UMass Campus violence goes national
Friday, February 22, 2008
Here's an assessment of the first few weeks of the semester the Boston Globe ran on the front page yesterday: "...over just the past three weeks, a spate of violence that has deeply rattled many students and faculty and left administrators pleading for peace. Even for a campus infamous for rowdy partying and occasional outbursts of violence, the scope and severity, over such a short time frame, have stirred widespread anger and alarm."
For those of you who haven't called, written, e-mailed or IMed home recently to give your parents, legal guardians and significant others an update on the campus, here's the impression the Eastern half of the Commonwealth has of the University today:
"A raucous off-campus house party erupting into a drunken, bloody brawl. Athletes allegedly attacking other partygoers with baseball bats, lacrosse sticks, and bottles. Two students facing attempted murder charges in separate late-night dormitory confrontations that included an alleged rape and a racially charged double stabbing."
All three incidents, as well as the fist-fights outside of Southwest following the Super Bowl, have made national news, and provoked discussion of public-safety on campus over the past several weeks. The Massachusetts Daily Collegian has covered each incident, from the alleged assaults by members of the lacrosse team, to the stabbing in Southwest, and the alleged attempted rape and attempted murder in a campus dormitory.
On Monday, NPR's morning radio show The Bryant Park Project will feature a segment on the spate of violence on campus, following coverage in the Boston Globe, Herald and Boston NPR stations.
We're curious to know what you think. Is the campus less safe? Are you concerned about your personal safety when you're on campus? How has the violence changed the image of UMass?
2 Comments:
commented by 
Anonymous, February 22, 2008 at 4:06 PM
Anonymous, February 22, 2008 at 4:06 PM
We are, of course, investigating the causes behind all of the incidents, but information is hard to come by. The very nature of the incidents, from the stabbing involving alleged racial slurs to the incident involving members of the lacrosse team, means we must act responsible. When and if we report on the causes behind these incidents depends as well on the cooperation of the University and town and campus police departments.
the causes behind this violence or content to simply report the end result?