Two UW-Madison students were fired from their positions as house fellows in Witte Hall Thursday due to a January drinking incident.
One of the house fellows, a 20-year-old junior from the Maclachlan House who wished not to be named, said she had half a drink while watching a basketball game with another house fellow. She said while no students had returned to school from Winter Break and she was not on duty, University Housing fired her for underage drinking in a university dorm. She said the other house fellow, who is 22, was fired for supplying the alcohol.
The Maclachlan house fellow said she was upset at the way University Housing handled the situation.
""I think it was such a small incident,"" she said. ""The things I've done on my floor should have spoken volumes over half a drink.""
University Housing staff did not return calls. However, a document on its website cited house fellow responsibilities such as establishing relationships with residents and abiding by University Housing rules, policies and state and federal laws.
Tyler Golembiewski, 21, said he was a house fellow in Ogg Hall. University Housing fired him in February for allegedly being intoxicated in front of residents. He said he was 20 at the time of the incident, but denies being intoxicated.
""I've always handled myself in front of my residents in the best way possible, and I was always able to maintain my duties as a house fellow,"" he said. ""My residents knew that they could count on me at any given time.""
Golembiewski said he gave all of his residents his cell phone number so they could reach him anytime, and his residents had the fewest write-ups by other house fellows than any other hall in Ogg.
The former Maclachlan house fellow said she had a great relationship with her residents and that they were very upset when she told them of her termination.
Both former house fellows said they think University Housing is acting against the residents' best interests by firing them for the drinking incidents.
""I've actually had residents tell me it's more detrimental to their college career to have somebody that they're so close to get taken away from them with a month left in school,"" the Maclachlan house fellow said.
Golembiewski suggested University Housing select house fellows in the future who refrain from drinking altogether, ""otherwise they're just going to get rid of them as soon as they can anyway,"" he said.
