BlinkOnCrime.com Editorial: UVA Violated The Jeanne Clery Act AND Failed To Report Another Sex Crime
Charlottesville, VA– Late Tuesday evening, prompted by questions by the Editor In Chief of blinkoncrime.com about a recent rape which occurred at the DZ sorority on Chancellor Street, The University of Virginia sent out an alert to students.
However, as required of UVA by the Clery Act, the alert was 10 days late. Charlottesville Police recorded a police report of a forcible rape on September 17, 2010.
The Jeanne Clery Act, founded by her parents, Howard and Connie Clery, is a Federal Law applicable to all Higher Learning Institutions that participate in Federal funding assistance which requires mandatory reporting for specified crimes.
Constance and Howard Clery founders of Security ON Campus, Inc. after their 19 year old daughter Jeanne was brutally raped, tortured and murdered while sleeping in her dorm on April 5, 1986.
Fellow Lehigh University co-eds propped 3 different doors open, in violation of security rules, unknowingly allowing her killer access.
The bill which became a Federal law, was based on the fact that 38 different violent offenses occurred at Lehigh U that the student body was never made aware of prior to Clery’s murder. Had they been, it is almost certain not only would the automatic locking doors have been inaccessible, but parents and students combined would have demanded security upgrades to prevent such a heinous event.
Following the email that went to 23,000 students at 11:01 PM September 28, Allen Groves, Dean of Students, and Lt. Melissa Fielding of the University Police Department, held an impromptu press conference Wednesday, as a follow up to the email alert with some additional background information.
PART 2
Time line Breakdown
9–17 1:15am UVA student attacked from behind, raped and beaten on Delta Zeta House, Chancellor Street.
9-17 Noon- Email Equivalent to “Whisper Down the Rotunda” Begins:
Received a third party email, NOT from the victim, indicating a stranger attack had occurred to a sister, as previously reported at blinkoncrime.com, at DZ House on Chancellor St. We forwarded that on to our endless list of associate deans. They called the Sorority president for more information so that we might begin “acting upon it”.
9–18 Additional Sexual Assault Occurs At Fraternity on Madison Lane 3AM
*Unreported To Students To Date*
9–18 A Robbery Occurs During the Course of Above, Same Frat 3AM
*Unreported To Students To Date*
9–19 A Breaking And Entering Occurs, Undisclosed Sorority House, Chancellor St
*Unreported To Students To Date*
9-20 Associate Dean reaches out directly to the victim to ..”get the details of the attack and also to assist the student. No contact made with victim.
9–20 Associate Deans Office receives call from a female student’s Mother that her daughter was nearly sexually assaulted in a pantry at a Fraternity party at approximately midnight, September 18. Add additionally, Groves speaks to a man claiming to be assaulted due to his sexual preference, which would be considered a hate crime, also reportable under the Clery Act. According to Groves and Fielding no police report has been filed. (Editors Note: If this took place at the same “undisclosed frat” as the 3am forcible fondling and robbery incidents– Is this the same perp? So he never fled the scene? So, we have 2 incidents that have Charlottesville PD police reports, one of a sex crime in nature, and an additional attempted sex crime reported directly to administration on 9/20 within a three hour span, at either the same fraternity, or a neighboring one, and it takes 8 days to notify anyone, and they still have not interviewed anyone at the “undisclosed” frat regarding the incidents?
9-21 Internal Meeting about the 9/17 forcible rape but to UVA, they are “unclear” sex assault occurs, still no contact with, or direct information with the victim. ( Editors Note: Groves says Charlottesville PD has still not classified the incident as a sex assault. (Editors Note: This is ludicrous and utter bs. The report specifically states “forcible rape”. I can tell you as an absolute fact, that members of the sorority AS WELL AS the other sororities on Chancellor sent emails back and forth to alert each other which specifically included details of the assault).
9-21 Associate Dean contacts Cville PD. Was told .. Yes, investigating the incident, but would not be in a position to disclose whether there had been an assault or sexual assault also, at that point. We then conferred with the university police to see if there was anything they could tell us so that we could determine whether or not a sex assault occurred in that setting.
9-23 Sorority Meeting held, without the victim, to discuss outreach opportunities.
9-27 First time Associate dean heard directly from the victim in response to the outreach efforts, first time she was in a position to come forward (out of hospital). Victim had to cancel and has rescheduled.
9-28 “.. Certainly by last evening… after conferring with Lt. Fielding and others I felt we had enough information.. Even though to my knowledge Charlottesville Police have not classified this as a sexual assault..” but we believe we had enough, even though it was not our investigation, it was Charlottesville Police responsibility to alert..” (Editors Note: Not a syllable about the email I sent to Ms. Wood, who was unaware of the incident, and very responsive to me. The alert went out at 11:01 PM, 45 minutes after our article regarding same, was published. In this editors opinion, there were no plans whatsoever to alert students until I requested a comment, specifying it was to be included in the piece we were finishing regarding the fact that the rape had not yet been disclosed as an alert, as required by the Clery Act. This was done to balance what was certain to be seen as a scandalous announcement in the wake of Morgan Harrington and Yeardley Love murders, and days after the University’s “Day of Dialogue.” I felt they should certainly be offered an opportunity to address the issue from their perspective, the email was their response to that invitation).
