NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT · MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 · VOL. CXXXVII, NO. 74 · yaledailynews.com
INSIDE THE NEWS MORNING EVENING
SNOW SNOW
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Blow ’16 forced to ground at gunpoint by YPD
TO THE WIRE YALE BASKETBALL TOPPLES BROWN
PENCIL IT IN
THERE’S STILL HOPE
Under pressure, Univ. moves back end of fall 2015 finals — by one day
MORE SENIORS ARE GETTING JOBS LATE IN THE YEAR, REPORT SAYS
PAGES B1-B4 SPORTS
PAGE 3 UNIVERSITY
PAGE 3 UNIVERSITY
SEE BLOW PAGE 4
YPD probes alleged rape in Vanderbilt
Rape in TD alleged by visitor BY STEPHANIE ADDENBROOKE, ERICA PANDEY AND VIVIAN WANG STAFF REPORTERS
ing to one Vanderbilt resident, who asked to remain anonymous, the police remained there for 24 hours. What transpired during the 24 hours that police remained stationed in Vanderbilt remains unclear. It could not be learned whether the student was removed
Authorities are investigating a Southern Connecticut State University student’s claim that she was raped by a Yale student last weekend. On Jan. 20, students received a campus-wide email from Yale Police Department Chief Ronnell Higgins, informing them that a visitor to campus had reported being sexually assaulted by a Yale student, with whom she was acquainted, on the night of Sunday, Jan. 18. The female SCSU student was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital on Tuesday with physical injuries, the New Haven Independent reported Friday. Someone familiar with the case told the Independent that the student said she had been punched in the eye, choked and forced to perform oral and vaginal sex. Several students interviewed, as well as Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway, indicated that the alleged rape occurred in Timothy Dwight College. YPD officers arrived on the scene on Wednesday to investigate and
SEE VANDERBILT PAGE 6
SEE SCSU PAGE 4
ALEXANDRA SCHMELING/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Vanderbilt Hall, home to Branford and Saybrook freshmen, was searched on Friday after an alleged sexual assault. BY STEPHANIE ADDENBROOKE STAFF REPORTER Members of the Yale Police Department descended on Vanderbilt Hall Friday evening, searching a freshman suite to investigate an alleged sexual assault. On Friday afternoon, YPD Chief Ronnell Higgins sent a cam-
pus-wide alert reporting that an alleged incident of sexual assault had occurred in a “residential room” on campus Wednesday night. Shortly before 6 p.m. on Friday, roughly a dozen police officers entered Vanderbilt, preventing students from approaching a suite on the third floor, in a part of the building that houses Branford College freshmen. Accord-
Thefts expand beyond Trumbull
“Historic” storm set to hit the Elm City BY DANIELA BRIGHENTI STAFF REPORTER
YALE DAILY NEWS
After a number of thefts on campus, Yale has seen significant criminal and law enforcement activity. BY STEPHANIE ADDENBROOKE AND JOEY YE STAFF REPORTERS Over the past week, Yale has seen a flurry of criminal and law enforcement activity on campus. On Jan. 15, Michael Cruciger ’15 had his laptop stolen from his Trumbull College common room in entryway J. Another student in
CROSS CAMPUS ONLINE y MORE goydn.com/xcampus
Reform proposals emphasize subpoena power for review board PAGE 5 CITY
BY STEPHANIE ADDENBROOKE AND AMAKA UCHEGBU STAFF REPORTERS Amid a national conversation about race and policing, a series of Twitter messages posted Saturday have thrust Yale into the spotlight. New York Times columnist Charles Blow, one of the country’s leading speakers and writers on race and American identity, said on Twitter Saturday afternoon that his son, Tahj Blow ’16, had been held at gunpoint by Yale Police officers. Blow is an ecology and evolutionary biology major in Saybrook College. He declined request for comment Sunday evening. “He was let go when they realized he was a college student and not a criminal (he was leaving the library!)” one of Charles Blow’s tweets said. “He’s shaken, but I’m fuming!” Charles Blow added the hashtags #ICantBreathe and #BlackLivesMatter, rallying cries associated with the grand jury decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson and the no-indictment in the case of Eric Garner, who died from a police chokehold in Staten Island, New York. Blow’s first tweet, which said his son was held at gunpoint because he “fit the description” of a suspect, has been retweeted more than 5,000 times. Early Monday, a column by Charles Blow published in the New York Times outlined the events of Saturday evening, as relayed to him by his son. Tahj Blow left a campus library Saturday evening and noticed a police officer following him. The officer then raised a gun at Blow and told him to get on the ground, asking where he went to school. “My son was unarmed, possessed no plunder, obeyed all instructions, answered all questions, did not attempt to flee or resist in any way,” he wrote. The Yale Police Department is conducting an internal review of the incident, according to
