A former Lincoln Hall resident assistant who was fired last week for alleged underage drinking took his case to the RA appeals board Monday.

Mike Sorensen, 20, 602 Stevenson Towers South, was removed from his RA position March 31. He also lost a job opportunity to be a senior staff member in Gilbert Hall.

“I don’t think it’s fair,” Sorensen said. “Housing is selectively enforcing the rules.”

Don Buckner, NIU student housing director, said although it is “inappropriate to comment on a personnel action,” Sorensen has three days to appeal the firing.

The appeals board—comprised of senior staff members and RAs—is headed by Michelle Emmett, University Programming and Activities director. All appeals go directly to the chairman.

“I hope housing realizes that I’m not the only one,” Sorensen said. “If this is such a big problem, they should do something about it.”

Sorensen’s case came to light when about 45 residents of his former floor slept in the hallways in protest. “I was impressed my floor was behind me,” he said.

The students spent the entire night in sleeping bags against the wall. Other RAs and senior staff members check the halls each hour.

Sorensen said housing stresses a pro-active and educational approach toward residential problems. “This sure hasn’t been a learning experience for me, by being fired,” he said.

According to Student Housing RA expectations, “the minimum expected … is the personal observance of all residence hall, university and state laws by RAs. RAs who are detected in violation of such either on or off campus are subject to dismissal from their position.”

The protest was not a problem with housing officials. “The students were expressing their concerns in an orderly manner,” Buckner said.

Emmett is at an out-of-town conference and was unavailable for comment. Lincoln Hall Director Randy Fosler also was unavailable for comment.