Clearly A Clery Violation… Again
The Articles for reporting within the Clery Act are unambiguous. While I understand the need to alert students and parents with credible and useful information, this is not for UVA officials to decide unilaterally. In fact, it is not for them to ever need to “corroborate” or interview a victim regarding the details of any crime committed against them as identified in the Clery Act for UVA to observe the requirements of them under the Federal law.
In short, they have their own police. They have their “online form”. They have Charlottesville PD police report direct feed.
In 2004, The Board of Education found that UVA violated the Clery Act by requiring a rape victim to sign a confidentiality agreement, but gave them a pass by not imposing sanctions because there was some confusion as to the reporting rules and protocol. UVA was informed they will be assessed a $27,500 sanction fee for any future violations.
As I am certain many of you are over my bloviations about the subject, and in the interest of disclosure, I have personal ties to Lehigh University.
Also in the interest of disclosure, I am embarrassed to say that I was not aware that Ms. Clery’s murder occurred there until researching the Clery Act.
Some Posts from members of your local community for consumption, I will be updating poignant comments.
Blinkoncrime.com Poster Starbucks:
Regarding the “off grounds” issue, I’m sorry but I find University’s excuses in this area ludicrous and totally disingenuous.
The Clery Act, passed in 1990, unambiguously provides that its reporting requirements are not limited to crimes occurring on campus/”Grounds.” The University has had twenty years to figure out how to comply with this law, and yet its officials act as dumbfounded as ever. One would think that UVA is the only school in the nation with a significant portion of its student body living off campus/Grounds, but in close proximity to the University. Of course, this situation is commonplace.
If UVA is having such a difficult time dealing with the “off grounds” issue, I suggest that President Sullivan get in contact with the appropriate officials at her previous institutions. Sullivan spent most of her career at the University of Texas where 80% of its undergraduate student body lives off campus, as opposed to 57% at UVA. She then spent about four years at the University of Michigan where 37% of its undergraduates live off campus. There is no need to reinvent the wheel here; if UVA officials can’t figure out how to report crimes occurring near its campus, they should go study how other universities are dealing with this perplexing problem.
The implication that there is no communication between the Charlottesville Police and the UVA police/campus officials simply stretches the bounds of credulity.
UVA is required by the Clery Act to provide:
(C) A statement of current policies concerning campus law enforcement, including—
(ii) the working relationship of campus security personnel with State and local law enforcement agencies, including whether the institution has agreements with such agencies, such as written memoranda of understanding, for the investigation of alleged criminal offenses; and
(iii) policies which encourage accurate and prompt reporting of all crimes to the campus police and the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
I can’t seem to find UVA’s policies in this area. I challenge the University to prominently publish all of the required Clery Act policy statements on its website.
UVA is on notice:
“This determination finds that the University violated the Clery Act. However, as was noted in our July 2004 Final Determination in another case, there was apparent confusion in the higher education community regarding the intersection of the disclosure requirement under the Clery Act and the strictures of FERPA. For this reason, the Department will not impose any fines or other sanctions at this time. However, UVA is advised that any subsequent violations of the Clery Act will result in a referral for the imposition of a civil penalty up to $27,500 per infraction.”
http://federalstudentaid.ed.gov/datacenter/cleryact/uva/UVAProgramReviewReport11032008.pdf
So please UVA, stop the excuses and clean up your act now.
Madeline Tanner, Elizabeth Morton, contributing editors
Images, Youtube upload by Klaasend
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If UVA needs help knowing when crimes are reported “off grounds,” assuming the cville police don’t fill them in, perhaps Blink could run a daily Crimeview update for the area for them and send it on over. The auto-mapping and date filtering features are a big help.
It’s great that the sororities tried to “outreach,” but that should be back-up support and information, not a primary source.
Thanks for this article. I absolutely can NOT believe that UVA has not put this out there.
Why are we picking on UVA, when other schools have problems? I honestly believe that Morgan is motivating us.
In case this link has not been posted:
http://charlottesville.va.crimeviewcommunity.com/
[...] Read the rest at Blink on Crime: Share This [...]
No beating around the bush with that headline! Way to back it up, too!
Sorry for another post. But I just noticed the “cyberwatch” feature on the Charlottesvlle PD crimeview site. Just sign up and the system will e-mail you about the requested times of crimes when they are posted. Which seems to be quickly.
Maybe UVA should contract with them for their Clery Act reporting.
Uva is required to have a publicly accessible crime log. Anyone know where that is?
B
President Sullivan:
It is time. I do not know whom UVa uses for PR advisement, but things have not gone well. The community needs you to speak, and you need to give advance notice so all can listen.
Whatever you say must be scrupulously honest and well researched (e.g., understand that the Charlottesville PD records are public, and the discrepancies with what Dean Groves said are out there for all to see). I am afraid you have not been given enough information and history, and it’s time to seek it yourself.
You must address Yeardley’s and Morgan’s legacies and lessons learned. At this point and in my opinion they seem forsaken; the Day of Dialogue and plaque for Morgan feel insincere. If you expect student openness, you must model it.
You must present a mea culpa to earn the respect and ears of parents, students, and area citizens. The University is fallible, people are angry, and you must acknowledge it.
In that vein, you must acknowledge UVa’s difficult history on this topic and make a break from it. We all studied your background; we know of your interest in women’s studies and sociology and hoped the month of September might have gone differently. It is unfortunate it didn’t already happen, but it is never too late to acknowledge mistakes of the past and break from them.
