom are underage.

Lynn Bushnell, vice president of public affairs at Quinnipiac University, said the six residents, in addition to Michael Bars, 21, and Christine DiBuono, 19, have been expelled as a result of their actions during the incident. Bars and DiBuono were charged with interfering with police and breach of peace, according to Register reports.

Those expelled will not be reimbursed for their tuition or room and board, Bushnell told the Register on Monday. She said university policy permits any student to be expelled who jeopardizes the safety of their fellow students.

The Register reported Sunday that police obtained a copy of an invitation from Facebook.com advertising the party and describing it, in part, as "an excuse for girls to dress like whores...Halloween. Kegs, Kegs, & more kegs."

Monday's Register reports that seven university students were arrested for possession of alcohol by a minor: Alyson Schoenhofer, 19, Jonathan Dube, 19, David Doblin, 20, Kiel Doran, 18, Robert Dipriano, 19, Matthew Krawse, 20, John McHugh, 19, and Robert Cipriano, 19.

The Chronicle tried to contact all students named in The Register Sunday and only received responses from Robert Cipriano and David Doblin, both of whom said they were not arrested.

Cipriano, a sophomore, attended what he thought to be a Halloween party hosted by The New Blue Rugby team, which is not endorsed by the university.

Cipriano's name was listed in The Register along with nine others who were allegedly arrested. He does not understand why his name appeared in the article when he believes that police handed out between 50 or 60 summonses.

"It was nothing more than a party," said Cipriano, who also claims that he could not imagine 300 people were in the house. Cipriano's roommate Doblin, also a sophomore, was another student reported as being arrested in the Sunday edition of The Register.

"If I had known how [the party] was advertised, I wouldn't have gone," said Doblin, who learned of the party through friends and had not seen the online invitation. Doblin said there were no complaints or warnings given before the police arrived at the scene.
As of Sunday night, the university had contacted neither Cipriano nor Doblin.

Cipriano is concerned with what actions the university might take regarding this matter. "Obviously you want to look at this as a learning experience," he said. "I'm certainly not taking this lightly."
John Twining, chief of security and publci safety said Hamden Police gave no advance warning to university officials before arriving at the house.

At the request of the Hamden Police Department, one shuttle bus that was assigned to shuttling students between parking lots took a detour.
The shuttle bus, driven by a Dattco Bus Company employee, drove to the house and picked up approximately 19 students and in one trip, shuttled the students from the house to the police department to be finger printed and processed. According to Twining, everything went peacefully with the transfer.

Be sure to check back at QUChronicle.com throughout the week as this story continues to develop.

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