Tag: Peter Galuszka
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In Wake of Rolling Stone Fiasco, UVa Officials Also Have Some Explaining to Do
by James A. Bacon and Reed Fawell III On June 20, 2014, five months before the publication of a devastating article alleging a gang rape at the University of Virginia, Emily Renda, an employee of the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, testified on sexual assault issues before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The…
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Even More Mob Rule in Charlottesville
by James A. Bacon Forgotten in the firestorm over the gang-rape hoax and the “rape epidemic” at the University of Virginia, there is a very real crime that has, to date, gone unpunished. On Nov. 20, a group of eight masked men and women attacked the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house, the location of the…
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Presumed Guilty
by James A. Bacon Suspending the social activities of University of Virginia’s sororities and fraternities is a violation of student rights, said the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) earlier this week in a statement to the Washington Post. The suspension, put into place by UVa President Teresa Sullivan in response to now-discredited allegations of a gang…
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Sex, Genes, Love and Rape
by James A. Bacon Emotions are running high in the discussion of the “epidemic of rape” at the University of Virginia. I get the sense that we’re wandering in a fog. Not only are there wildly conflicting numbers regarding the incidence of rape (a worthy topic for another blog post), making it difficult to gauge how…
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Facing the Problems at UVa: a Wake-up Call
by Gerald L. Cooper President Terry Sullivan is the lead person in facing the problems at the University of Virginia, which include sexual misconduct and assault on innocent persons. Sadly, some of these behaviors have lurked around the Grounds of the University for 60 or more years. President Sullivan is not, however, the only leader…
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Collective Punishment at UVa
University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan’s suspension of fraternity and sorority social events was a case of collective punishment for the alleged rape of a first year student at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house — and arguably unconstitutional. So contends Hans Bader at Liberty Unyielding. Writes Bader: The University’s action was totally arbitrary in its scope and…
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UVa: Can We All Calm Down Now?
So, the credibility of the Rolling Stone article about the gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity has been demolished. I’ll let others sort through the wreckage to determine how much, if any, of the rape story can be believed. The more interesting question now is, where does that leave the University of Virginia…
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Before Panicking, Can We Get the Facts, Please?
by James A. Bacon Let me make this clear up front. I have zero interest in defending the behavior that goes on at University of Virginia fraternities. I never joined a fraternity when I attended UVa back in the early 1970s. Indeed, it only took two frat parties before I reached the conclusion that getting wasted…
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Clueless in C-ville
by James A. Bacon I feel so much safer now! Well, I would if I were a 20-year-old female student at the University of Virginia. Acting under a national media spotlight in wake of allegations of gang rape at a university fraternity, the University of Virginia Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution yesterday declaring itself…
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A “Campus Culture of Rape” or a “Culture of Drunken, Hook-up Sex”?
by James A. Bacon In the wake of gang rape allegations aired last week by Rolling Stone magazine, University of Virginia officials declare themselves to be angered by the incident and determined to prevent anything like it from happening again. “I write you in great sorrow, great rage, but most importantly, with great determination,” wrote…
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Mamas, Don’t Let Your Daughters Grow up To Be Co-Eds
When I visited Virginia Tech a few weeks ago, the lead story in the campus newspaper was a take-out on the supposed “campus rape culture.” The number is widely touted that 20% of women are the victims of sexual assault while at campus. My instinct is to dismiss that figure as a figment of the…
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UVa vs. Student Body
How out of control is public university spending in Virginia? The University of Virginia may not be entirely representative of a higher education system that runs the gamut from the College of William & Mary to George Mason University, from Tidewater Community College to Longwood University. But it does represent the unrestrained id of higher…
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The View from Federal Court’s Media Room
By Peter Galuszka The media corps is just starting to amble into small room granted by the U.S. District Court, albeit with tight rules. No cell phone calls outside the cramped quarters in the hallways. No slouching in the corridor with your laptop on the floor hoping your cellphone hot spot still works. If you…
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Williams: How to Reach the High and Mighty
By Peter Galuszka The McDonnell corruption trial has its high and low moments. One theme stands out: the trial is a guidebook of how to gain broach and compromise the power elite of Virginia politicians, in this case the Republicans. Here are a few takeaways: Want to break in? Having a private jet is a…
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One Very Sad Day In Court
By Peter Galuszka One literally could have heard a pin drop in U.S. District Court in Richmond today. William Burck, lawyer for Maureen McDonnell, said in his opening argument in a trial that Virginia’s Former First Lady who has been indicted no 14 corruption charges along with her former governor husband was “collateral damage” in…