University presidents speak up after crises
The University of Virginia and Penn State University—no strangers to controversy already—each addressed troubling incidents involving students.
The presidents of the University of Virginia and Penn State University—two schools that have faced major crises over the past few years—both released statements this week about incidents involving students that have made the news.
UVA students and social media users have protested en masse over the bloody arrest of Martese Johnson, a member of the school’s honor committee, outside a bar. Video of Johnson being arrested by Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control agents for public intoxication show his face and shirt bloodied as agents restrain him.
The incident has led some to liken the arrest of Johnson, who is black, to the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the fatal choking of Eric Garner in New York.
UVA President Teresa A. Sullivan’s statement describes the incident, asks for eyewitness reports and mentions meetings with police officials. It closes with this paragraph:
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