Watching and waiting. Again, my heart is with this community and, in particular, the victims and their parents.
Please keep “bloviating” away.
UVA crime log (I looked it up the other day.) Not quite as prominently displayed as at some schools.
http://www.virginia.edu/uvapolice/reports.html
I think that only covers UVA reports, no?
I did not see the 9/17 rape covered by Cville PD
I think this is their crime log:
http://www.virginia.edu/uvapolice/reports.html
Blink said: Uva is required to have a publicly accessible crime log. Anyone know where that is?
Well if they put a link to your site Blink – I guess they could say it’s right here.
Blink,
In instances such as this, who should file lawsuits against the school for violating the Clery Act?
Have you spoken to the Board of Education or President Sullivan?
I wish more people could read this article. Very disturbing. I am saddened that this victim’s friends didn’t contact the local PD sooner. Is the hospital required to notify LE when a rape victim is admitted?
I am so sorry for these girls for what they have been through, but I am also confused as to why none of her sorority sisters contacted LE or school officials.
Follow the link to Security on Campus, in the article. Any citizen can file a claim, and they will help you through it if you require.
B
OMG; Dean Allen’s address; so many associate Deans contacted; so little information learned. Was he contacting the wrong individuals to investigate what happened!?
BLINK – what else is there to say besides YOU ROCK!!!!!!
Morgan Harrington’s abduction/murder should have been the springboard for many, many changes AROUND AND ON the campus of UVA. You would certainly think Charlottesville LE and the College Police would be on guard – especially with the beginning of a new school year. I think the entire system has failed its students all for the sake of reputation. Shame, shame, shame. Blink, you have done a great job exposing this. If nothing else, I hope to goodness something positive can come of Morgan Harrington’s senseless murder and countless other crimes – it’s never too late to make good of bad.
lizzy says:
October 1, 2010 at 11:57 am
Why are we picking on UVA, when other schools have problems? I honestly believe that Morgan is motivating us.
———————————————-
I agree. This EXACT SAME BS (minus murder) was going on in the 70s when I was at university in OH. UVa is in the hot seat because of the murders (and Blink, to a lesser degree). That UVa is not doing better, given the events of the past year, is very telling.
This world needs a few thousand more “Blinks” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Matter of a fact.. Im havin my button made today!! “Blink for President”!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ty, but hardly. Like most, we are just trying to not get to another Morgan or Yeardley, or a hundred other names you could insert.
I think if nothing else, if this issue is not dealt with immediately, you are going to see more folks empower themselves to come forward about similar circumstances.
My advice, borrowed from Elanor Roosevelt:
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.
B
Blink,
I just read your response to Allen Groves on the previous thread.
If you can, please bring it over to this one, so that no one misses it.
While I am impressed that Mr. Groves had the decency to post on your site, your response was right on target. He, and every other school official must show that they truly care enough about the students to react first. Mama bears see a threat and they attack first, they don’t sit around to verify the stranger is a threat or not. This school is educating a lot of cubs and their parents would appreciate knowing that their children are being protected.
Education is key. There needs to be more public awareness, more administrative presence and the new president needs to represent that Mama bear and dictate to her team, this determination that not one of these students in her care will ever have to go through what Morgan, Yeardley and now these girls (and guy) had to go through.
Thank you for your determination to bring evil to light.
Yes. here you go, Dean Groves, and my response in bold:
AWG says:
October 1, 2010 at 10:36 am )
A friend brought this site to my attention. While it may be unusual for someone in my position to engage folks via a blog, I am always in favor of more information being available rather than less. I also think that many of the questions you have asked are fair ones.
Prior to the press conference on Wednesday, I was told that the media’s primary question was the timing of the e-mail safety alert I had sent to students the previous evening. I thus focused my comments on giving as much detail as I had on the day-by-day development of facts, in particular how I ultimately came to believe that an alert could be sent with some confidence in the accuracy of what we were saying to students. In hindsight, I can see how some might reasonably interpret that approach as defensive or unduly “administrative” in nature. Again, my objective was simply to provide detail on the primary subject I had been asked to address for the media. It would have been preferable to lead with an expression of the frustration, anger and concern I have regarding what had occurred and what we were doing to support the victims.
I understand the frustration that some feel with our use of “on Grounds” and “off Grounds” at U.Va., believing that our use of those terms is meant to avoid responsibility for events occurring off of the campus. However, the only reason we use such language — and similar phrases such as “Rugby”, “the Corner,” “Wertland,” etc. — is that our students understand that language and it helps them quickly know the specific areas we are discussing. At no time have I ever considered a matter less serious or severe because it occurred off Grounds. Indeed, more of my students live off Grounds than on Grounds, so it is irrelevant from my perspective whether a crime of violence occurs on or off Grounds. Each year, I ride around with University Police in the joint patrol area we have with Charlottesville Police specifically to get a feel for what is happening in the off Grounds living areas for our students. The objective is to make any area in which our students live as safe as possible, without regard to whether or not we own it. I have a staff member who regularly engages landlords on enhanced lighting, lowering shrubs, and other steps we believe will better protect students living in private housing.
