University of Virginia professor Robert F. Turner and his son, Thomas E. Turner, a junior at the university, are calling for U.Va. officials to apologize to the fraternities and students “wrongfully punished” by the administration after the Rolling Stone magazine published a since-discredited story about a fraternity gang-rape at the school.
The Turners, who say they have no connection with Greek life, wrote an op-ed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch asking the university — specifically naming U.Va. President Teresa Sullivan — to publicly apologize for its decision to ban fraternity events without any investigation.
“[W]hat message did Sullivan send about basic fairness and the due process of law?” the Turners asked. “Neither of us has any connection with the Greek system, and we understand that they are not popular with some faculty members and administrators. But it is precisely when the alleged crime is so heinous, and the accused unpopular with those in authority, that we must guard against emotion-driven efforts to bypass fundamental due process.”
The Turners wrote that they understood why Sullivan made the decision to ban Greek life for several months due to “pressure from outraged faculty and other community members,” but also said that was “no excuse.”
Denying due process because of emotionally driven outrage is not the way to get justice, rather, it’s an impediment to justice. But this is how universities now find themselves between a rock and a hard place when it comes to combating campus sexual assault.
The Rolling Stone article that sparked widespread outrage over the school’s alleged indifference to a brutal gang rape. In Sullivan’s first statement following its publication, she only said she had requested local police to investigate the allegation and noted actions the university had been taking to combat sexual assault. Three days later, following public outcry, Sullivan announced she was suspending fraternity social activities until Jan. 9.
Because Sullivan didn’t do enough (in the eyes of the outraged) immediately following Rolling Stone’s accusation, the university received a barrage of angry statements.
Sullivan allowed the anger over an uncorroborated (and now effectively challenged) accusation to persuade her to ignore basic elements of due process and condemn all fraternities on campus — even those not mentioned in the Rolling Stone article.
But now, Sullivan is getting heat for her decision to suspend the fraternities before an investigation had even begun. In addition to the Turners, national Greek organizations also called on Sullivan to lift the U.Va. suspension. The groups also asked university administrators to “publicly explain and release all records for the basis of its decision to suspend our organizations, and outline what steps it will take to restore the reputation of our groups and students at U.Va.”
Sullivan’s office did not respond to a Washington Examiner inquiry prior to press time.
Update: Charles McGregor McCance, Senior Director of Media Relations at U.Va., would not say if the university would offer an apology for its response toward campus fraternities following the Rolling Stone article. In an email to the Examiner, McCance referred to the ban on fraternity activity as a “pause,” and claimed that it was “not a punishment of any kind,” noting that it only applied to social activities and nothing else.
