IU’s silence
January 3, 2010 | Posted by admin We think it’s worth noting that while Indiana University has issued a statement about Don Belton’s “death,” the university still has not publicly acknowledged that he has been killed.
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I have also been surprised, and somewhat disappointed, by the lack of any formal statement from IU. My guess is that the school is worried about the negative PR that might result from this incident, and they don’t want to draw any further attention to the fact that Don was killed, nor do they want the general public (including prospective students and faculty) to know too much about any of the controversies and circumstances surrounding his death.
Several years ago, when I was applying to colleges, I was accepted at Johns Hopkins around the same time that a student was murdered on campus. That school, unlike IU, was quick to issue a public statement and to contact all admitted students with a letter explaining the incident. Though I was shocked to hear that a student at Hopkins had murdered a fellow student, I did appreciate that the school was willing to address the murder quickly and openly. It actually made a good impression on me, a much better impression than I would have had if the school tried to sweep the incident under the rug. My worry is that IU is trying to do exactly this. The school’s administrators should realize, though, that this sort of side-stepping and avoidance make a worse impression than doing the responsible thing, which would be to not only acknowledge Don’s death but also all the details surrounding it.
As someone who was affiliated with one of IU’s regional campuses for years; I can tell you that sometimes the image of the university is placed above the need to inform relevant parties & the public about crime occurring on or near the campuses. In one case, the victim had to go to the local newspaper to report being stalked & assaulted on campus; before the university administration would even acknowledge that this had happened. Often, we would learn of crimes informally from the campus police & maintenance staff before the administration would adhere to the dictates of the McCleary Act requiring them to inform us of such events. Later, when we would receive “campus crime alerts”; the adminstration would take great pains to stress that the incident happened “near but not on the campus”- even if the victim was a student or staff member. Often, these “crime alerts” would be issued well after the fact; leading those on campus to wonder if the adminstration valued image above our immediate safety and “need to know”.
That being said, I don’t think IU is run by uncaring people; but it seems that a greater immediate focus is placed on maintaining the “corporate brand” needed to attract students, donors, etc. Rather than waiting for a compassionate response to this horrific event from IU; it might be better for those who care about Mr. Belton’s life & work try to establish some sort of fund to honor him. This suggestion in no way is an attempt to let IU “off the hook”; but arises from my observations about how some universities tend to operate.
Though I do find it somewhat odd that the fact that Professor Belton was murdered was not a part of the release, I don’t think anyone needs to jump to any conclusions about IU’s sinister motives (and I think everyone can admit that far too many conclusions have been jumped to already in this case).
Let us not forget that this happened while IU was essentially operating with a skeleton crew. Many offices are actually closed between christmas and the new year, and most of the administrative staff are away. It seems reasonable to me that the university would attempt to avoid any potential PR issues while those who typically decide on and respond to such issues are away and/or difficult to reach. And any IU students, faculty, and staff have a definite interest in the university’s public image, whether they want to admit it or not. Since IU is not a news organization and since this was not a random murder (and the murderer was quickly located), I don’t think it was incumbent on the university to release any details at all so soon after the murder, especially since a number of the details many probably have in mind are still in dispute.
You will notice that this site is now linked at the top of the release, to the exclusion of any other information sources. That tells me quite a bit about IU’s attitude toward this terrible incident, however the addition came about.
What a tragic story. IU’s quietude is part of a national pattern of university failures to support faculty who espouse unpopular views, are members of minorities, and/or attract controversial publicity–though the Academy sure is happy to recruit us for the sake of politically correct profiles and statistics.
Please post on this site the email addresses of IU administrators so pressure can be brought to bear by concerned students and faculty elsewhere.
I am so sorry.
Aranye Fradenburg
Professor of English
UC Santa Barbara
The IU Newsroom has been very quick to respond. There is no “official” statement that we can see from any administration, however. If someone finds one please let us know.
Is this a university matter? It happened in a professor’s home; the murderer is not an IU student, and the university was in no way connected to what happened. The university expressed its sorrow (by way of the Provost) and posted information about this in the center of its main webpage. Professors do have lives outside of the university. It is appropriate for the main campus officer to express the university’s shock and sorrow since the victim was a faculty member. But Don Belton was a person in his own right and we should be cautious about ascribing to the university a role in his life and death that it does not own.
Hi George—I think that’s a good question and one that, as an administrator of the site, I actually was intending to raise with this post. I have very little idea what constitutes a university matter—in response to your point, it does seem there is at least *some*IU history of having the president/administration officially acknowledge the death of students, faculty, and non-faculty ; and to the point of the post, it does also seem like IU does not have a blanket rule against acknowledging the cause of death when it issues such statements; I see the cause of death listed pretty frequently when I search such statements.
