Body of controversy
Student says he only wanted to inform friend
Jillian Krotki
Issue date: 7/17/08 Section: News
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Webster Cook, who is a Student Government Association senator, is now facing an impeachment investigation by the rest of the Senate as a result of an affidavit filed against him due to the incident.
In response to the complaints filed against him, Cook brought hazing charges against Catholic Campus Ministry, filing with the Office of Student Conduct regarding the physical force used against him. The charges were formally dropped yesterday.
The Legislative, Judicial and Rules Committee met yesterday and voted 5-2-0 to send the complaint affidavit against Cook to SGA Senate, where it will be investigated.
During the meeting, the committee members disagreed over the significance that religion was playing into the situation. SGA Sen. Ben Collard said that the circumstances of taking the Eucharist were only hyped because it was a religious symbol.
"Should he really be impeached because he didn't eat a cracker?" Collard said.
SGA Official Anthony Furbush filed the complaint affidavit against Cook on Monday.
"I'd like to see him resign and stop wasting people's time," Furbush said after the meeting.
Cook and a friend decided to attend Mass on June 29.
"We had been there for about 45 to 50 minutes before Communion took place," Cook said. "I explained to my friend that he should not accept Communion because he is not Catholic."
Cook's friend accompanied him to the altar without accepting Communion, but Cook was going to bring the Eucharist to his seat so that his friend could see it.
"I thought I was avoiding a problem," Cook said.
Cook said the woman giving out the Eucharist grasped his elbow, and a woman next to him ordered him to eat it. According to Catholic Campus Ministry worker Michelle Ducker's statement in the affidavit, Cook pretended to consume it.
When Cook returned to his seat, Ducker realized that he had not eaten it and moved toward him. Cook said that Ducker told him that if he did not eat it, she was going to make a huge scene. According to Cook, she tried to remove the Eucharist from his hand, and he asked her to stop touching him.
UCF Associate Campus Minister Joshua Swallows asked Cook and his friend to leave. Cook said he was insulted and demanded an apology. Swallows said in his statement that he was following policy to make sure that the Eucharist was not going to be used for devil worship.