http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2008/05/15/Columns/Summa.Cum.Loony-3371900.shtml
I have tried to blast this article on the Chronicle's comment page, but that wasn't enough. And as a poster said, the writer is deteriorating strides made to connect the two schools. Any disdain students at NCCC and residents of Durham held for us before, has just been increased. Though I am sure that the writer and most of her supporters could care less. Here are JUST A FEW of the issues I see bursting in between the lines
1. Can you say hypocrite? As if our students hold perfect behavior everyday outside of class. With the massive consumption of alcohol by under age drinkers, the drug use, the unreported, on-campus rapes, the racism that's bubbling beneath several surfaces... The cheating!!!!!!!! Come on
2. I am still amazed at how many people gloss over the wrongs admitted to: the racial slurs, that hateful email...(Not to mention I am curious why this mostly white party ordered up two black strippers)
3. These issues mentioned are not that simplistic. I wasn't planning on going there but as one poster added in response to the semen, how likely is it that there were only team members at that party? Is it possible that she just confused who was on the team? The evidence found, the main one I remember, the broken nail (what did she break it taking her clothes off)
4. Generalizations. Not trying to separate the two individuals from the rest of the school (because I don't think they are bad people at all and do feel that they have earned their degrees), but if you feel that you must, this is a good example of a small group having to represent an entire institution- including all of the people who work there, attend there, and hold degrees. And now you have added to our generalization. Sad enough I have heard rumors that your editors only publish articles that fit their dominant opinions (I hope that isn't true). This article wouldn't make me so angry if I had at least once seen one from the other side of the fence. The views of Kristin and students who share them are ever present. Where are my views? Here on this blog I guess.
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To address your points:
ReplyDelete1. Can you say hypocrite?... Well, if Butler had said that Duke students were without fault then yes. But that is not her argument. Duke has all sorts of miscreants; people that have cheated, done drugs, drank alcohol, sexually assaulted someone, robbed people, made racist or sexist remarks, as does NCCU. The point is that when brought to the attention of the administration, Duke generally condemns this behavior and disciplines the offender. NCCU however, seems to ignore the conduct, which directly violates their honor code, and reward the offender with a diploma. That is the gist of Butler’s article.
2. Nobody has “glossed over the wrongs admitted to”. The key word there is ADMITTED. The Lacrosse players immediately stood up and apologized for their behavior and ADMITTED it was wrong. Something that NOBODY else has done in this case. Not Mangum, not the Duke Admin, not the DPD, not DUMC, not Nifong, not the pot bangers, nobody. (And nobody ordered Black Strippers that is just what the agency sent. Get you facts right.)
3. I also wonder about the semen. Funny how the DA, who was so desperate to prosecute this case and ended up loosing his job over it, and the DPD, who will be involved in major lawsuits over this for the next 10 years, didn’t try to determine the source of the 5 or more semen samples that were found. Could it be that they were afraid of whose semen it may turn out to be? Mangum was obviously already known by a lot of the DPD. As to the fake nails, she was falling down drunk or otherwise impaired, so breaking off a nail in her condition is not unheard of.
4. You obviously haven’t read the Chronicle. There have been numerous columns, letters to the editor, etc. supporting “the poor mother trying to work her way thru school” and condemning the Lacrosse Team. If you have read any of Butler’s work, you would know that many of her columns during her career at Duke have been critical of Duke Administration failures and shortcomings.
1. After rereading, I do make note that she did not blatantly say that Duke students are angels, but with her descending words it was not hard to get this impression, just as many other readers did.
ReplyDelete2. The things these students did admit to died long before the rest of the story, which still lives on. The media and people like Kristen Butler attack the victims character but "gloss over" the character of the players.
3. I cannot tell you what the DA was thinking though I seriously doubt that they were afraid of whose semen it could be because the whole world had already made the worst assumptions.
4. In my year here I did take a hiatus from reading the Chronicle, angered too many times by the biased articles it continues to produce. However I still managed to read sediments from the lacrosse case in article after article and seemed to miss all of the Mangum sympathy. I am sorry that Butler decided to end her career with a stunt that has the potential to ruin already impaired relations between these two schools.
And might I add that Duke doesn't keep close enough tabs on its students because some of them violate that code of conduct often.
ReplyDelete2. ..."The media and people like Kristen Butler attack the victims character but "gloss over" the character of the players."
ReplyDeleteVery telling that you still think of Mangum as the victim...
3. I cannot tell you what the DA was thinking though I seriously doubt that they were afraid of whose semen it could be...
What are your thoughts on why the DA's office or DPD made absolutely no attempt to determine whose DNA it was? They had names of other people that attended the party but made no attempt to get DNA samples for comparison. Why? For such a high profile case, why would they NOT try to determine whose DNA it was unless they didn't want to know? That seems like a very important question to me but no one seems to wonder why they didn't follow up on the most basic aspects of investigating the crime (unless they knew all along there was no "crime" to investigate).
4. ... I am sorry that Butler decided to end her career with a stunt that has the potential to ruin already impaired relations between these two schools.
Although I agree with the basic point of Butler's column (that the NCCU admin did a disservice to it's students and alumni by failing to enforce its honor code and allowing Mangum to graduate as if nothing happened), I do agree that the tone of the article and some of the content (no self-respecting Dukie should take an NCCU degree seriously, etc.) was not helpful and has further impaired relations between the two schools.
3. I actually do wonder. I have several questions for Nifong. You have given me the aspiration to actually contact him, though I doubt he will repsond.
ReplyDeleteA few final points that I will like to add is that I wish the player's innocence was not founded on the search for her guilt.
Legal decisions in court do not make up my mind for me.
With so many things hidden from the public eye I will probably never officially make up my mind about this case.