Love case prompts policy change at UVA

Old timer- why just the coach- what about his parents, friends, UVa professors? Aren't they in some cases more responsible then a single athletic coach?

You still haven't answered what would have happen if he had been kicked off the team? Do you really think that could have prevent the murder? Based on what?

You are blaming the wrong person and leaving others more responsible a free pass. I really think that's sad to blame one athletic's coach as the only person who should have "seen" it coming.

Sticking my two cents in here...All of us would like to feel the world (town, city, state) we live in is safe and we KNOW who all the bad guys are ... We would like to feel we can send our children to college and feel safe about their well being while on campus...unfortunately, this will never be the case entirely. We can, however, know that the people that represent the University from faculty and staff to students are doing so in an honorable manner. So a background check would not be out of the question. We can at least KNOW beforehand if the person has issues and deal with them in a proactive manner. Any company is going to run that background check on them when they get out in the "real world" so let's just get them used to it now. On the flip side, I do believe that people can and do change. If they have paid their price to society, then let the "experts" decide if they will offend again and proceed accordingly. I certainly don't want to be the one to make a judgement that would affect someone for a lifetime for something that was done when they were 16. Let's face it, NONE and I do mean NONE of us are squeaky clean...

@manbearpig...good points..but society wants two things 1. accountiblity 2. a rule (law) in place to make sure this NEVER happens again (we both know that's a pipe dream, but what the hey, we like to FEEL safe). So how do we find a middle ground? I have my ideas but would love to hear others.

Well Bloom, I guess after reading all the news reports I would say that she was largely responsible for her own murder.

Because this prevents violence and future infractions how?

There's some real, prospective utility to this policy.

But it is also part of larger pattern of administrators usurping student-held authority (e.g., the honor code, the judiciary committee) to try to manage the behavior of adults. There's nothing new about this; it's been a increasing trend since the late 1950s. But it's worrisome all the same.

"Can U.Va. get someone with a real academic background to be president, please?"

Right on! Perhaps they can find somebody who's spent their entire career in academia, say...somebody who spent 27 years at the University of Texas, including four years as chief academic officer for the Texas system's nine campuses, then spent about five years as provost at the University of Michigan. If only there were such a person out there - she'd be just about perfect for the job!

Why are athletes required to notify coaches of arrests?

"University officials said Huguely likely would have been suspended or expelled had they known of the arrest. Huguely was required to report it to the university under a 2004 U-Va. rule, stated in the student handbook, which requires students to report any arrest or conviction. Huguely never did."

If they are already required to tell the U, why make another rule that they wouldn't follow? If they are following the rule why require an athlete to tell someone else??

If an employer can ask job applicants about any criminal record its not unreasonable that a college admissions office be allowed to do the same.
But there are some problems. What about juvenile records? Aren't those sealed and confidential?
And is the University going to run criminal background checks on all its applicants? That would be the only way to be sure the information they are giving is correct? And the same with asking at registration. If a student got involved in some barroom fracas in say Casper, Wyoming over the summer, he or she might feel perfectly safe in not disclosing it, knowing that the University would not be checking. Admittedly would be more difficult to conceal if it happened in Charlottesville as the University could make arrangements with local LE to be informed of any student arrest.
Other potential problems, like if a student was arrested at some political protest and the University decided it didn't want to allow an "agitator" to enroll. That might not be an issue now- but it would have been in the old days of the conservative coat and tie "old U" where protesting anything was seen as "ungentlemanly conduct."
I have a feeling this policy is going to receive considerable inspection from legal scholars.

maybe if the Coach had kicked him off the team he would have found out for once in his life that actions have consequences.

Better to have learned it then rather than the present circumsstances.

And I think the parents should live in shame for the rest of their lives too. They are most certainly culpable, as is every other person who let this kid slide.

and that picture on the header is insulting to the love family.

if UVA is serious about its Honor code, and its more than just a Jefferson relic, then kids should be required as part of this code to share that info. it must be kept confidential, have no role in admission and if the conviction has been expunged, it should not have to be disclosed.

Well, if I'd only read the washington post article:

"University officials said Huguely likely would have been suspended or expelled had they known of the arrest."

@chouva, the Honor System applies to lying, stealing, and cheating. It does not apply to violent or other criminal behavior. There is a separate Judiciary System that is supposed to take care of non-honor offenses. Now, if students lie about having been arrested or convicted of a crime, that would be an honor offense, and they could be expelled.

I agree that administrators have been gradually usurping UVA's student-run disciplinary systems, but from where I sit, 25 years after graduating, it seems to me that students don't take the Honor Code as seriously as they used to. At the same time, athletics are being given way too much prominence, and athletes are cut too much slack. It's sad.

did,
clearly you've never looked at the requirements to receive a chp in the state of va and clearly you don't understand that "weapons" is a term that contains more then just guns. Thanks for playing though.

Jake,

"Without a doubt, this is against state and federal law, and goes against the principle of due process."

It most certainly does not. All kinds of jobs, Federal or otherwise, require you to disclose this type of information.

taxpayers absolutely have a right to know where there tax money is going, and to require a safe environment for those attending state institutions.

What really hope will come out of this though is heightened awareness of the abuse and violence in our society, and how our daughters can avoid being the victims. This is no different that the Harrington case, in that regard. At least here it sounds like the University is taking steps on that account, where the Harrington followers seem bent on brushing it under the table.

Seems I have an imposter. Though I do have to agree with his argument. The fact that federal and other jobs require criminal records is because they have a legitimate interest in not hiring those people. Unless the school is going to say that they're not going to allow individuals with criminal records to come back, then they don't have an interest in the criminal records. What are they going to do? Force each student to have counseling? This plan reads like this:

1. UVA students submit criminal records
2. ???
3. VIOLENCE AVOIDED!

The UVa honor code is dead. Yes, it used to be something - and it should be something - but the honor code is abused by students daily - sadly it is a relic of the past. We can debate as to why this is so - but as to IF the honor code works - I can say with total certainly it does not.

The murder was at the hands of hugely.

Hugley becoming a murdering animal is at the hands of those who raised him (or obviously didn't) and the fact remains that one of his "boys" bashed a girls skull in and the signe were there.

The question the Coach needs to ask himself is if he sees the same traits in another one of his players will he speak up or not.

If he says that he would speak up then that means that he missed something the first times and should step aside out of shame.

If he says no then he should be fired for incompetence.

Either way he should move on.

I don't mean to sound harsh, just realistic. I have a 19 year old daughter and it breaks my heart every time I hear about abuse of a young woman.
I thought long and hard before I made any comments about this case. Love was a beautiful flower of a young woman and she trusted too much. She had the forgiving and caring nature that so many people have lost. I just wish she could have found a way to erase this monster from her life.

This young woman was choked by the beast at a public gathering and took no action legal or otherwise to have him reigned in.

Such a tragedy. I doubt that UVA would have suspended Hugely as a "star" athlete in a varsity sport at UVA. This was a train wreck just waiting to happen. Somebody (his family perhaps?) must have known of his substance abuse and volatile nature. Was no one around before he went to her apartment? Who had he been drinking with? His coach had no idea? Speak up, people, if you know of similar situations. Let's not look in the rear view mirror to remind ourselves what "should" have been. She could of, should have, would have been saved this tragic death had people just said "Enough, George!!"

Jack M - good questions....wonder if that will be reactive too.

I do not agree with this. It is a misuse of the 'HONOR' system. This will not prevent violence, it will only intrude on individual privacy.

K, yea, let's turn the UVA campus into the Wild West. Many students do not have the training, the maturity or the common sense to be packing heat on campus. And if one student starts shooting, then others follow not knowing who the original shooter was. I can only see bloodshed and chaos from your proposal.

kids on campus with guns, what a brilliant idea. booze, girls, frats, fights .... and guns. brilliant.

Well I'd lie. And unless I killed someone UVA would never know.

UVa must be in need of another lawsuit. Without a doubt, this is against state and federal law, and goes against the principle of due process. If they want to do their own background checks they may, but to have to disclose information that may affect some other part of your education/opportunities at this or any other stop in your future is ludicrous. I feel sorry for all of the victims of crime on grounds or anywhere else, but this is still America. Or have we lost all control of the moral high ground that this country and it's founders once represented.

Anonymous, what did Starsia do wrong? You are simply a reactionary look for a scapegoat. The Coach isn't it.

What if Starsia had dismissed the killer when he got in a fight?
Unfortunately Yardley would probably still be dead. Blaming the coach for the evil of another is wrong, lazy , and evil

Jake, violation of federal, state or local laws is one of the standards of conduct, and violators can be brought before UJC. The university thus has a vested interest in students' records, both in Charlottesville and outside. Though normally cases are heard after the criminal cases are settled.

"Haven’t public schools failed us all when one of it’s dropouts commit a crime? Should we not take Charlottesville to task for readmitting students who were involved in fights back into to school. Let’ have a a one and done FOREVER policy involving any violence in any public school in the country."

So a 14 year old kid gets in a shovin match in the Gym locker room and he could potentially be expelled FOREVER from Cville public schools?

I got in a fight in 5th grade, should I have been permenantly expelled?

There are many questions that come to mind about this new policy, which will certainly be worked through in the future. One thing I don't think anyone has asked is even if a student does report that he or she has been arrested or convicted of a crime, does it really matter? Is there a policy that UVa students must be expelled for being arrested for a crime?

I mean, a student could be arrested for wreckless driving, but does that mean that student should be expelled? Even public drunkeness (for which GH was arrested) is a pretty minor offense (legally). Once you're convicted of a serious enough crime and you're off to the big house, the whole expulsion thing is moot.

I suppose if marking arrests/convictions on one's record without much consequence to that person makes us feel safer, I guess it's not the worst thing.

I got arrested a week before entering UVa for my first semester.

I had to go see one of the Deans but was already aware that since it happened before I was officially a student and far away from Cville they culdn't do anything about it. I just sat there and listened to some clueless lady lecture me about something she knew nothing about nor could possibly understand, then I was on my way. I wonder if this new policy would have changed my situation.

As an aside, I never got in any trouble at UVa.

And we would trust a convicted criminal to be honest about their prior record because...they're such upstanding citizens?

"An individuals personal safety is largely their own responsibility."

Then why incarcerate violent predators rather than, say, impose fines on them? Answer: because members of a society (=individuals aggregated) have an shared interest in locking up persons with known histories of violence. No amount of "personal responsibility" is more efficient.