Second chances
Asa Chapman receives grace
Former Liberty University defensive lineman Asa Chapman pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges and one felony charge in a Lynchburg City Court in January. Under Virginia law, however, Chapman will be given a second chance, Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said.
Tackle — Asa Chapman tears through JMU's offense. Photo credit: Les Schofer, Promotional Publications
As a first time offender, charges against Chapman will be dropped after a period of time and the former college football star will continue on his path toward the National Football League (NFL) without a criminal record. His next scheduled court date is Feb. 3.
According to Liberty administration, the university stands behind its decision to allow Chapman to finish his schooling at Liberty in the fall of 2011. Mark Hine, a representative from the Office of Student Conduct and the senior vice president for Student Affairs, said that Liberty offers all first time offending students a second chance, if at all possible.
“Our heart is that students will change,” Hine said.
Legally, according to Falwell, the school had an obligation to continue letting Chapman attend. With some discretion, the Liberty University policy is to allow all first time offenders and those who self-report their transgressions the chance to enter a restorative justice program, come up with a plan to better themselves and to continue their education at the college.
“Asa got treated just like everybody else that has been treated under this policy. He got a second chance,” Falwell said. “The length of his suspension from the football team was the coach’s decision alone.”
The new policy, taking affect only three years ago, was a change from what the college used to have, according to Executive Vice President of Liberty University Neal Askew. Before the second chance policy was put into effect by the Office of Student Conduct, Falwell said, there was no way to weed through all of the students and determine which ones deserved forgiveness.
Most of the flack received about Chapman’s return to Liberty football, according to Falwell, came from Liberty alumni and former Liberty students who were kicked out of the school for what they believed to be a “lesser” offense.
“Times have changed, and it needed to change. That’s why you have to appreciate the Chancellor and the Office of Student Conduct realizing that and then making that change. I think that’s a huge statement to what our Christian mission is,” Askew said.
Trying to hold back his tears, Hine spoke about how the late Jerry Falwell Sr. taught him about the second chance policy that is currently in place at Liberty.
“I would meet with him in the office and I’d go over the case. ‘Mark, you’re right,’ Doc would say, ‘This kid’s gotta go.’ And he’d bring the kid in with his parents…I’d watch him melt in the chair as he listened to the story and he saw the parents’ heart and sometimes he would even say, ‘Mark, I’m not doing it for this kid, because I’m afraid this one is going to be gone within two months. I’m doing it for these parents.’ And I’d say, ‘yes sir,’ go out the door and we’d roll it out,” Hine said.
According to Falwell, the problem with the old policy was that students who gained an audience with the right administrator might receive a less severe punishment. The new policy treats everyone the same. Everyone gets a second chance if their record is clean, Falwell said.
Liberty has changed since the 1970s, Hine said, and with it so have the policies. The reasoning behind the second chances given by the Office of Student Conduct, according to Hine, is to simply offer forgiveness.
“When any of us get in trouble, what do we want? We’re not looking for justice. I don’t want justice. I’m looking for mercy. And so I want to give mercy,” Hine said.