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that students on either end of the process … understand their role in it. …You can come at it from almost any end and say that we’re not as transparent in our process as we could be and should be.” When the University announced Adams’ appointment in December 2012, the news release boasted that he would “chair the Hazing Prevention Task Force and the Community Alcohol Coalition, which will be formed under his leadership.” Nearly a year later, that promise remains unfulfilled — though Adams did unveil an updated, more specific hazing policy at the beginning of this academic year. Adams said he intends to jumpstart a task force next quarter, along with publishing data on the number of hazing incidents that come through the Division of Student Affairs. Lavery hopes the task force will illuminate the University Hearing and Appeals System, a decades-old process that handles misconduct on campus. Although those currently and formerly involved in it say it is an effective way of settling student conflict, they admit it has some flaws, including how long it takes for a complaint to lead to a hearing. In his conversations with NU administrators, Lavery said, they admitted the system is imperfect but offered little recourse. “This isn’t something that we’re trained on as you become a student,” Lavery said. “They don’t say how or why the resources aren’t there. They say the process is broken, and that’s sort of what they have to deal with. It will take a lot to change.” Blindfolds and ‘blow jobs’ Phi Delt’s pledging activities started innocuously enough, said Lavery, who rushed as a sophomore. He remembers the chapter’s philanthropies fondly and recalls a round of “snow football” that pitted upperclassmen against the new class. “You were forced to do it, so under the definition that would be hazing,” Lavery said. “(But) there’s no physical harm, it’s not a degrading activity, it’s not anything that attacks the spirit of the person going through the process.” The first red flag came later that winter. According to Lavery’s written account, Phi Delt brothers termed the event “The Brothel.” Pledges were taken to an off-campus residence and blindfolded. Female NU students — whom Lavery said the brothers called “hookers” — came in to touch, dance and grind on the pledges. One student present during the activity confirmed Lavery’s description. The student requested to remain anonymous but said pledges were » See in focus, page 10
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Dunkle said there is currently a wait list for ongoing therapy services, though he added wait lists are common in counseling centers regardless of staff size. CAPS is still in the process of hiring its third new psychologist, a position for which Student Affairs gave funding in the spring. The new psychologist will specialize in the mental health of NU’s Latino population. Dunkle said CAPS is having trouble filling the position but is “working on it.” “I think that once we get that other staff member we’re going to be pretty close in line to where our peers are in terms of staff-to-student ratio,” Dunkle said. He attributes the increase in demand to several factors, including CAPS outreach efforts, a larger staff and the new Essential NU on mental health attended by all new students during Wildcat Welcome in September. “I think part of it is there is less of a stigma for students trying to reach out for help,” Dunkle said. “I think it’s also been a difficult last year or so in terms of campus tragedy.” Alex Van Atta, Associated Student Government executive vice president, said although increased demand may have been influenced by recent tragedies, students’ requests are also indicative of more effective campus outreach efforts. He said he hopes the three additional staff members will help cut down wait times, even with rising requests. “My initial impression is that if people are looking for resources, that’s a good thing that they are getting the
Sean Lavery’s face was red with blood. His cheeks and forehead were bruised. A plastic tube ran through his battered nostrils. It was May 19, 2012, and Lavery was in the emergency room with a busted nose, fractured in four places. Two weeks later, he returned for a surgery that totaled thousands of dollars. Overall, he spent about 20 hours at the hospital, according to a written account he gave to the University and, later, The Daily. The Medill senior doesn’t like to dwell on the details of that night, simply referring to the situation as “an incident of hazing.” But the documents and photos he shared tell a grislier story: After months of pledging Phi Delta Theta and vocalizing his concerns about certain forced activities, Lavery was told to report to the fourth floor of the fraternity house. There, he found a stranger. A brother told Lavery he had to fight the man. Lavery was slammed to the ground. He blacked out. His shirt ripped. His face was smashed. Lavery did not tell hospital officials what had left him so beaten. He didn’t tell the University until January 2013, when official after official redirected him, before his complaint was forwarded to the Office of Student Conduct. The case remains unresolved, though Lavery has been told that nearly a year after he reported the incident, he should expect a ruling sometime soon. Phi Delt president Greg Booth was not a Northwestern student when Lavery was pledging. Still, Booth conceded that hazing incidents occurred and said the fraternity is focused on moving forward. “I would say that in the past, definitely Phi Delt did have some problems. I feel terrible for the people who had to go through that,” the Weinberg sophomore said. “We tried to eliminate all of the members that are associated with that. Frankly, it’s unacceptable for those things to happen ever again in Phi Delt, and in the Greek community in general.” For Lavery, the experience reflected a broader culture of nondisclosure around hazing at NU — something that goes deeper than one fraternity, team or organization. According to the National Collaborative for Hazing Research and Prevention, 55 percent of students nationwide reported having been hazed. Those The Daily spoke with said NU’s main issues are a slow judicial process and a lack of transparency. It’s a problem Dean of Students Todd Adams — in his second full quarter at NU after a long tenure at Duke University — acknowledges. And one he intends to fix. “I think you’re going to see some changes,” Adams told The Daily. “We have a responsibility to ensure that cases are heard within a timely way and
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John Dunkle, CAPS executive director
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I think part of it is there is less of a stigma for students trying to reach out for help.
