Teen expelled to protect elite Calgary school’s reputation, court told

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In order to protect the reputation of a prestigious Alberta private college, officials expelled a 16-year-old student following a relative of previous premier Peter Lougheed was outraged upon believing she had spotted the Grade 11 student allegedly engaged in an “inappropriate act” with her boyfriend in a washroom at a school dance, a court heard Wednesday.

Testifying at a $400,000 civil suit launched by the previous student and her parents against Strathcona-Tweedsmuir College, a previous principal stated it didn’t matter regardless of whether the teen was truly getting sex in the public place. It turned out adequate that a “prominent member with the community” witnessed “inappropriate behaviour” to result in removing student Julia Oram from the college.

“I felt it warranted an expulsion,” Blayne Addley told the Court of Queen’s Bench in Calgary, “It wasn’t in her ideal interest and the school’s greatest interest [that she stay].”

Ms. Oram, now 20, was kicked out of school in December 2006, three days following the Christmas formal in the swish Calgary Golf and Country Club.

She admitted in court this week that she had been drinking prior to the dance - actions that would usually result in a reprimand or achievable suspension - but simply fell ill and asked her boyfriend in the time to accompany her into the women’s washroom.

That’s when Doreen Lougheed, who is married to Mr. Lougheed’s brother, Don, and is often a member in the country club, walked in and saw the teens.

Mr. Addley told the court that he spoke with Ms. Lougheed the next day who told him she was “shocked and disgusted” by what she witnessed.

“She stated, ‘I saw her on the counter, her dress hiked up, legs apart and him in between,’” Mr. Addley recalled, adding that Ms. Lougheed “didn’t say they were getting sex.”

During a subsequent meeting with Ms. Oram, the young woman admitted she had been drinking, but denied any sexual conduct, he said.

“She acknowledged that’s what the woman would have seen, but that doesn’t mean it had been sex,” Mr. Addley said.

The court heard this week from the previous boyfriend that he was merely cleaning vomit from Ms. Oram’s shoes when Ms. Lougheed walked in. He denied touching her in any affectionate or sexual manner.

The Orams’ wrongful expulsion lawsuit argues that the teen did not break any university rules to warrant expulsion, that she wasn’t given a fair hearing and that the defendants acted “wantonly and capriciously” in expelling the teen.

The lawsuit also alleges that the episode affected the young woman’s education and embarrassed her family.

“The pressure and stigma from the wrongful expulsion have caused emotional anxiety and nervous shock to the plaintiffs,” it alleges.

Mr. Addley stated the incident at the dance “caused damage for the school’s reputation” and that there was no require for further investigation. He had spoken to both a “credible witness” and Ms. Oram had created admissions.

“As far as I was concerned it had been inappropriate behaviour for a student,” he explained.

“Whether it had been sex or not ... to this day I don’t know no matter whether it turned out.”