An Open Letter To Duke University President Brodhead

Dear President Brodhead:

I am writing you in reference to the public disaster your school and surrounding community faced last year. I’m sure we both understand I am talking about what is now commonly known as the lacrosse rape scandal. Social or otherwise, I’m sure we both agree that this was a terrible disaster.

I read the blogs and I read the newspapers but these are not the reasons I’m writing. I am writing because of what this outsider sees happening to your school. I am a married father of 2 looking at my first tuition bill in about 5 years. While I’m not sure I’ll be able to afford your institution, I’m equally not sure that I would encourage my children to go. The disaster your community experienced last year could have been better survived with great strength and leadership at several levels. Sadly, this was not to be seen.

While you as an individual and president of the school cannot stop freedom of speech, you should have cautioned your faculty at all levels, both publicly and privately, that they are seen as representatives of your school. I do not mean just those individuals known now as the Group of 88, I am referring to the entire faculty. Those who openly support either side are going to upset somebody. This should have happened very early on. We, the national community have not seen strength or organization from Duke at the levels we should have. We did not see strength to stand up and protect those 3 individual students or the rest of the team while evidence was still being collected.

What we the outside, national community have seen is tremendous infighting between students and teachers, and amongst the faculty. This infighting, this disorganization is doing very serious damage to your school’s image. For schools at your level, image is a very great deal as I’m sure I don’t have to remind you. Further, this lack of organization has cost you a coach and who knows what, that we haven’t heard about.

I firmly believe that this situation is correctable. To correct it will take strength in the face of adversity. I believe several actions are long past due and still not too late to take. These actions will anger many I’m sure. The question I would pose is simply this: Does the current Duke administration have that strength?

First, The longer Collin, Reade, and David are in the news, the longer Duke is known for a scandal. I believe you should exercise whatever resources you have to show Attorney General Cooper and Governor Easley your support for those men. This scandal is still going and needs to end.

Second, the faculty, and I mean the entire faculty, must show unity in the face of this disaster. This unity will take a great negotiator. It will also show organization. It has been a year since this started. We, the national community, still haven’t seen organization from Duke.

The publicity that the 88 professors are garnering needs to be handled through one source. Whether that source is one of the faculty directly such as Dr Lubiano or Dr. Chafe, or an outside agency, one source is needed. This will also show organization and take a great negotiator. It will also show the tolerance those 88 professors were looking for.

Finally, and this is very telling to me, is the alumni. I am aware of Friends of Duke University, which was started by an alumnus. It should tell you something when the alumni are talking and it’s not in agreement with the loudest voices currently on the campus. There are no Friends of Duke University, no alumni, coming forward to say the group is correct. What do they know that the 88 don’t? Ask them.

In conclusion, I’d like to thank you for the time you invested in reading this letter. I understand you receive many demands in your daily duties at Duke, most of them being time. I have pointed out only what I see as limits on the future of Duke and a long history of high educational standards. I pray that you, the university and the surrounding community affected by this, find peace.

Sincerely