By michele corriston, LAUREN CARUBA, JOSEPH DIEBOLD, PAULINA FIROZI, KIMBERLY RAILEY AND PATRICK SVITEK
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Student requests for Counseling and Psychological Services have increased 19 percent this quarter, executive director John Dunkle said, following a 14 percent increase during last academic year — yet the center’s newly-funded position has yet to be filled. All students who sought help this quarter have at least moved past the initial CAPS assessment, Dunkle said. He added that students are getting attention more quickly this year because of new staff members hired since the spring. “I’ve seen the impact,” Dunkle said. “We’re also keeping more students in house mainly because we’ve had more staff, and so I think that students are getting in quickly.” After a student’s initial assessment, CAPS determines how to treat students based on their individual cases.
Student’s hazing story highlights flaws in NU’s disciplinary system
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Demand for CAPS up in 2013
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Prof killed in Metra crash By Patrick Svitek
daily senior staffer @PatrickSvitek
A Northwestern professor was killed Saturday afternoon after a Metra train hit his car in Lake Forest, Ill., officials said. Feinberg Prof. Victor B. Tsirline, 35, was pronounced dead on the scene in the north suburb of Chicago, according to the officials. The Lake County coroner’s office said the train struck Tsirline’s car at about 2:40 p.m. near the intersection of Old Mill and Waukegan roads. Witnesses told police Tsirline drove around the lowered gates at the crossing after its warning bells and lights went off. He continued east when his vehicle was struck by the train, which was heading south on the Milwaukee DistrictNorth Line. The train pushed Tsirline’s car, a black four-door sedan, about 100 yards along the tracks, police said. Tsirline, of Lincolnshire, Ill., was also a surgeon at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, hospital spokeswoman Jane Griffin said. In Feinberg, he was an assistant professor of gastrointestinal and endocrine surgery. Dr. David M. Mahvi, president of Northwestern Medical Group, said Monday the hospital was “deeply saddened” by Tsirline’s death. “Dr. Tsirline was a talented Northwestern Medicine surgeon who contributed greatly to our surgical team in Lake Forest with his minimally invasive surgical expertise,” Mahvi said in a statement. “This is a tremendous loss for our organization and we extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues.” University spokesman Al Cubbage called Tsirline’s death a “shocking loss” and said NU extends its condolences to Tsirline’s family and friends. Another Feinberg professor, Piotr Kulesza, died last weekend in what police believe was an accidental fall from a hotel balcony in Hollywood, Fla. patricksvitek2014@u.northwestern.edu
Dozen arrested in drug sting By patrick svitek
daily senior staffer @PatrickSvitek
Chicago police said they arrested 12 people Thursday as a result of an undercover investigation into drug dealing near the Evanston border. A “series of shootings and complaints of narcotics sales” near the intersection of Ashland Avenue and Howard Street led to the investigation, according to Chicago police. Two Chicago men were killed in separate shootings in July in the area, which includes Willye B. White Park and the Stephen F. Gale Community Academy. » See drug sting, page 14
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