Corruption, deception, shirking accountability - these dubious activities seem to be commonplace in the area of national politics.
But now they are coming from the administrations of higher education.
After the death of 22-year-old Eastern Michigan University student Laura Dickinson in December, university officials waited about 10 weeks before releasing information to the public about potential foul play related to her death. This irresponsibility sparked an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education.
On Wednesday, Eastern Michigan released a report from the department, which stated the school's underreporting or misreporting instances of severe crimes such as rape, alcohol, drug and weapons violations since 2003.
What this means is, for at least four years, the school has been lying about campus crimes.
It seems the administration is trying to cover up crimes to maintain a safe image for the university. In actuality, by misrepresenting the crime rate, the school is actually putting more students in danger. S. Daniel Carter, from the nonprofit organization Security on Campus, told The Detroit Free Press the scandal at Eastern Michigan is one also afflicting hundreds of other institutions nationwide.
University officials must be held accountable for their actions the same as federal officials.
The fact that John A. Fallon III, president of Eastern Michigan, did not know or chose to ignore the facts about Dickinson's death is inexcusable. When something like a death of a student happens, the truth should be sought and made publicly available.
The saddest part about the cover-ups is the harm that has already come to the families and friends of victims during the past four years. These people were having the stories of their loved ones placed through the filter of a corrupt administration and were forced to deal with the repercussions.
The university could be fined $27,500 by the U.S. Department of Education for each violation of the Clery Act, which is the law requiring places like a university to report crimes in a timely manner.
Another possible result could be a cut in funding for student aid such as Federal Pell Grants and Perkins Loans.
It is unfortunate the students of Eastern Michigan could ultimately pay the price for the administration's mistakes. The responsible officials should be punished without harming the status of the students.
It would not be surprising if this scandal causes Eastern Michigan's enrollment rate to decline.
If this happens, the university will certainly get what it has coming to it and will hopefully use that as motivation to be honest in the future when handling campus crimes.
