should my parents be concerned?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
21

<p>It sounds like they caught the rapist already, which is great news. Students were actively involved in helping one of the victims and chasing the perpetrator and getting his license #, which is how they caught him. NOPD</a> makes rape arrest - News and are actively working on improving the lighting. There are call boxes all around campus (like most colleges) and there is an escort service that any student can call to be walked to/from any building if they don't have someone to walk with. There is also a program called "Safe Ride" Tulane</a> University - Division of Student Affairs which students can use to be driven around or near campus, as well as the campus police who patrol within a 1 mile radius of campus (ie on and off campus).</p>

<p>I am not sure why you are so critical of Tulane-- U of FL had a serial murderer who decapitated students a while back (one student's head was left on a bookshelf in their apartment), and FSU had Ted Bundy. No campus is immune. My older s's car was broken into off campus at Rice, and MOWC's son's apt was burglarized off campus at Penn. </p>

<p>As for PKE, The school was aware of the problems, and from my understanding had to wait until they could prove formal rules violations. When the hazing incident occurred, criminal charges were pressed, which was appropriate. The students where addressed throught the NOLA legal system (such as it is....) and the Frat was shut down and its charter revoked. </p>

<p>Your reaction seems a bit over-the-top. No school wants their students in harms way.</p>

<p>** Heres some additional info on the escort and shuttle services available, as well as the Safe Ride and EMS services. Tulane</a> University</p>

22

<p>Jym626,
If my reaction appears to be over the top, it's because I, like undoubtedly many, had higher expectations as to how a school would handle a multitude of complaints about a frat like this PKE. It is extremely disturbing to me that their behavior was allowed to escalate to this criminal level, when the administration in fact had prior knowledge of severe and ongoing misconduct. Certainly, no admin. can predict a Ted Bundy or serial killer in its midst. But swift reaction to severe and repeated allegations (in this case the allegations were made for at least a couple of years before the most recent skin-burning incidents occurred) can be expected. If this hazing or drugging happened to my son or daughter, I'd be outraged, especially in light of a history of misconduct. Of course no school wants its students in harm's way, as you aptly point out, but I believe that the only way to provide a safe environment is to be both firmly proactive and reactive. Overall campus security is directly linked to this same argument. So is the need for expulsions.</p>

<p>Thank you very much for commenting at length on all of the safety precautions currently being taken by the school. Those sound like great measures.</p>

23

<p>Just because students write articles or letters to the editor in a school newspaper doesnt make it so. I am not privvy to inside administration goings-on, but I have to believe that they were closely watching PIKE's behavior for opportunities to intervene, when they acted in ways that were sanctionable. Frats have to register their parties before holding them, and they have police presence at the door. </p>

<p>Sadly, other colleges have had students die of alcohol poisoning or drug overdoses, even schools without greek life (Rice lost a student the night before, or morning of beer bike a few years ago) and many frats have had hazing accusations. I suspect many more engage in hazing behind the scenes. Hard to know how many other college administrations are aware of the activities of the frats and are not as aggressive in dealing with it as you might like. I also imagine those schools aren't dealing with having to rebuild after hurricanes and having to deal with evacuations and other major aspects of student safety.</p>

<p>Tulane's freshman orientation has several presentations on student safety, given by members of the Tulane PD. They review the shuttle, escort, emergency phones, TEMS and other safety measures, they review how to maintain safety in a big city, and they let the students know that if they engage in criminal behavior they will be dealing with the NOLA PD, not the Tulane PD. They reported the number of kids that were arrested and jailed for drug posession last year (I forget the exact number). They do take this seriously. After the arrests last year, some students wrote an article in the school newspaper about the shortage of pot available on campus. Students will complain about anything and everything in their school papers, and I am glad they are permitted to do so, whether it be to rail against the administration for something or to whine about the pot shortage. I might suggest you consider reading the good things about schools rather than focusing on what you perceive as the "revolting" things. As others said above, such adjectives are extreme and unnecessary. Many good things happen on college campuses. You may or may not read about them in the school newspaper. I hope that is not your only source of infromation about a school.</p>

24

<p>Forgot to mention-- Tulane is offering a webinar on Greek Life for the parents in a week or so. Parents register and participate by phone, computer or both (have to log into the computer in order to ask questions). I don't know if it is open to prospective parents or not, but you could consider contacting the school to see if you could participate and get your questions answered, Epinomis. You seem to imply that the administration is clandestine and hands off with respect to the greek life, but I dont know how many other schools offer such webinar services to parents. Your comments are unduly harsh and seem to be based on limited data. If Tulane isnt for you, thats fine, but to come to a Tulane thread and bash Tulane is, IMO, in poor taste. JMO. If it isnt for you, fine. If it isnt for your child, fine. I just hope your child selects a school that is right for him/her, not one that is right for you.</p>

