I received this "editorial" via Free Republic email; is has been sent to the Editor of the Duke Chronicle this past week; as the writer says, let's see if they actually use it:
An Open Letter to the Duke University Community:
I am a Duke alumnus, and as such have followed the lacrosse saga with great interest. I am sad to report that, among other things, I am not pleased with public perceptions of the University's response. Such negative perceptions of the response within the University community have hurt Duke’s reputation more than anything else having to do with the entire affair.
Despite the conclusions of the various committee reports commissioned by the Office of the President, the opinions of many of the people with whom I regularly come into contact reflect their belief that Duke University threw those associated with the team -- collectively and individually -- under the proverbial bus. Some believe that the President went so far as to figuratively “rev” that bus, then drive it repeatedly over the team and the Head Coach, while the Dean of Students rode shotgun, the Athletic Director watched powerlessly, and bigoted Faculty cheered rabidly.
As unflattering as those characterizations of the visible University response may be, my experience tells me that such impressions are as pervasive as they are negative. Some report that they practically expected such responses within the University community, given their personal views regarding rampant political correctness at major educational institutions, and in particular, Duke.
I understand the procedural step of suspending students while they face criminal charges, if for no reason other than the students’ own protection; however, as information continues to emerge about what, to a rational observer, appears NOT to have happened on March 13-14, 2005, many believe that the time has come for Duke to take a stand in support of (or at least say something nice about) the members of its community who appear to quite possibly have been falsely accused -- and opportunistically charged -- of heinous crimes.
With each passing day, it becomes ever more apparent that unscrupulous societal elements motivated by their warped senses of payback for historical inequities based on gender, race, and politics have -- and continue to -- exploit the circumstances of this terrible situation. Having said that, printing articles such as “A Spring of Sorrows” in University-sanctioned publications does nothing to help matters.
Of course, it is possible that public perceptions could be way off base. Perhaps Duke has done or is doing things behind the scenes to help the accused students. Perhaps the Head Coach was not pressured to resign or otherwise led to believe that it would no longer be possible for him to continue at Duke. If so, the University should not be afraid to do more to help, or to allow news of such support to get out, because all indications point toward a concerted effort by Duke University Administrators to distance themselves from these individuals, leaving them to twist in the wind.
The appearance of a lack of support has led to the following phenomena: Many parents state adamantly that they would no longer consider sending their children to Duke. Similarly, many teens state that they will no longer consider attending Duke. Such statements are the direct result of negative opinion of the University response to the situation, which is the real source of damage to Duke’s reputation.
I call on the Administration of Duke University to end the practices that give the appearance that it panders to the gender and race baiters – of whom some of the most shameful happen to be Duke Faculty members -- who derive their livelihoods from the perpetuation of division within our society.
(Name redacted for now)
Engineering ‘85, Fuqua ‘95
P.S. Pease advise of your intent to publish or otherwise utilize any of the content submitted herein.
***I am redacting the name for now; if the Freeper who wrote this wants to identify himself/herself, they can do it here.***
Good! It's time the alumni took a stand on this outrageous behavior.
Bump for a good letter.
Awesome letter. Let's see if it does any good. I,for one will not hold my breath.
Terrific letter! I also graduated in 1985 like the writer. It may get published but do not be surprised at the number of Brodhead apologists who save their irritation for the lacrosse team and blame them completely for putting Duke in a bad position. Brodhead's infamous "whatever they did was bad enough" comment sadly captures the attitudes of the administration and some students and alums.
I grow more convinced as evidence emerges that the school made a cynical decision early on (as in the first week or two) to cut these guys loose if the press did not get better quickly, curry favor with Nifong, local officials and organizations and radical faculty so that they would be in position to say that they tried to get these guys but good if the charges had any merit. THere are alos indications that Brodhead and company wer emore duplicitous than the innocent bystanders they have presented themsolves to be. What they did not count on was the charges being a hoax, and they have no idea what to do to CYA.
What this means in English is that will do everything to see this through to trial and pray that Nifong has something that justifies the decisions in the first couple of weeks. They do not need a conviction, just enough to show probable cause. They made their bed by badmoutning hte players, making misleading and false statements, and letting falsehoods go unchallenged. Changing tact now would be an admission that they may have been wrong. If, as we anticipate, the trial will confirm the obvious, the finger pointing and potential lawsuits will begin in earnest. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of people.
That Democrat Governor would be smart to call an end to this game.
I wonder how many Duke alums have written to their alma mater.