Posts published in “Uncategorized”

8/5/2015: Full interview in the Daily Emerald, here. An excerpt:

Jacoby: You mentioned [in your statement] that you didn’t think any university personnel acted wrongfully. Was the decision to recruit Brandon Austin, who was suspended at a different university for sexual misconduct, a mistake?

Schill: The reason for the settlement was to close the chapter and to move forward. Nothing I say about that matter is going to change anything.

Jacoby: Was the University’s decision to countersue the victim wrong?

Schill: Ditto.

Jacoby: What about accessing Jane Doe’s therapy records?

Schill: Ditto.

Jacoby: Would you have handled the case differently if you were president at the time it happened?

Schill: It’s always easy to second-guess. Ditto.

It’s beginning to look like we’ll still be dealing with this athletic scandal when the next one hits.

But at least he’s talking. Frohnmayer was the last UO president who would regularly answer questions from student reporters. Gottfredson did it once, but got pissy and went back down the bunker when the reporter asked why Dave Hubin was charging student reporters to see public records about their university.

8/4/2014: RG editors call for President Schill to release the records, build some trust. Editorial here:

… If Schill truly wants the university to move past this incident, he should order the release of all records pertaining to the case. If he’s right, those records should support the school’s hard-to-believe claim, for example, that head coach Dana Altman did not know Austin was being investigated for an alleged sexual assault when the athlete transferred from Providence to play for the Ducks. If Schill is right, they should also support the university’s equally hard-to-believe contention that and Athletic Director Rob Mullens did not know the identities of the accused players before the Ducks played in the NCAA Tournament. There are numerous other questions, as well, that the settlement fails to answer for Oregonians who rightly hold the state’s flagship university accountable for its handling of this case.

A decision to make the requested records public could help Schill persuade the university community and others to “move forward” in the aftermath of the case. It would also set a heartening tone of transparency for a new UO president, one that would be a marked departure from the secrecy that has become the disturbing norm at the university for too many years. Schill’s decision to release the settlement document was a good start. Now, he should take the next step.

The university — and the community and state in which it is located — are ready, even eager, to “move forward.” But first they need and deserved the information that allows them to do so in confidence.

Yes. People want to move on because they understand how destructive this has been to UO and they want that over. But they also see this as a powerful event that focused attention and clarified the need for changes in policies and behaviors and beliefs.

I learned so much about what really happens on campus to young women, as a result of conversations sparked by the press coverage – coverage that the UO administration did its best to stop. 

There’s a reason truth comes before reconciliation. Efforts to understand how this event happened, and how UO botched its response, should not end. If nothing else we need to know what went wrong so we do better in the future. As a practical example, what will happen when the next similar incident happens? Will the campus be told, or will we have to learn about it from sports reporters again? 

I don’t think UO can put this behind us while our official response still looks like this:

Update: Ducks, Dana Altman settle basketball rape claim for $940K

Email from loyal UO Matters reader Tobin Klinger:

On TuesdayAug 4, 2015, at 1:19 PM, Tobin Klinger <[email protected]> wrote:

Bill,

I noticed that you posted President Schill’s letter to campus regarding the settlement agreement. Thank you for helping share the information. 

However, you should know that the settlement will, in fact, be completely covered by the university’s insurance coverage. No funds of the UO Foundation will be involved.

The Register Guard has published this story which may be a helpful reference.

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/33366922-75/the-university-of-oregon-settles-high-profile-rape-lawsuit.html.csp

Thanks

Tobin

That’s good news about the Foundation money. The Diane Dietz story that Klinger points out is indeed helpful and informative, complete with a timeline. The settlement is for $800K plus a four year full-ride scholarship. Let’s call it $940K, or 1 Gott. The settlement agreement with UO is here. In addition to the money, UO agrees to ask a few more questions about Dana Altman’s future transfer players:

Klinger also reports there is no separate settlement with Altman:

From: Tobin Klinger <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Post
Date: August 4, 2015 at 2:53:46 PM PDT

Bill,

There is no settlement with Dana.

Thanks

Tobin

Update: Letter from President Schill: