I don't know about crime at Harvard but the crime at my University has been perpetrated by young black men (urban university). So it's not racist to be wary of a certain ethnicity in the parking deck when every robbery, carjacking, etc. is perpetrated by one race.
@Trulymadlyme: Again, I'm seriously curious why this is horrible? Because I stated a fact (which you are offended by) or because I questioned the idea that it is racist to question a person hacking off a bike lock from a bike, and claiming it a racist act.
I actually find this mentality very interesting. I'm wondering how you would like to look at facts?
@goodcheapfun: Sigh. Black men are not a huge morass. Contrary to what many believe, we don't all look alike and to assume that you should rounnd up every single black man within a two mile radius of a crime is shitty.
I like in Tennessee. Meth production and sales is done by white people (though people love to blame Hispanics, it's generally made/sold/used by white people). If every single white person is rounded up in a meth conspiracy, it would be extremely inconvenient and a hassle for white people. Until you experience every single damn white person pulled over on the side of the road, you won't understand my point.
I go to a university much like Harvard, although not with *quite* the same level of prestige, but it's the same sort of atmosphere and demographic makeup. And I can attest with certainty that university police at my school CONSTANTLY target black students. It's bad. I have friends who have been stopped on their way to class, books on their back, and questioned by the police because the police are convinced, apparently, that they couldn't possibly be a student at our school. If there's a spate of robberies in the nearby communities, the black students are automatically suspects.
And the frustrating thing about this is that the black students on my campus are more involved in leadership activities than any other demographic group. There is a higher percentage of black students in honoraries, Student Union, residential goverments, class councils, and as Residential Assistants than ANY other group. And yet they're subjected to the majority of the discrimination and harassment.
'Yeah, I'm graduating in a few weeks, probably with honors. I'm a total phenom. But what's that, you want me to help you kill someone on campus for a thousand bucks and some weed? Sure, no problem! Fuck my future!'
Even if she did loan him the card, she would hardly be the first person to do so in University history. No one presumes the bf of their friend is a fucking murderer. Especially not a fucking pot dealer, those are a dime a dozen around any major university. I guarantee 80% of those kids are 'sellers and buyers' at least once during their careers. Honestly.
There is something major going on here that hasn't been released -- I suspect that she was not only complicit with the robbery, but had an active planning role.
Harvard tends to be low key about drug stuff. This student was caught running around naked while on LSD, punched a cop, and then was found with large quantities of weed and fake IDs [[www.thecrimson.com]]. His punishment was just a semester's suspension, to put it in perspective.
@EuroTex: There is something major going on here that hasn't been released -- I suspect that she was not only complicit with the robbery, but had an active planning role.
If she had an active role in any of this, she has the absolute worst lawyer in the world (not necessarily a bad assumption) because criminal charges would be pending and I'm going to assume a smart, black person is going to know if the police are investigating you, you're ass is going to be extremely quiet.
@Trulymadlyme she has the absolute worst lawyer in the world (not necessarily a bad assumption) because criminal charges would be pending: No kidding. I live near Harvard and the University has been very, very quiet about the investigation. Maybe they're waiting on some evidence to turn over to the police? Odd all around.
@EuroTex: Yeah. The police likely have whatever evidence Harvard is relying upon to suspend her, particularly if she's being investigated.
And like I said, most black folks, particular those from large cities that know other people tangled in the criminal system, that if the police are investigating you, silence is the best policy. That's why I'm not buying the idea that she was involved in the murder (knowingly).
Clearly lots more to this story than we know so far. As bad as campus police are, they have nothing to do with kicking a student off campus and not allowing her to graduate. That's the role of the administration, which is surely being advised by nervous legal counsel. None of this justifies or condemns the actions taken, of course. Just think it demonstrates there's more going on.
@MrJez2u: Or maybe this is a demonstration of either the Sunk Cost Fallacy ("We've already spent so much time/money/reputation on this that we can't stop now!") or the Where-There's-Smoke-There's-Fire-and-Our-Student-Handbook-Allows-Us-to-Suspend-a-Student-on-a-Prima-Facie-Basis rule.
At least one of these two women had something to do with it. Someone unaffiliated with Harvard would not come all the way from New York to enter a Harvard dorm to shoot a drug dealer he would have no way of knowing was there. Someone who buys drugs from the drug dealer and knew he would be there at that time must have helped him set it up. Maybe it was the girlfriend and not Chanequa, but I think Harvard is reasonable to keep her off campus until they sort it out. They are a private university and they don't have to wait until she's proven guilty to take steps like this.
@Ms. Nickels: why are you so sure one of the women had something to do with it? maybe Copney was just you know, visiting his girlfriend? and heard about the pot dealer carrying a large stash? and acted independently? honestly it doesn't seem like a stretch. it seems like a stretch that two girls attending Harvard would arrange a murder of a local pot dealer. for? a grand?
@Ms. Nickels: @bluebears: Exactly. And I'm not trusting what the actual murderer is saying because he's probably trying to take the heat off himself. Like many women, the girlfriend may have had absolutely no clue the guy was dealing. Considering that this woman wasn't even directly connected to the guys, I'm going to have to say that this assumption: At least one of these two women had something to do with it. says a lot. And I'm not going to even bother pointing out the obvious "guilt by association" is really "guilt by what people assume a person is associated with."