POLICE AND RACE
the same entryway reported his wallet missing, and Axell Meza ’16 said an unknown man entered his common room claiming to be looking for “Josh.” On the same night, Kartik Srivastava ’17 said that while he was sleeping, his wallet was taken from a desk no less than a foot from his person, and his suitemate’s checkbook
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was taken. Transactions had been made on Srivastava’s debit card, and his suitemate’s checks had been cashed, he said. Several days later, laptops and an iPad were stolen from a suite in Lanman-Wright Hall, the freshman residence for Berkeley and SEE THEFT PAGE 6
Jubelate. No guarantees, but a Bandsintown.com event indicates that Klingande (known for the house song “Jubel”) will be in New Haven on Apr. 25 for the “Yale University Spring Festival.” Diplo will be a tough act to follow. One down, two to go.
A “crippling” and “historic” blizzard is set to strike the New England region this afternoon all the way through Tuesday night, according to New Haven city officials. The area was originally under blizzard watch for the weekend and early yesterday morning, but a blizzard warning has since been issued for New York City, northeastern New Jersey, Long Island, the Lower Hudson Valley of New York and the southern half of Connecticut, including the Elm City. According to the National Weather Service, snowfall is expected to start around noon Monday, intensifying and reaching a moderate level during the afternoon. By nightfall, the snow will intensify at a rate of two to three inches per hour, and will be accompanied by strong, gusty winds reaching up to 60 miles per hour. Blizzard conditions can be expected overnight, extending through Tuesday. New Haven’s Deputy Director of Operations of the Emergency Operations Center Rick Fontana said that both the city of New Haven and the University are working to prepare for the 24 to 36 inches of total snow expected, with potentially higher amounts of 40 inches in some areas under blizzard warning. “We will leave no stone unturned in this storm,” Fontana said. “We will ensure that public safety is first and foremost, and we will have an adequate amount of equipment to deal with the storm.”
Dig deep. With the
snowpocalypse looming, think about helping out by signing up for Snowcrew, a SeeClickFix service connecting shovelers to snowed-in citizens in need. Take note, admins: It’ll be tough for us to lend a hand if we’re tied up with classes.
Fontana explained that this storm is different than what they are used to seeing. New Haven typically does not fall under blizzard conditions, and because of the rate of snowfall and the very fast wind gusts, Fontana dubbed it a “historic” blizzard. New Haven residents can expect an emergency parking ban in the city tomorrow, Fontana added. Cars will only be allowed to park on the sides of the street with even address numbers to ensure that snow trucks can circulate through the city. On snow routes, residents will not be allowed to park on either side. Additionally, a phone line will be up and running to provide residents with periodic updates, while messages alerting residents about street sweeping and parking bans will be sent via the city’s alert system, according to Fonatna. On top of these customary measures, new procedures have been implemented this year, Fontana said. The city fleet features nine new snow trucks, as well as a 10-foot wide snow blower that blows snow into a trailer dump instead of plowing it. Fontana said residents also could expect to be given more updates on parking bans and alternative parking options in school lots. “Once the snow really gets under way around rush hour, we expect it will continue to snow right through a good part of Tuesday,” Fontana said. In anticipation of the blizzard, public schools in New Haven will close two hours earlier today to help parents and students
Notably absent. Speaking of
snow, Quinnipiac canceled its shuttle service into the Elm City on Saturday due to inclement weather. And though some Bobcats were not be deterred, Toad’s Place was significantly emptier than it usually is as a result.
SEE SNOW PAGE 4
Speaking of speaking. The
YCC’s #YaleSpeaks online campaign launched over the weekend, featuring photos of students from around campus and their thoughts on how Yale could change for the better. If only we had some way of expressing the News’ Views.