25

<p>My "sources" are not limited to student newspapers, even though plenty of information about this stuff can be found within those. The most basic of searches led to articles in Citizen Crime Watch,org, Nola.com, WCBSTV.com, and so on. What adjective would you suggest using to describe "pouring gasoline containers filled with boiling water on pledges backs and private parts"? I used the word "revolting"; indeed, the National Fraternity Organization called it "nothing short of reprehensible" in revoking the charter. The focus should be on the seriousness of the actions and why members of this fraternity were not firmly sanctioned in past years and this time expelled, not the adjectives someone uses to describe the behavior.</p>

<p>For the last time, the OP asked if his/her "parents should be concerned". This was the question posed. Thank you for your conern that our son choose a school that is right for him, not me, but neither he nor his sister are going anywhere on our dollar if we have a justifiable reason to be concerned about how basic safety issues are being handled by an administration.</p>

26

<p>MY recollection of the PKE incident was that the students were injured on their backs and chests, not their "private parts" (though liquid does move, it could certainly have injured more areas; and I never heard what kind of container the crab boil stuff was in). But I obviously havent scoured the news media on this as have you. Ironically, the same day, UW Madison had a hazing incident too Critical</a> Badger on the scene: The largest fraternity at UW-Madison, Sigma Phi Epsilon (Sig Ep), is under investigation by the Office of the Dean of Students for potential hazing and bad behavior « Scratch Madison off your kids list. Oh, cross off UT Austin- their pledges were burned with hot irons. And UC San Diego- they sold drugs from one of their frat houses. Hazing is wrong. It should not be permitted at any school.</p>

<p>I am hopeful that your kids will find a school that is right for them, perhaps a rural LAC with no greek life. Thats fine. Yes, the OP asked if their parents should be concerned. Most posters here were accurate in their response without hurling a slew of hostile sounding adjectives, as altmom pointed out.</p>

<p>Dont misunderstand-- I had my concerns when my s chose Tulane. And I am not personally a fan of greek life at all. But as others have said, when you get a closer look at Tulane, many concerns are assuaged. Your opinion seems pretty set in stone. Fine. No need to pour hot oil on the school or the posters here, IMO.</p>

27

<p>Jym626, your statement that "most posters were accurate here in their responses" is not right. The OP posted back in September, and nobody responded by addressing some serious issues that the school is currently confronted with, which prompted my original response in this thread. How about if something along these lines was said by a current Tulane parent, and there are obviously many paying attention here based on the large number of posts in the past day or so: </p>

<p>"You might read about 3 rapes that occurred recently near the vicinity of the library. The school is doing A,B and C to address this. You might also have heard about some recent and serious hazing issues resulting in hospitalizations for burn injuries suffered. The school has done D,E and F to address these, and the investigation continues." </p>

<p>The OP asked a very fair, valid question and I firmly believe that it deserved at least one thoroughly honest response. IMO the issue of poor taste arises in choosing not to do so. It's one thing to feel a strong sense of loyalty to a place, and I do respect that, but in order for it to continue to thrive, these issues must be aired out and resolved responsibly. It is not enough to throw out names like Univ of Wis and USC and UT to simply argue that this stuff happens everywhere. This thread is under the Tulane heading and the question pertained to safety at Tulane.</p>

28

<p>We shall just agree to disagree, Epinomis. The OP started this thread a few weeks ago (end of Sept), and posts that were posted at the time were not unreasonable. There are other threads about the hazing that are easily retrievable on this forum. The fact is that stuff DOES happen at many schools. UGA had a visiting student die at a private party a year or so ago, and Yale had a kid visiting fall out of a dorm (residential college)window at a party. Scratch these off the list too?? The recent sexual assaults at Tulane were certainly most unfortunate, and truth be told, I had not heard about them until just the other day. And I am thrilled that they seem to have caught the perpetrator and are following up on addressing the improved lighting.</p>

<p>There is s difference between being honest and being unnecessarily brutally honest. Fine. Your opinion is clear. Enough already. </p>

<p>The two quoted examples that the OP posted are exaggerations. Students can go downtown without getting mugged. Any student in any city should be wise to their surroundings and safety. Duh. And students party, but certainly attend classes and do well. Tulane has had many students win many prestigious graduate scholarships (Fulbrights, etc). Lighten up.</p>

<p>As I said earlier, I am not a big fan of the Greek life. I purposely chose an undergraduate school for myself that had no greek life, and I am glad my s doesn't plan to rush. He plans to participate in many of the other wonderful opportunities at Tulane (community service, TEMS, student government, research). If you choose to focus on the negative aspect of any school, that is your choice.</p>