Support for specific victims is our primary objective in these cases, and I should have been clearer in noting what we have tried to do in each case. My staff understands that we are not to pressure any victim to come forward if they are not ready to do so, and in these two cases, we were very mindful of the fact that these women needed to drive the timeline on their own comfort level. We extended contact information on the Women’s Center, Counseling Services in Student Health, local organizations such as SARA, the University Police officer specifically trained to assist in such cases, and my office. I should have been much clearer in the press conference in making this distinction apparent.
The challenge in each of these cases is knowing when you have adequate facts to notify the broad student community of a safety concern. For example, in the pantry/closet assault on Sept. 19, we still do not know where it occurred or the names of any possible witnesses, despite various outreach efforts. It has also never been reported to the police by anyone present (which is certainly their right). Nonetheless, we decided that enough was known to feel confident including it in the alert. I recognize that reasonable people can disagree in good faith on when and how to act in such cases.
The Sept. 16-17 assault in the Chancellor Street area has resulted in more information being obtained from a variety of sources, although initial reports were conflicting and some ultimately proved to be inaccurate in certain respects in the days that followed. Many facts remain unknown to us, although I know that the CPD is actively working the case. For example, this blog states that the assault occurred at a sorority house, but the information we have is that the victim may have been assaulted elsewhere. In truth, we simply do not know for certain at this point, but we came to believe that enough was known to warrant a safety alert by me and to categorize the assault as having taken place in the Chancellor Street area.
I am glad that more and more people view rape and sexual assault as an exceptionally serious issue on college and university campuses nationwide. Quite honestly, just one is too many. I attended a day long program in Richmond recently put on by the Washington, DC group “Men Can Stop Rape,” and I am encouraged by efforts to begin addressing this issue with young men prior to college age, while also reinforcing it once they are here. That may ultimately prove to be among the most effective prevention strategies we have. I can state that since becoming Dean four years ago, I have worked to build trust with our students regarding the University’s commitment to address these crimes whenever they may occur.
I may not be able to check back with you on this blog as my hands are pretty full right now, but I did want to respond to what I felt were some reasonable questions many of you were asking. I also do not mind criticism, as I believe it both comes with a high profile position and also provides opportunities for constructive feedback to me.
I wish each of you the very best.
Allen Groves, Dean of Students, University of Virginia
Mr. Groves-
Thank you for addressing this issue directly with me, and the readers and contributors at blinkoncrime.com.
I want to say that from my perspective, I am only “about” constructive feedback, when it is taken as such.
To me, that means both parties viewed same as both constructive and impactful enough to exact action.
With much respect, I am not seeing that with regard to the overall attitude regarding safety, and admittedly especially of young women, at UVA.
I say UVA because as you have read, the “off grounds” discussion is misleading and in some cases, to be frank, inappropriate as I have seen it referenced in both the Morgan Harrington and Yeardley Love cases.
I really believe, and I cop to a former PR career in an unrelated field, that Dr. Sullivan has made commitments associated with this subject matter that need to be addressed in light of these unreported criminal acts, not a counsel-based blather that attempts to put UVA in compliance with the Clery Act because it never had direct contact with a victim until 9/27.
That is completely irrelevant to the reporting requirements, and as you will note in the next piece, there is another sex crime report that has been missed, at a minimum, which seems to have occurred after the young woman who was accosted in the pantry, perhaps even in the same frat.
To say that the frat has not been identified, to say that it is unclear where the rape from 9/17/10 occurred when that sorority and a nearby fraternity all emailed back and forth warning each other about it, outlining exactly where it happened, is disingenuous, and I feel that word is mild.
Were you put in a position to address these issues publicly without proper coaching or information?
I don’t know. What I used to tell my clients was to ask the viewers for feedback, and I daresay your getting that in spades.
Do you really think that any female student watching your conference walked away without feeling she hopes to God it never happens to her but if it did, no way would I go to Groves office?
I apologize if that seems harsh, but again, I do have a solid network of students and their parents who have expressed their similar sentiments to me privately. For the record, I always encourage them to address same with your office personally.
Having spoken off the record to some officials in The Dept of Education, on the surface, this is a Clery violation, period. I admit that determination would be subject to their decision upon evaluation of a formal complaint.
The bottom line here, is safety.
Only you know who the right individual is at UVA that can preform an accurate risk vs. reward assessment and deliver that outcome effectively, but I offer that initiative is of the essence.
There is no “perception” value that outweighs that of a person’s life and I fear if that is not the foundation of future responses to what amounts to a crisis, and therefor students are at immediate risk.
Respectfully Submitted-
Editor In Chief, blinkoncrime.com
Blink – Do you ever fear for your life when you write an article like this? (and many of your others)
BRAVO!!
I am not sure this answers your question but I do have my own locker badge at the range, I visit pretty often, lol.
Seriously, there is no clandestine information here. The confidential stuff never sees the blog, not how I roll.
I truly believe that people that can get to a level of understanding that what happened to these women can happen to our daughters- predators do not discriminate when given an opportunity, that you must act preventatively until the rest of the folks with their head in the sand come around.
Personally, I am a little surprised that more parents are not lined up outside Sullivan and Groves offices today.
Are y’all so sure your daughter is not at risk?
I completely agree that historically UVA is an impressive resume “tag” for a graduate.
Not so much when contained in an obituary.
B
What the he!!
ANOTHER attack?????
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/104151973.html
October 1, 2010
Charlottesville Police are investigating a report of an attempted robbery against a female University of Virginia student that occurred around 1am Friday morning on Elliewood Avenue, near the UVa. corner.