I did see the Provost reading a statement on TV but the coverage made it seem like it was the English Dept response she was reading. If I’m wrong, I can’t find anything issued from an administrator’s office when I search online. Either way I think it’s fair to wonder when exactly the administration does or does not have a role.
Still, the main point of the post was: it’s not clear why the university cannot acknowledge a cause of death. Other than hateful messages, we don’t control what people say in the comments here; we’d like for it to be a place to have constructive dialogue and even disagreements if we can help each other learn things. But this post itself does not aim to ascribe any particular role to the university; it’s just making an observation we haven’t seen raised: what exactly keeps the university from acknowledging a cause of death? Seems easy enough to do without participating in any perceived controversy.
As a member of the IU community, I would like to see a statement from President McRobbie. He recently published a statement concerning the death of university benefactor Ruth Lilly–which was appropriate. But given the President’s repeated claim that the faculty and staff are IU’s greatest resource, given Don’s contributions to the University community, and given that Don’s murder has rocked many members of IU’s local community, faculty, staff, and students alike, I think the President (as the leader of that community) has a obligation to respond publicly. I hope he will do so within the next week.
I should also think that the President would like to go on record to stand against the murder of one among us. This is not a “private” matter.
Fair enough. Thanks for designing and maintaining the site so well.
I must agree with Prof. Ingham. As differentiated from, say, big corporations or other employment institutions, universities are special communities. We invite families to send their young adults to our campus. We ask those young people to live on our campus and to participate in the life of the university as fully as they can. We are not “one big happy family,” but we’re not exactly a loose conglomerate of disinterested strangers, either.
I suppose it’s difficult to define precisely the university’s obligations to its faculty, staff and students, when it comes to the gestures it makes which construct and maintain a sense of community. But I, for one, would prefer to be part of a university where the upper level administration would feel itself profoundly obligated to make a statement acknowledging and condemning the violent murder of a member of my community, no matter where that murder took place.
Similarly, I would be dismayed if I thought that my university’s administrators lacked the courage to speak the simple words acknowledging how Don Belton died and condemning categorically the violence that took his life. I would be both contemptuous and gravely disappointed if I thought that my administrators remained silent out of the fear that they might alienate those who would approve of such acts of violence.
I agree the “silence” referred to above is disconcerting, but would like to think that perhaps the upper-level administration is making a strategic decision to release a statement at the start of the semester, when we all return. I look forward to that.
Add my name to those disturbed about the university’s silence. I expect to hear from President McRobbie by the start of classes next week.
Point of order here… most journalists (and people who work in University news rooms are generally former journalists) are trained to use AP Style, which teaches that it isn’t “murder” until someone is convicted of murder in a court of law. That’s why most journalists use “slain” or “stabbed” or other words to convey the violence of the death. I will bet the farm that you won’t see that word in an IU news release or statement.
thanks rosa. i think many people would settle for the university administrators acknowledging that violence happened.
Word has it that we can expect a statement from President McRobbie on Monday when everyone officially returns to campus. In the meantime, please take a moment to read the wonderful open letter on the English department website written by our chair, Jonathan Elmer, about Don and all of us.
Typically, when students pass, the Dean of Students office issues a statement, a phone call, and a formal letter to the family of the deceased. Therefore, one would expect that either the Dean of the Faculties or someone representing faculty (e.g., the Chair of the Dept) make a statement on the death of a beloved faculty member.
In this case, that happened.
I am an IU graduate student, and the following email was sent to all faculty, staff and students today (the first day of classes)from the office of IU Provist Karen Hanson:
———————-
Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,
As the campus begins the new semester, we must acknowledge a terrible loss.
Some of you may just now be returning to campus after the holidays, and I am
very sad to inform you that the Indiana University community lost a dear
colleague during the semester break.
Don Belton, a faculty member in the English Department, was slain at his home
in Bloomington on December 27. (An arrest has been made in the case.)
In his relatively brief time at IUB, Professor Belton earned the admiration
and affection of his colleagues and students. He was a gifted writer and a
highly-valued member of the faculty of our distinguished Creative Writing
Program, in the Department of English. He was very well liked and very
well-respected. His death is a loss not just to his family and friends, and
our academic community, but also to the extended world of arts and letters and
to all who value the humanistic traditions. His absence will be profoundly felt.
The murder of Professor Belton has evoked strong emotions throughout the
community and indeed the nation. I trust that all members of our community will
exhibit tolerance, compassion, and respect in the wake of the loss of a valued
colleague. Let us also show respect for one another and for the many and varied
ways in which we express our grief over such a tragedy.
A memorial service to celebrate the life of Professor Belton will take place on
Friday January 15, at 5 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Fee Lane
in Bloomington.
Our heartfelt sympathies go out to Professor Belton’s family, friends, and
colleagues.
Karen Hanson
Provost and Executive Vice President