In “Federal April 16 findings under wraps,” (CT, Feb. 23) the implication that there’s nothing to hide is, unfortunately, another attempt to do just that. This is simply a continuation of the ongoing efforts to cover-up the truth of April 16, 2007. Since when does the U.S. Department of Education send a draft document of findings to an institution?
Is Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker saying that the Department of Education, a federal agency, is requesting that the Tech administration actually submit corrections to what the Department of Education has stated relative to Clery Act violations committed by the school?
If the answer is no, and there is nothing to hide, then simply release the preliminary findings from the Department of Education stating that the administration does not agree. If there is nothing to hide, why not do that?
Is it possible, however, that the real reason there is “nothing to hide” is because the Department of Education submitted a report of preliminary findings to Tech administrators that cites violations and the school simply needs more time to prepare a response? In other words, the best spin?
Given that the Department of Education issued a preliminary report of findings and not simply a draft document, eventually this will be a public document.
It does seem interesting that this delay tactic seems to connect very well with the corresponding delay in the re-appointment decision of Judge William Alexander. Alexander was appointed by the Virginia Supreme Court to preside over the Julia Pryde and Erin Peterson cases that were approved to proceed.
It appears rather obvious that some people in very high office will go to any lengths to ensure the truth never sees the light of day because of how it reflects on not only a state institution but also on state government. This is no coincidence.
Mike Pohle
Father of April 16 victim Mike Pohle Jr.
A version of this article appeared in the Mar 2 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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you hit the nail on the head! i wish i could sue the hell out of this school just to teach them a lesson. i truly hope the parents of the students who didn't settle do just that. it seems that VT takes the opinion of "if we ignore this topic long enough, people will forget".
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Keep suing the hell out of the school, what will that accomplish? It puts a dollar price on a loss of life. If you want transparency or sue for an act then I'm with you, but I'm failing to see what the continuous law suits for monetary consideration will do to alleviate the issues. It's so sad that people forget that it wasn't the university's fault, it was Cho's fault.
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Dear Sure,
Thank you for your comment. The sole thing my family seeks, as do other families, is complete transparency. There is no disagreement that Cho was responsible for his actions. Having said that, however, it is unacceptable to my family that this "Cone of Silence" has existed for almost 3 years when it comes to taking a complete look at how this happened, and, what preventive measures were already in place that could have changed history had they been implemented. Beyond a seriously sick person, why were there multiple systemic and individual failures leading up to that day when the tools were already in place? The multiple versions of the panel report didn't explore that, and multiple requests to collaborate with the state to truly cover that were always rejected. Only having those answers will lead to truly effective changes, because, it can only happen when behaviors are changed, not simply "modification" of existing laws.
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I agree that people need to take a step back and stop blaming the University. There is only one individual that can bear that blame, and he cowardly removed himself from this world already.
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I couldn't agree more.
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Great letter. Agree 100%.
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Mr. Pohle - I think you should wait to comment until the report is released. The DOE has all kinds of statements from outsiders who were not actually on campus that day, and they are giving the University the opportunity to respond. All of the files from 4/16 are available on this website. In my opinion, transparency has not been an issue. However, I do think the University will lose federal financial aid because they will be in violation of the Clery Act.
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Hi Brandon,
I will indeed wait. I do, however, need to clarify 2 things. First, "all" of the files from 4/16 are NOT in the public domain. Second, transparency has remained an issue because of what you have not read.
All the best!
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Good point. Didn't the CT FOIA it? What else could there be?
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