The victim reported she was walking alone on Elliewood Ave. when she was accosted by an African-American male who searched her pockets and asked for money and credit cards.
The suspect then attempted to walk the female student toward the Bank of America branch on the University corner. However, the suspect and victim encountered a group of people, and the suspect fled toward Chancellor Street.
The suspect is described as an African-American male in his early 20s, between 6’1″ and 6’2″. He was wearing a blue zip-up sweatshirt, gray sweat pants and tennis shoes.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call Crime stoppers at 434-977-4000.
I apologize for being off topic!
Blink, I do not know where to post this. So, I am posting here.
I’ll move it to where ever you want.
“George says:
September 12, 2010 at 10:34 am
Anyone have any insight on illegal drug use at the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, or James Madison or the extent of methamphetamine labs in Albemarle or surrounding counties?”
George, that post of yours has been pestering me for a long time.
I did research and found this. I don’t know if this is what you’re looking for but back in 2003, former Attorney General Janet Reno, dubbed Harrisonburg the…
“Methamphetamine Capital of the East Coast.”
All during the 1990′s.
It seems it had something to do with the amount of illegals in town due to poultry processing and the seclusion that locals had available in farms back in the woods. Police weren’t going into these spots and well, it wasn’t until the citizens of this town started having problems did Hburg receive help.
I believe there is an FBI Gang Task Force Member with our own local LE.
Yes gangs, we also have gangs in this town.
These gangs initiate in many different ways.
One being a suspected initiation by abducting and raping an 18 year old student last year.
No, not proven but you can read the story at WHSV. Many around town believe that this is exactly what happened.
No proof just rumor and speculation. Even hesitated putting it on here but as we are all adults we can choose what we want to believe or not.
Here I’ll link…
http://www.whsv.com/home/headlines/81496727.html
My point is George, without successful apprehension we have no way of knowing the who and the why.
Are the two connected in any way? I have not a clue.
I believe that every city in the US of A has problems and you have your head stuck in the sand if one does not think so. I hope that there are snitches out here that help the police. I hope that the police are able to be supported by fellow officers who have the drive and determination to do the right thing. Always!
The alternative is corruption.
Yes, like MsL said, there are some “bad cops” but I’m gonna believe that the good outweigh the bad on any given day.
This is why I support them!
It is a tough job, sometimes thankless and difficult like having to tell parents their child is gone.
I think MsL reminded me of this about my own dad and that state trooper who held him when he told him about my sister.
(MsL, never said thanks but you helped me remember my dad has feelings that he buries)
So when they come into my kids schools and teach them a thing or two about doing the right thing, don’t do drugs, make good choices…I’m happy with that. Start early and start often. Even again in high school and college!
I couldn’t do their job. I wouldn’t want too.
I just know that given the chance a great majority want what we want. Safer streets, safer schools, and safer communities in general.
I hope that answered your question.
Albemarle or Rockingham; any county, anywhere in the USA.
“I think that only covers UVA reports, no?
I did not see the 9/17 rape covered by Cville PD”
And therein lies the problem. Perhaps UVA has a legal opinion stating that they only have to report crimes occurring “on Grounds.” If so, I’m not sure how they arrive at that conclusion, but they keep making that distinction.
Not according to the Clery Act, from those I have spoken to, since it’s amendments took hold July 1st in this year, after being amended due to the VT shooting in 2008, the law is simply not as “interpretable” as some would have you think.
B
I think that the university should implement a temporary curfew as most of these crimes are are being perpetrated in the early a.m.; and, it should include university property as well as quasi-university grounds, e.g. Greek housing, private quarters within a .25 mile radius, or any other university affiliated property. The UVA DPS and Charlottesville police should work in concert on this and hold a town hall meeting to address this crisis if they can stop worrying about liability/image (of course, there’s obvious irony there) long enough to prioritize their students’ personal safety. It’s not just a UVA issue, it’s a city-wide issue (and evidently state/ nationwide issue). Violators are indiscriminate when it comes to jurisdiction.
I am astounded, after reading about these attacks, that students are still walking alone after hours. This is the age we live in. We’re not in Mayberry any more and Ernest T. Bass isn’t the biggest nuisance in town. Students and non-students, you need to stick together in groups.
Absolutely.
I see someone already posted, but the UVA Crime log:
http://www.virginia.edu/uvapolice/reports.html
The Cville PD links to the following crime log: http://charlottesville.va.crimeviewcommunity.com/
Albemarle Police link to:
http://www.crimereports.com/
Do each of these systems have the same data?
It appears as if the different departments do not share information; almost like they are in a silo although there are many overlaps in georgraphical coverage.
Unbelievable. Fantastic review of events, did you cc a copy to Ms. Wood?
Add to this horror, the reported 10/1 report! The guy they picked up yesterday, is he still in custody? I hate to say it, but since there hadn’t been this frequency of assaults during the summer, can this be a student?
So where does this stand? Any further outreach by the school? And here we are on a Friday night, oh my……..
Great job Blink
These people are playing “cover up” as hard as they can. Put the light of day on their refusal to do what the law requires as well as their shirking of moral responsibility to the students and their families.
All these assistant deans getting in the mix rather than having a victums advocate immediately contact the victim and their parents tells me that they cannot successfully run the personal safety side of the campus and its immediate environs.
This is a good article that should be released to the local media.
