By ALAN RIZZO TIMES STAFF WRITER PUBLISHED: SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 2015 AT 12:30 AM POTSDAM — After writing a letter to the state and meeting with his alma mater’s president, SUNY Potsdam alumnus David Mansor has taken his grievances about the college’s judicial process to the Web. The 2015 graduate last week created a change.org petition — called “Stop SUNY Potsdam’s Abuse of Student Rights” — arguing that many students are treated unfairly by the college’s Office of Student Conduct because they lack the information necessary to know their rights and the process. The petition, which also includes a list of suggested reforms, has gathered 583 signatures. Like Mr. Mansor, those signing the petition, such as Long Beach resident Nathan Maser, argue that college practices have led to unfairness, as well as stress and fear among students. “There is absolutely no system of checks and balances,” he said. “I have witnessed many students being forced to sign a plea bargain, when they did nothing wrong or no evidence could be brought against them, because of scare tactics and threats to the point of not receiving a diploma.” Parent Joanne Barry, Cortland, said while her daughter’s academic experience at the college was wonderful, her sorority’s experience with the Office of Student Conduct was less than ideal. “As a professional myself, and someone who investigates allegations of misconduct on the part of faculty and staff at another SUNY institution, I am well aware of due process and the rights that should be afforded to those accused of wrongdoing,” she said. “These rights were not given to my daughter and her sorority sisters. They were found guilty of unproven accusations by an accuser who embezzled thousands of dollars from their organization. They were not allowed to present a defense in any serious way, and they were personally threatened with unreasonable sanctions.” Mr. Mansor reported that so far, college leadership has not promised any action but is listening, following a meeting with SUNY Potsdam President Kristin G. Esterberg on July 20. “She was very political and very reserved, as would be expected in this situation,” he said. “She listened quite a bit, and it seemed like she was going to take the concerns seriously.” Mr. Mansor said that although she was clearly against a 12th reform to give students tried in the last 12 months a retrial based on newly defined procedures, he believes that there is enough support in the campus community for his efforts to succeed. “I know change is coming,” he said. “I know a lot of faculty at SUNY Potsdam agree and believe in this cause from firsthand experiences. I know I have a lot of support from them and a lot of my fellow students.” College officials said they are taking Mr. Mansor’s ideas seriously, and plan to reach out to other schools for guidance. “Mr. Mansor and I had a very thoughtful discussion about all aspects of our student conduct system,” Ms. Esterberg said in a recent email response. “He brought some interesting proposals to the table, which I have asked our division of student affairs team to assess. We are always open to feedback from college constituents, and I was glad to hear David’s ideas.” Media Relations Manager Alexandra J. Wilke said the college’s Division of Student Life plans to contact officials at other SUNY schools to look at best practices and seek external feedback. She said the college is is taking some of Mr. Mansor’s proposals and petition comments into consideration as part of a broader review.