<p>And reread the posts by all the parent posters on this thread. They are valid and accurate. I stand my my statement.</p>

29

<p>With 3,153 posts to your name on this site, as compared to my 13, I think "enough already" applies more aptly to you. Also, did you seriously just hear about the rapes "the other day"? The first occurred on Sep 28, followed by another on Oct 12 and Oct 19. Violent, brutal rapes resulting in serious injuries. You seem to pride yourself in knowing what's going on over there; how could you or any other parent not have been in the know about this for over a month? Lighten up? Sure, I can do that at easily as the next person. But when people on this site such as yourself launch personal attacks when someone expresses concern about violent crime issues on a campus and (gasp!) has actually cared enough to do a bit of research on it - now that, IMO, is in really poor taste.</p>

30

<p>Good grief. I have been on CC since the "old forum" days (which means pre Aug 2004) so yes, in my 4 plus years of posting I have generated more than your 19 or so posts in 2 months (it appears that you joined at the end of August). That is, of course, assuming you arent an old poster resurfacing under a new screenname......
I have no reason to be disengenuous with you. My son did not tell me about the rapes- I heard them here first. You can believe it or not-- it really matters not. The fact that you are even deflecting the conversation there with sarcasm and continued negativity is beyond silly. Your attitude here has been consistently unpleasant. Whatever your issue is with Tulane, deal with it. Feel free to get your last word in here, as seems to be your want. No one launched a personal attack at you-- you must be misreading the posts. It looks more like you came here with the intent to bash Tulane, and have taken plenty of opportunities to do so. Enough. Good day to you.</p>

31

<p>oooh Blog Fight!! </p>

<p>I take Jym's side ;)</p>

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<p>LOL ag54! Thanks!!! You are my new best friend :)</p>

<p>**** but oooh, you called CC a "blog".. I dont think they like that.. but I wont tell... shhhhhhhhhh.... ;)</p>

33

<p>Please know that there was no sarcasm intended; that comment was more along the lines of utter disbelief and disappointment that the administration (not your son - at least I don't think that mine would raise the issue with us) would not have sent out alerts, and my inherent assumption that someone like yourself, who appears to have a good amount of knowledge about campus safety, would have looked at anything that was circulated about such an issue. At any rate, peace. Please accept my "negativity" as you've labled it (how come everyone else gets to use adjectives and adverbs?) for what it was at the core - fear of the unknown for my own kids and sadness for the students and parents involved in the stuff mentioned in this post. And hope for improved safety to compliment Tulane's stellar academic reputation, which was never doubted.</p>

34

<p>To the OP:
The only way to know if Tulane is right for you is to visit the school and the city. There are also many resources available to your parents to provide the answers you need. I highly recommend that you put them in contact with the admissions office and have them speak to staff as well as volunteer parents.</p>

<p>From my family's firsthand experience - it's an excellent school in a wonderful, unique city. There are thousands upon thousands of devoted, successful, happy alumni and families that have been part of the Tulane experience. If you're interested, visit and decide for yourself.</p>

35

<p>Well, I should read my 1000+ emails more carefully. Seems There were 2 emails, one from the presidents office and one from the parents liason, On Oct 21, about the rapes:
[quote]
October 21, 2008</p>

<p>To the Tulane Community: </p>

<p>I wanted to give you an update on this past Sunday's sexual assault of a Tulane student and the subsequent arrest of the alleged perpetrator. Attacks against our students such as this and those that occurred on Sept. 28 and Oct.12 are the worst possible news a university community can hear. Please be assured that we are protecting the privacy of these victims while assisting them in every way possible.</p>

<p>As president and a parent, I am deeply upset and saddened about what has occurred and I am going to make sure we continue to do whatever we can to protect our community. In the past, we have taken pride in our safety record but these recent tragic incidents indicate we must do more and we will. </p>

<p>Our one solace is that the alleged perpetrator in Sunday's attack is now in jail thanks to the efforts of the victim, the Tulane Police Department, the New Orleans Police Department and, most importantly, a few fellow Tulane students who witnessed the attack, chased the suspect away and provided his license plate number and vehicle description to police who were patrolling the area.</p>

<p>Although we are relieved that a suspect in these attacks is now behind bars, this is no time to let our guard down. Police are still investigating whether this suspect is also responsible for the previous two attacks. At this time, we cannot assume that the current suspect in jail is responsible for all three assaults.</p>