Personally, I have a problem with “an advocate” being a UVA person. I think an outside agency, neutral, should be charged with such a responsibility. I also do not believe UVA PD should investigate any crimes related to UVA. Or, is that happening?
B
A group of parents with students attending the university need to get together and make a visit to the Governers office along with an attorney and media.
If a concerned crimewriter can get as much done in a few hours as Blink and her team, this shows me that UVA personell are NOT qualified to perform the tasks associated with safety of the campus.
Has anyone been in contact with the group that has the website uvavictumsofrape.com? They may have some ideas of how to move this propblem to where it needs to be in the public awareness.
Oops, I see you have had some communication with the school. Glad to hear it. Do you suppose they didnt know about the incident on the 18th or that was an incident without enough information?
I don’t know E. It was not until we were able to confirm that there was definitely a police report filed that we know it was not the midnight incident. That to date, does not have a police report.
B
Carol says:
October 1, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Blink – Do you ever fear for your life when you write an article like this? (and many of your others)…….
Blink – Thank you so much. You have helped me greatly in understanding personal safety and how to keep our kids safer. I have bought and read The Gift of Fear. My 24 yo daughter read it, and her friends are now reading it.
Jane
Your question about the other girls not coming forward is a puzzler.
Do they know who the perp is and are afraid because they will not get any help from the school? If you know something about the history over the last twenty years or so, you could clearly understand their reluctance.
In my opinion, the school has NOT provided a “safe haven” for girls, but have tried to protect a reputation even to the point of allowing a known athlete to commit repeated rapes without any but the slighest of punishments. That guy is still walking around a free man when in reality he should have been locked up forever years ago.
Will this turn out to be the type of scandal that was posted here by the mother of an Air Force Academy student where the victim was forced to do punishment tours on the line with a rifle. That one took years to resolve and finally some Air Force Brass lost their jobs. Only time will tell.
The general public needs to come to the understanding that colleges and universities are not a part of the real world most of the time. Only occasionally will they get a taste of reality. When parents wake up to this fact, we will see massive changes in attitude and how education is delivered.
Blink
I agree one hundred per cent on your comment.
It is very clear to me that until that is done just as your comment, there will not be substantial progress made.
Not being sarcastic, but I don’t believe they know about the crime logs being available on the internet.
I agree with you anotherB, up until 9/22/10, when the spotcrime feed stopped carrying Cville.
What do we make of that?
B
FYI that guy Arnold arrested yesterday for the ATM/fondling incident is still in custody. Cross him off the suspect list for last night’s events.
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/104081744.html
Additionally, while looking at above, I see another article out about the continued missing Orange girl. Once again, snide remarks that she is not rich tall and blond being the reason for her under reported plight. Sigh.
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/103215384.html
Blink,
I really like your tone with Dean Groves. I think you were very fair yet matter-of-fact and consistent with the message you’ve had on here since I’ve been reading and “contributing”- nicely done. I think any parent of a UVA student or of any young person, would agree with you on these points, unless if they are worried about perception themselves.
To Dean Grove’s credit as pointed out by a BOC editor today, I do feel he is aware he probably did not come across as he had intended yesterday.
I felt like I was under the desk of his boss eavesdropping after he was called in for an emergency briefing.
Part of me is not entirely sure he was not set up to fail- it has been done before, I assure you.
Again, I respect that he addressed the issue again today, but from a big picture perspective, and I say this with no disrespect toward him or his office, he is but a ripple in this pond.
B
Fish,
Thanks for the reply. I was looking for a possible drug connection between the David Metzler/Heidi Child murders in the Jefferson National Forest and that of Morgan Harrington. Not that the students were involved directly, but they got caught up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I lived in Miami for a while working for an airline and murders like the Metzler/Child killings were almost common in south Florida. I think those two may have witnessed something or someone involved in the drug trade and were silenced. Local law enforcement immediately implying it was just a random act of violence by a deranged individual is not very convincing. With Morgan it would seem likely that whoever inflicted such grievous injuries was “hopped-up” on some kind of very potent drug. However the placement of her body seems to have been by someone under complete control of themselves as a warning to a specific person or persons. Very puzzling.
31.anotherB says:
October 1, 2010 at 7:34 pm
Not being sarcastic, but I don’t believe they know about the crime logs being available on the internet.
I agree with you anotherB, up until 9/22/10, when the spotcrime feed stopped carrying Cville.
What do we make of that?
B
****************
So you all are saying UVA stopped carrying the Charlottesville spotcrime feed on their webpage 9/22?
Hum….So a pattern could not be discovered? Whatever the reasoning, it is a terribly poor choice and certainly not with the tone that their office promises to promote.
E- I don’t know who pulled the plug, but there are other areas and counties in full participation and are up to date.
B
fish says:
October 1, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Dear Dean Groves:
CentVA Native Away says:
October 1, 2010 at 3:23 pm
~~~
Although we were on separate threads, look at what we both thought of about the same time!
A curfew.
How is it that we are all thinking along the same lines but others are not?
A curfew…absolutely for the time being and no, it won’t help with the assaults that are happening during other times of the day but it will go along way to help keep some of our young safe.
~~~
Joeamerica says:
September 23, 2010 at 1:06 pm
“Sandra Cantu led me to this site. How could a parent see that skipping girl and not want to find out if the internet can help fight this battle?
