This letter from Robert Gatti, vice president and dean for Student Affairs, is in response to the articles “Police reports made private” and “The stories you read in this paper will never be the same” found in the vol. 94, issue 4 publication of the T&C. Per the Tan & Cardinal’s policy of a 300-word limit on letters to the editor, Vice President Gatti edited his original submission to this current letter.
Click the link below for the full PDF of this letter.
It’s important to comment on the recent article regarding Otterbein Police Department’s (OPD) failure to comply with Ohio Public Records Law. Missing from this conversation is something very important — what is in the best interest of our students, especially the survivor of a sexual assault. The current policy of the T&C is not to publish the names of the survivor of a sexual assault, but it is the practice of the T&C to contact the survivor for an interview. Many survivors worry who on campus will know about the assault and value their privacy.
Publishing the names of Otterbein students who are victims and suspects of crimes usually does not improve campus safety. It further traumatizes the student and impedes their recovery process. In 2006, a student reported she was sexually assaulted. Westerville Police Department handled the case and later determined the student filed a false report. The T&C obtained a copy of the police report and published her booking photograph and name. She left Otterbein.
A criminal investigation sometimes becomes an administrative investigation. Our students will be very reluctant to report suspected crimes to OPD if they know information, including their name, will be made available to the T&C. We don’t tell the student’s parents when they are caught for underage drinking. Why would we tell the student newspaper?
The Office of the Ohio Attorney General has been very clear. Private universities are not subject to open records. Until we are legally required to comply with the Ohio Public Records Law, we will do what is in the best interest of our students, as long as it does not place the campus community in danger.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Gatti
Vice President and Dean for Student Affairs
