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Adjunct ackowledges sexual abuse allegations, placed on admin. leave by bobby shipman editor@usishield.com @ShieldsterBobby Adjunct communications instructor and former Republican City Council at-large candidate Jack Schriber told police he had Schriber a sexual relationship with a minor during his time as a teacher at Central High School, according to a report by the Evansville Police Department.
According to the police report, the victim said he was between the ages of 15 and 17 when he was “coerced into a nonconsensual sexual relationship” with Schriber. Schriber, at the time, was an English teacher and supervisor of fine arts at Central High School in Evansville from 1970 to 2007, when he retired. The victim said, according to the report, that he was “coerced … throughout the two years that the relationship lasted” and that he felt he could not end the relationship with Schriber without “suffering penalties to his academic and extracurricular school career.” The victim also said he believed there may have been other students
Schriber coerced into nonconsensual sexual relationships. The victim came forward to police July 20, according to the report. Schriber said he wrote a letter of apology to the student per the suggestion of Detective Brian Turpin. “Those days at Central still have many mixed emotions,” Schriber said in his letter. “I was much younger and boundaries between student and teacher often became blurred. In this case sexual boundaries were blurred and you became the victim. This was NOT of your doing, in any way.” In the letter Schriber also apologizes to the victim for any anguish that has been afflicted.
The deadline to withdraw from the ballot for City Council was listed as July 15 on the election calendar. Vanderburgh County Republican Party Chairman Wayne Parke released a statement that he sent to Schriber saying he was disappointed to learn of the news of the candidate’s inappropriate relationship with a student. “Even though at this point, as a candidate, you may not ‘voluntarily’ withdraw from the ballot,” Parke wrote. “As County Chairman, I believe it is in the best interest of all concerned that you end your campaign immediately.”
Allegations, PAGE 3
double-sided silence Organizations question Free Speech Zone policy by gabi wy news@usishield.com @ShieldsterGabi The university allowed Students for Life to silently protest in their classes Tuesday with professor discretion and even sent out a mass email to faculty through the provost’s office. The students participating wore tape over their lips that read “Life.” The protest was a part of the eleventh annual Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity. The pro-life student organization also hosted The Planned Parenthood Project earlier this month on the Quad, which raised controversy. “(The protest) is a national ( p Students for Life President thing,” Student Schwindel said. “Honestly, Laura Schwind it’s not really ffor campus.” Schwindel ssaid its purpose was campus to benefit but for not for campu for what they students to stand st believe in. “Like when the Twin Towdown, (U.S. ers were knocked kno citizens) had a moment when they she said. “They dediwere silent,” sh whole day to it. We’re cated the who doing it for the unborn.” Schwindel said Students for to participate in Life had the right ri matter what. its protest no m “We didn’t need permission,” she said. “It is freedom of speech. choosing not to speak. It’s We are choosin Constitution, and it’s a part of the Con university.” state university An email ssent out by the provost’s office notifi ed faculty that n students would wou be participating in the Day of Silence, but it was ultimately each professor’s decision to accommodate them. them Junior English education major Lauu ren Abney, who began a counter protest to Students for Life in the Free Speech Zone, wrote that her unofficial group’s silent protest promotes
being pro-choice. “The Free Speech Zone is where silent protests should be demonstrated,” Abney wrote. “However, I find that troublesome if the whole campus is not a ‘free speech zone’ in itself. (The university) claims to be a campus where new ideas should be discussed appropriately, with proper argument and research.” The counter protesters had tape over their mouths as well, but the word “Choice” replaced “Life.” “The fact that their protest goes over a narrow outcome for women’s health, yet they wish to protest freely all over campus, is controversial,” Abney wrote. Assistant Professor of Psychology Amie McKibban oversaw the Human Equality and Animal Rights group for several years until the students interested either left or graduated. She said she found the Students for Life Protest to be taking thee idea from the Gay, Lesbian and nd Straight Education Network. GLSEN’s LSEN’s Day of Silence dates back ack to 1996. “I find it somewhat offensive that at they borrowed that concept that at already represents a small group roup of people who are silent nt for fear of rejection and nd unsafety,” McKibban an said. “There’s the idea ea of representing silence nce for unborn fetuses. A lot of the women who have ave to terminate pregnancies ancies suffer in silence.” She said the university wasn’t asn’t always clear about why hy students weren’t able ble to hold events in specifi fic areas. “Occasionally (the students) udents) would run into problems roblems not getting responses ponses back and not being eing able to use certain areas eas for silly reasons,” Abney bney said. “They were told they could ould only march around thee Quad for their silent protest rotest to not be disruptive.” ve.”
