I am writing to inform you of two incidents that occurred on campus yesterday, both of which should be of great concern to all of us.
First, a robbery occurred at knifepoint in one of our residence halls (Tupper Hall). Second, within minutes of the robbery, UVM police detained at gunpoint a student who was misidentified as a suspect. The alleged armed robber was an African-American male. The student, who was handcuffed for a brief time and then released, was an African-American female.
In response to these two incidents, I have set in motion the following steps:
á An immediate investigation of police conduct in the apprehension of the student who was briefly detained: I expect the investigation to be thorough and as swift as possible. I will provide for independent review of the findings and will take appropriate action once they are finalized. Pending the outcome of the investigation, the detaining officer has been reassigned to office duty.
á An immediate review of security in our residence halls: I expect the Office of Residential Life, in consultation with students and public safety officials, to make recommendations of additional steps that might be taken to increase the safety and security of students living on campus.
I have met personally with the student who was detained. We are taking every step we can to ensure that she has every available support in dealing with what was a deeply troubling experience. While not prejudging the outcome of the investigation of police conduct, we all understand that the detention of an innocent student raises serious questions about the campus climate for persons of color.
I want to reaffirm the long-standing commitment of the University of Vermont to providing a safe and secure learning environment for all members of the campus community. In addition to reviewing both the detention of the student and the security of the residence halls, we will enlist the help of external experts to review and enhance all relevant police procedures and training programs, particularly focusing on those that address racial and ethnic issues and best practices for law enforcement in an academic community. At the same time, I am reaching out to our students, faculty, and staff-and especially to members of UVM´s ALANA community-to promote action-oriented dialogue aimed at the creation of a campus climate supportive of true diversity and of our shared commitment to respect, integrity, innovation, openness, justice, and responsibility.
The investigation of the robbery is continuing. We will inform the community of the outcome of the investigations of yesterday's incidents as well as of our efforts to address the larger issues of law enforcement on campus, campus safety, and the climate for supporting a diverse community of learners.
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