You are doing it right Blink, figuring it out as you go, and having an impact on investigations in a positive manner. You have attracted a group of smart people (and a few …..). Stay the Course.”
Blink and team! Remembered Joe’s post and thought that we all needed to hear this part again! I can honestly say that he speaks for me!
Thank you Joe, I couldn’t have said it any better, any clearer, any louder!
Blink, thank you for your guidance. I’m still consuming the rest of Joe’s post. If you don’t mind can I ask you about the razor thing again and what I should have looked at from the get-go?
We all want justice for this girl.
Skipping girls unite!
Occam’s Razor- the simplest solution is the answer.
It is my personal opinion, when there are arrests in this case, it will be of someone who observed Morgan and her friends, again came into contact with her outside, and was witnessed until such time she hit Lanigan’s dimly lit area. In other words, there is not going to be a Perry Mason moment in this case, he was outside the arena and lot, and seen by others.
Witness descriptions do not provide probable cause for murder cases, evidence does.
B
B
Oooh, that is odd.
Listen, there is something on my mind. I am sure this is nothing, but I must relieve myself by sharing it with you, lol.
Does it bother you at all if I tell you a certain somebody who regularly updates the world with mundane tidbits, did not post anything at all on all the days in question? Including the day of the 14yo? I know the suspects description vary, but it was just something that came over me and I can’t shake it. That along with discovering he had a porno phone call charge in addition to the assault. Tell me it’s inmpossible.
There are actually 2 with the porn calls, cousins.
Not sure which your referring to.
B
WOW! This says to me that UVA is more concerned about the reputation of it’s university than it is about the safety of it’s students.
Thank you for writing this article. I hope the word is spread.
If the VSP cannot get this community straight, then close UVA down, until it can get it straight. If I had a child attending this college, she would have long been gone- to a community college near home. And NO- nothing has happened at any of our community colleges. Just my opinion.
thank you for all you do Blink
There are actually 2 with the porn calls, cousins.
Not sure which your referring to.
B
&&&&&&&&&&&&
How nice. Referring to AT. By chance, who is his mother and is she living?
She is.
Secretary Sands Rd.
Cuz is MW, same charge, same day.
b
Ugh, thanks.
Dean Groves’ response to the public and this forum in particular is the same drivel we received from the various commanders, staff and general officer at the Air Force Academy after our daughter’s rape. The entire staff was puffed up with excuses and rationalizations about why things were being handled the way they were, the wonderful counseling programs they had in place for the victims and a great deal of emphasis on our daughter’s own blame and responsibility in the rape. But absolutely no hint of a promise of proactive plans for prevention or changes is their overall policies. (As I explained in my earlier post they thought it was a giant concession when they finally allowed the cadets to lock their doors.)
No significant changes were made until the media broke the news. It took the public outcry to fix the problem. . . and I thank Blink and everyone here for shining the light on our Shiny Girl and the injustice that was done to her. You all are accomplishing much, much more than you realize!
The students are always going to be the same from generation to generation. They leave us fresh and eager, full of innocence, excitement and hope. No matter how much we parents counsel them they are not yet fully aware of all of the dangers of the real world. This will always remain a constant.
So what should change then? A good place to start would be to provide a safer learning environment. One that puts more energy into a focus on protection than cover up, one that values each student more than the university’s reputation, one that has an immediate reaction when there is a problem. If our educators continue to value their public reputation more than our children’s safety we will continue to lose more and more of our bright children. It is the staff and their policies that must change. As A Texas Grandfather said it is their “moral responsibility to the students and their families.”
Dean Grant has tried to help us understand how proactive he’s been by riding around to look at the off campus rentals and checked for lighting and overgrown bushes. While I commend him for this I cannot help but ask him how this seems to be working out for him. In his reply I see absolutely no plans for changes in any policy at all. All I see is a lot of rationalization about what he’s done, excuses and offers of counseling. But no promise or even indication of plans to change any policies.
This is the exact same global attitude we ran into at the Academy . . . and I’m thinking it won’t change until the staff attitude changes.
Keep the light shining!
I have a dear colleague that was a respected investigative journalist for years. He spearheaded a National investigation into violence, sex assaults, and similar crimes within the military that cost his employer somewhere in the neighborhood of $300K to work on, for months.
They were in the final stages of the report which was actually large enough to be a series by that time.
It was due out right around the first few months after September 11, 2000.
Responding to their advertisers that the issue was now going to be considered anti-patriotic and pulling the plug, he left the business entirely with 2 young children in defiance.
He felt his journalistic integrity was breached, and with some of the subject matter, the changes he now felt passionate about that needed to be addressed, would not even be known.
That’s the reality.
As an aside, I am glad to know him, and appreciate his efforts whenever he can.
B
Catching up on the morning news:
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/104188803.html
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/104178029.html
fish says:
So let us in and let us help.
I’m not even a UVA parent but friends on this board are.
And there are local Cville friends, I’ve never met but I would be there for them.
MsL, localcvillegirl, Lee, RedHill, & others…
Thanks fish, old friend, for the above. This site has become an increasingly hostile place for locals, even when we’re trying to stay objective and be helpful to the conversation. Notice you don’t see many of us around any more.
I, like many, came here because of Morgan Harrington. I still mourn her death as if she were my own child…she was taken from our streets and brutally murdered, and I have no way of bringing her back. I’m not sure I can even describe the pain, guilt, and sorrow that I feel for Alex, Dan, and Gil. She will always be on my mind.