Steve Bequette needs student help solving Public Safety’s puzzles. The university’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, a required document for federally funded universities based on the
for victims to report their cases. “There is the confidentiality option if they want to stay anonymous and not report specifics,” Bequette said. “We will put it in the report, but not include any information. So they may request that it not be investigated.” While Public Safety respects the sensitivity
of Title IX violations, Bequette said investigation could be necessary. “The only way that (request) could be overridden and we would urge them to report the perpetrator or events involved would be a dire threat to the campus, safety or security,” he said. “We’ll need to take different action for the welfare of all.”
The Romain College of Business has invited Doug Joest to serve as its new Executive in Residence. He leads the business of the Evansville Regional Airport, for 10 years. Joest discovered his passion for aviation in his younger years while building models of rockets and airplanes. “Most people played sports as a hobby, but I wanted something different, so I decided I wanted to be a pilot,” Joest said. Joest attended William Henry Harrison High School. Between his junior and senior year he obtained his pilot’s license at Tri-State Air. “It was an enormous and lengthy challenge, but it gave me a great sense of accomplishment,” Joest said. After receiving his license Joest said he wanted to become a commercial airline pilot. “The flying part was what I enjoyed, but the rest was just very unappealing,” he said. “Most of the time was spent waiting.” Joest attended USI and majored in accounting. After he graduated, he moved to Texas to work as an accountant for El Paso Natural Gas for 10 years. Joest returned to Evansville to become the CFO of Tri-State Air.
by Gabi wy news@usishield.com @ShieldsterGabi
Photos by Alyssa smith | The Shield
Clery Report provides partial picture Clery Act, released statistics on disciplinary actions and criminal offenses from 2012-2014. Bequette, the assistant director of Public Safety, said when students don’t report questionable behavior, pieces of security’s puzzles are missing. In terms of sexual violence, he said security has improved by providing opportunities
zmwillem@eagles.usi.edu
Strategic Plan progresses as ‘living document’
Junior construction technology major Joshua Welage (left) and junior English education major Lauren Abney (right) wear tape over their lips to protest prochoice and pro-life arguments, respectively, Tuesday at the university.
news@usishield.com @ShieldsterGabi
by zackary willem
romain exec., PAGE 3
Protest, rotest, PAGE 3
by gabi wy
Alum named Romain Exec. in Residence
The federal standards previously broke down sex offenses into two categories—forcible and non-forcible. For 2014, the official classifications are rape, fondling, incest and statutory rape. “A couple years ago, the FBI changed the actual definition of rape,” Bequette said. “It’s basically putting a tag on the event that hap-
pened.” A fondling incident and a rape took place on campus in 2014 compared to no reported offenses in 2013 and six forcible sex offenses in 2012. “We feel good our statistics look low,” Bequette said, “but we’re always cognizant of the fact that a lot of these go unreported.”
Marcia Kiessling, associate provost for Student Affairs, said USI’s strategic plan is unlike any other she’s encountered at other universities. “People actually know it, and people actually work toward it,” she said. “Most places I’ve worked, it’s kind of like this esoteric piece that a few people come up with and then they file it away.” The Strategic Plan from 2010-2015 consists of six goals. From continuing traditions to extending service hours, the university has worked and is still working on meeting these goals. Each goal varies in its progress over the past five years. The goals are as follows: Enhance experiential learning opportunities “There was a lot of effort in increasing servicelearning opportunities,” Kiessling said. “We’ve also increased emphasis on internships. Students want internships, and employers want that.”
Strategic plan, PAGE 3
clery report, PAGE 3
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