Listen, I don't know what happened. But the main fact we have is that Harvard has acted without giving this women its reasoning. And like I mentioned above, it's been over a week. I'm guessing it's high time they show their cards.
EVEN IF her security pass was used to give entry I STILL don't understand why she would be barred from graduation. She's not a danger and she hasn't been convicted (or most likely even committed) a crime.
Um, what happened to "in dubio pro reo"? Doesn't Harvard have a law school that teaches that kind of stuff?
It makes me angry to think that this girl doesn't have any way to properly defend herself against these allegations. Just because the police suspects something, doesn't make it true.
@Raraku: Here I go again... It's not about The Law, it's about the campus regulations and the campus judicial process (unless the school were to sanction her so harshly that they provide her with something actionable in the real world). Here's a key question: Does Harvard's regulations provide or allow an advocate/advisor for students who are pulled into the campus judicial process? Believe it or not, at some schools students must represent themselves--no parents or other advisors are allowed. As you wrote, just because the police suspect something, it doesn't make it true. But a school is a private institution that can (and often does) act in its own interests within its own regulations.
@The Lone Scout: What I mean is that at some schools students must appear individually and alone when interviewed by the dean of students or when a decision is rendered. Of course, they may avail themselves of their friends', professionals', and parents' advice outside the dean's office. But once inside it's possible they will have no one there to guide them under the scrutiny of a practiced, adult administrator acting as investifator, judge, and jury.
This is beyond ridiculous. Doesn't she have a right to a hearing or an appeal? The murder was really bad press for Harvard, and unfortunately this poor women is being thrown under the bus to help them save face.
@Sputnik_Sweetheart: We would have to examine the student handbook for Harvard (which might also have an appendix of additional rules for residential students) in order to understand the judicial process there. In some schools, a decision is made by the dean of students in serious incidents, with an appeal possible (but based on an error of severity of the sanction, sometimes not necessarily on errors of investigation). [Can you tell that a close friend of mine is getting screwed by a college administration at this moment? If I keep posting about this, Gawker is going to start charging me for therapy.]
This is bizarre. I cannot begin to understand Harvard's reasons for barring her from graduation. I am seriously perplexed. She appears to have committed no crime. I hardly think she would be the only graduating senior who bought weed in the past.
It appears that Harvard is a bit too reactionary in it's response to the crime in barring Ms Campbell from graduation and ordering her off campus. If the university has solid facts and evidence to warrant their actions, then the adminsitration needs to come clean and state that to Ms. Campbell and the media, including what exactly is the policy in dealing with students that are potentially involved in a crime.
It seems that if Ms. Campbell has not been arrested by the police for any crime and that if she is not a danger to anyone, then Harvard's actions are wholly unwarranted...
@Tangy.Nihilista.Barcelona: Well, this is the bizarre part--Harvard can probably suspend her in the near term as they conduct their investigation and then suspend her in the long term (following a campus judicial hearing) not for criminal activity, but for misconduct as defined by the school's regulations for the campus community. Fun, huh?
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Racial profiling doesn't work.
[www.ncpa.org]
Oh...and your comment is ten sorts of kind of horrible.
05/27/09
I actually find this mentality very interesting. I'm wondering how you would like to look at facts?
05/28/09
I like in Tennessee. Meth production and sales is done by white people (though people love to blame Hispanics, it's generally made/sold/used by white people). If every single white person is rounded up in a meth conspiracy, it would be extremely inconvenient and a hassle for white people. Until you experience every single damn white person pulled over on the side of the road, you won't understand my point.
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05/27/09
And the frustrating thing about this is that the black students on my campus are more involved in leadership activities than any other demographic group. There is a higher percentage of black students in honoraries, Student Union, residential goverments, class councils, and as Residential Assistants than ANY other group. And yet they're subjected to the majority of the discrimination and harassment.
What a wonderful world we live in.
05/27/09
As fucking if.
05/27/09
[www.thecrimson.com]
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Harvard tends to be low key about drug stuff. This student was caught running around naked while on LSD, punched a cop, and then was found with large quantities of weed and fake IDs [[www.thecrimson.com]]. His punishment was just a semester's suspension, to put it in perspective.
05/27/09
If she had an active role in any of this, she has the absolute worst lawyer in the world (not necessarily a bad assumption) because criminal charges would be pending and I'm going to assume a smart, black person is going to know if the police are investigating you, you're ass is going to be extremely quiet.
Where's MizJenkins when I need her?
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And like I said, most black folks, particular those from large cities that know other people tangled in the criminal system, that if the police are investigating you, silence is the best policy. That's why I'm not buying the idea that she was involved in the murder (knowingly).
05/27/09
Yes, because god knows, if you stand outside a dorm and tell people you are meeting a friend, no one inside it will EVER open the door for you. Ever.
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/Where There's Smoke, There's Fire, and Our Student Handbook Allows Us to Suspend a Student First and Ask Questions Later
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Listen, I don't know what happened. But the main fact we have is that Harvard has acted without giving this women its reasoning. And like I mentioned above, it's been over a week. I'm guessing it's high time they show their cards.
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It makes me angry to think that this girl doesn't have any way to properly defend herself against these allegations. Just because the police suspects something, doesn't make it true.
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It seems that if Ms. Campbell has not been arrested by the police for any crime and that if she is not a danger to anyone, then Harvard's actions are wholly unwarranted...
Harvard got some major explaining to do.
05/27/09