Peace out everybody.
localcvillegirl-
I certainly hope no local would feel hostility here. The only people I wish to feel hostility here are the bad guys.
This hits close to home in such an extrordinary community, where the University is not just a school but a generational culture and icon. I get that. But, in general, I think in the face of that locals are to be commended for seeking justice for Morgan in their backyards, not condemned for it.
I will be vigilant to look out for any message here that reads differently, thank you for sharing your feelings on the issue.
B
George and Fish I am finding your discussion quite interesting.
I too spent some time trying to find a connection between the killings.
Both Morgan and Heidi were beautiful blonds that attended VTech. Heidi’s father was LE and Morgans father a doctor.
Both young ladies lived off campas in apartment style housing. Both were in good families and were loved dearly.
Heidi had a boyfriend that was murdered also.
I am wondering if any of the other posters have any other information on the two young ladies.
I find this an interesting process.
34.George says:
October 1, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Fish,
Thanks for the reply. I was looking for a possible drug connection between the David Metzler/Heidi Child murders in the Jefferson National Forest and that of Morgan Harrington. Not that the students were involved directly, but they got caught up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I lived in Miami for a while working for an airline and murders like the Metzler/Child killings were almost common in south Florida. I think those two may have witnessed something or someone involved in the drug trade and were silenced. Local law enforcement immediately implying it was just a random act of violence by a deranged individual is not very convincing. With Morgan it would seem likely that whoever inflicted such grievous injuries was “hopped-up” on some kind of very potent drug. However the placement of her body seems to have been by someone under complete control of themselves as a warning to a specific person or persons. Very puzzling.
I personally do not believe that drugs as far as Heidi/David were concerned were a factor in their murders. I would not be surprised to learn the perp was using them, however.
I do know a few details of the case that are not public, and I have reason to believe that Heidi was the ultimate target of the perp, David was simply neutralized. I have expressed this opinion before-
If VSP were to release a few minor details in this case, it would progress leads, imo.
That culture shift needs to happen. When you have some of the US most respected profilers telling LE agencies to let the media solve their cases (VanZandt, Douglas, Ressler, Brown, DeLong)there is a reason.
Investigations that are from the onset, complex, need a non-standard approach. Part of the briefings should include ways to generate lead channels. It is really identical to the way corporate america builds a brand.
As far as Morgan’s murderers, and the relationships between VSP, ACPD, UVA PD-
I have touched on this previously as well. Obviously there are fine officers in all agencies, no doubt.
I remain confused as to what is the jurisdictional protocol between UVA PD and Cville PD, outside of the known “shared” relationship as it relates to agency asisstance for warrants, etc.
The bottom line is, if VSP had to keep other jurisdictions at arms length in this case it is my opinion based on some information I am aware of, they had no choice. It is also my opinion that has prolonged the case in chief as a result. I guess I am saying it was out of necessity to preserve the integrity of the case.
There were substantial leaks within LE in Morgan’s case in the beginning, in some cases, flagrantly incorrect information- When this is over, I am going to seek out why that was-
Or
Maybe it will be plain based on the individuals arrested.
B
Fish I have been very vocal about LE in this case of Morgan Harrington. Wondering about a lot of things.
I do agree that it is a most difficult job and one a lot of people can never understand.
My biggest concern is that the agencies are not working together. Is VSP using Charlottesville LE as an extension of themselves? Are the agencies working hand in hand.
CPD are the ground soldiers. The ones with the informants and their ear to the ground. They have friends in high and low places and snitches that buddy with them and give good information. They hear what is being said on the streets.
I truly hope VSP is not playing the “mightier than thou” with CPD. What a shame that would be.
I do think this silence comes from them not wanting to answer the tough questions at an open press conference.
I think many mistakes were made in this case. We can never get back time.
The armed robberies and attempted robberies near the UVa campus were made with the intent of the robbers to have the victims withdraw money from bank ATM machines. Why not ask the bank shut to down the machines between 11 pm and 6 am, at least until the Charlottesville police get things under control?
The Clery Act reporting issue prompted me to search several Virginia universities to look for their Daily Crime Logs. They are conspicuously absent on some that I checked. I’m guessing that there are many many schools that are only filing annual reports, either because they don’t know about the recent amendment requiring timely disclosure, or they believe they have found a legal loophole. The bottom line for these universities not providing daily updates is that if found in violation, they could lose their Title IV status, which means they would not be able to secure federal financial aid for their students. This could put them out of business. All the more reason for schools to coordinate with local law enforcement and start reporting as required. It would be interesting for someone with the time to research, to see just how many of our universities are not in compliance. If publicly disclosed, this might light a fire under their a**es.
Slightly OT, but it appears that Rutgers U is making an honest attempt to look at the core issues underlying the death of Ryan Clementi,
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/01/new.jersey.student.suicide/index.html?hpt=T2
“McCormick’s Friday letter said that “This tragedy and the events surrounding it have raised critical questions about the climate of our campuses. Students, parents, and alumni have expressed deep concern that our university, which prides itself on its rich diversity, is not fully welcoming and accepting of all students.”"
Some will say too little too late, but I honestly don’t know how an incident of this type could have been foreseen. Very sad statement about the mindset of our “best and brightest” students. I hope Rutgers will continue to address these issues publicly and set an example for other universities.