Thanks to a tip from New of the Weird, http://www.newsoftheweird.com/weirdcentral/
http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/200...ews/SGRAD29.htm
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Penn State will let rapist graduate
Jean Celestin was convicted of assaulting a female student. He will get a diploma pending an inquiry.
By Marc Schogol
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
A Pennsylvania State University student convicted last month of sexually assaulting a female student is scheduled to receive his diploma Dec. 15, after a judge tailored his sentence to allow him to attend graduation ceremonies.
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The victim, who dropped out of Penn State after the assault in August 1999, said in a telephone interview yesterday that she was shocked to learn last month that Celestin, 22 - who was sentenced to six months to a year in prison - was free on bail and had been allowed to remain at Penn State.
She said she did not think it "appropriate or fair" to allow Celestin to graduate.
Centre County Judge Thomas K. Kistler said yesterday he set Celestin's surrender date for Dec. 20 to ensure the young man could get his diploma. "That was the idea. So he could graduate," he said.
The woman was sexually assaulted in August 1999 in an off-campus apartment, prosecutors said. Celestin, a political-science major originally from Haiti, and another former Penn State wrestler were charged; the other student eventually was found not guilty. After the assault, Celestin was suspended from the school wrestling team.
At the trial, the victim - who said that hurtful comments forced her to leave school - testified that on the night of the assault she was only partly conscious after drinking with the other wrestler, who also eventually left Penn State.
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In a letter to Spanier, Howard and Connie Clery of Villanova, who founded the security group after their daughter Jeanne was raped and slain at Lehigh University in 1986, wrote: "We were shocked and dismayed to hear that Penn State plans to allow a student convicted of sexually assaulting another student to graduate next month."
The Clerys, who sent copies of the letter to Gov. Schweiker and university trustees, wrote: "Your action violates your own rules, which state that you will not tolerate sexual assault, and sends a horrible message to other students that rapists, sexual deviants and sexual predators are welcome at Penn State."
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Marc Schogol's e-mail address is mschogol@phillynews.com.
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Sexual deviants? Say what?