Simple assault and harassment convictions may have two Penn students on nine months probation, but the repercussions likely won't end after that.
The two Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity members convicted last Monday also face the possibility of having to list their crimes on job applications.
College senior Martyn Griffen had alleged that the pair, College senior Kelechi Okereke and Education graduate student Lionel Anderson-Perez, beat and branded him as part of pledging activities last fall.
Though neither crime constitutes a felony, some employers ask for any instances of arrest or conviction on their job applications.
Patricia Rose, director of Career Services at Penn, said that it's hard to generalize what an employer will ask on an application, but that students should remain truthful.
"The important thing is for any job seeker to be honest," Rose said. "Any falsification could be grounds for later dismissal."
Rose also said a student should be prepared to discuss any criminal activity in an interview.
About.com, which features a job-search engine, offers similar advice, though it says only to divulge a criminal record on an application or during an interview if the employer specifically asks for it.
Luther Weaver, Okereke's attorney, said felonies usually provide the biggest obstacle to employment.
Okereke's two convictions constitute a summary offense for harassment and a third-degree misdemeanor for simple assault.
"Harassment is a summary offense on the same level as a traffic violation," Weaver said. "Simple assault is the lowest-degree misdemeanor."
Anderson-Perez's lawyers did not return calls for comment.
Still, the charges will remain on each student's criminal record unless they are expunged by a judge or if their attorneys decide to appeal the convictions.
Weaver said that he has not conferred with the Okereke family further about an appeal, but that they have until Dec. 20 to decide.
In that case, the convictions will be removed from the criminal record until the appeal is resolved.
The two students were sentenced to nine months of reporting probation, meaning that, depending on their schedules, they are required to report to a probation officer at least once a month.
According to the Adult Probation office in Philadelphia, a violation of their probation, such as having a new charge filed against them, would result in a new case being opened and a new sentence.
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