<p>Regardless of the outcome of the current investigations, Tulane is increasing security in a number of ways to ensure the continued safety of our community. We are increasing the number of perimeter patrols on the streets surrounding campus. We have also increased the operating hours of our free shuttle services and, as always, the Tulane Police are available 24 hours a day to escort any Tulane community member who feels unsafe. In addition we are also adding 19 crime cameras in and around campus and are placing yard signs containing crime prevention tips throughout campus. Our Rape Aggression Defense classes, taught by trained TUPD officers, are also seeing an increase in participants.</p>

<p>However, despite these enhancements, the best deterrent to crime is still a vigilant university community. No amount of actions by any university can eliminate crime; therefore, we need the assistance of everyone in the Tulane community. The number one way to avoid being a crime victim is to avoid walking alone after dark, especially late at night or in the early morning. While weekend nights are a time of socializing for most of us, predators view them as an opportunity to catch victims unaware.</p>

<p>As the students in Sunday's attack so heroically demonstrated, look out for one another. Know the whereabouts of every member of your party. Make sure no one ever walks alone. Be accountable to yourselves and others and make sure they are accountable to you. Read and follow the safety tips that are displayed around campus. If you see any suspicious activity call the Tulane Police immediately at 865-5200 or the New Orleans Police at 821-2222 or 911.</p>

<p>Finally, please officially report any possible crimes that you become aware of so we have the information needed to take immediate action. Without you coming forward with knowledge of possible crimes, the university's efforts are hampered to protect its community.</p>

<p>Scott Cowen

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Ah hah-- just found <em>another email</em> from the Tulane parents liason reminding us of the change in Daylight savings time this weekend and that we should remind our kids, since it will be getting dark earlier, to put the Tulane emergency phone # in their cellphones.</p>

<p>*** Note to self*** read all three email addresses and clean out emails to get the number below 1000......</p>

36

<p>Ironically, I just got a call from my husband at the office, who works with a guy who was in the PKE fraternity at Tulane a few years back. To compliment Jym's note with letter above, everyone should know that both the PKE fraternity and Tulane University are taking those hazing issues very seriously in terms of keeping the fraternity alumni posted and vowing to keep new pledges safer. My husband's colleague knew about all of it and believes that the issues are being addressed to the best of the fraternity's abilities. This guy really loved Tulane and has nothing but good things to say about it, not to mention that he is very successful at what he does, from what I'm told. There really are two sides to every story, I guess.</p>

37

<p>^^^ Is that an apology, epinomis? :D Hope you are more reassured about Tulane, its administration and its students. As for frat pledges, well, while for sure all pledges will be handled carefully, there will be no more PIKE pledges since they lost their charter. My s says the former PKE frat boys seem to be "shunned" (my words, not his, because I cant remember what he said) by most other students. That, or he simply doesnt know anyone who socializes with them.</p>

<p>As for communication from Tulane, there is a TON of it.. I just have to plod through my email to read them all (note to self again: less time on cc, more time cleaning out email....) In fact there is so much I simply don't open the emails all right away. Two different parent e-newsletters and emergency listserv contacts come from the Parents liason, one weekly (or more) comes from the office of the President ("Tulane Talk") and one from the PR dept ("New Wave"). I just read one that said NOLA may be getting the final four in 2012 or 2016. Thats cool. So.. it is not a dearth of information/communication from Tulane, but rather a plethora of information.</p>

<p>Epinomis-- apology accepted.</p>

38

<p>
[QUOTE]
From my family's firsthand experience - it's an excellent school in a wonderful, unique city. There are thousands upon thousands of devoted, successful, happy alumni and families that have been part of the Tulane experience. If you're interested, visit and decide for yourself.

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>Can't agree with you more! I'm also a parent of a happy, well adjusted freshman at Tulane who truly feels that this is a school he belongs. He is doing really well academically and also making friends and enjoying all Tulane/NOLA have to offer. Of course, we never even thought of applying to Tulane until he received the free application, and didn't really think he would be going there until we visited NOLA and the campus. :) Safety is a big concern that we also had, but after seeing the campus and knowing the statistics, we did not let it become a big issue to stop him from attending, and we are all glad it turned out this way.</p>

39

<p>
[QUOTE]
Ah hah-- just found <em>another email</em> from the Tulane parents liason reminding us of the change in Daylight savings time this weekend and that we should remind our kids, since it will be getting dark earlier, to put the Tulane emergency phone # in their cellphones.

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>How do I sign up to these email? I don't think we are on the mailing list...</p>

40

<p>Stonebridge-
Those reminders were in the October E-Newsletter. You have to enlarge the "partners in learning" page when you open it. Its real small type. Here's the October page <a href="http://www.studentaffairs.tulane.edu/parentprograms/documents/finalfirstyearoct.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.studentaffairs.tulane.edu/parentprograms/documents/finalfirstyearoct.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>