Coaxing the University through tragedy

At midnight on Sat., Dec. 5, 1998, University Secretary Linda Lorimer, LAW '77, was awakened by a phone call from Yale Police Chief James Perotti. Within an hour, Yale College Dean Richard Brodhead, BR '68, GRD '72, Davenport Master Gerald Thomas, acting Dean Larry Lyke, and Lorraine Siggins, head of University Mental Hygiene, gathered at Lorimer's New Haven residence to discuss one of the worst tragedies ever to strike the Yale campus: the murder of Suzanne Jovin, DC '99.

The group spent several hours drafting a letter to distribute throughout the residential colleges informing students of the crime. They discussed plans for how to help individuals cope with the sudden loss of a cherished friend and a respected member of the community. In the weeks that have followed, officials from all corners of the University have faced the challenge of explaining the incident to interested groups and the general public outside of New Haven.

There is no way to dilute the shock and sadness that inevitably result from such an unsettling event. Still, Yale officials have had to balance concern for the Yale community and concern for how that community is perceived by others. Lorimer spelled out this dilemma. "The first and highest goal is to say, `How do we help support the community and how do we support the family?'" she said. She added, however, "I care about how Yale is portrayed in the nation and in the world about all kinds of subjects. One obviously has to worry that Yale and the quality of educational opportunities here are going to be misunderstood or diminished in the minds of people who might interpret this as compromising either the education one receives here or the security one has here."

The public response

In 1991, Yale undergraduate Christian Prince was murdered on the steps of St. Mary's Church on Hillhouse Avenue in a botched robbery attempt. The University's response to the Prince tragedy was extensive--according to Lorimer, the size of the Yale Police force has been increased by 68 percent since the Prince murder, and over $1 million has been spent on lighting across campus and the installation of campus-wide blue phones.

"There was a completely different backdrop to the Prince murder," Lorimer said. "We now have in place a dramatically improved security program." In addition to increased safety measures on campus, crime statistics for New Haven have dropped in recent years. According to data recently released by the New Haven Police Department, serious crime declined in five of seven major categories in comparison with 1997. The 15 murders committed in the Elm City in 1998 were the fewest in 12 years, down 55 percent from a high in 1991, the year Prince was shot.

Tom Conroy, the acting director of the Office of Public Affairs (OPA), recognized the need to put the Jovin tragedy in perspective with the Yale and New Haven of 1998. "When you're dealing with outside media, they don't necessarily know that there's a Yale police force. They don't know anything about the general security measures at Yale, or the crime facts and trends in New Haven and on campus," Conroy said. "A large part of my responsibility was making sure the press had accurate background in that area so they could put the crime in some kind of context in terms of the region and the University."

Lorimer acknowledged the difficulty of presenting the Jovin matter to the public through the press. "We recognize that sometimes news stories are read by people who have very little context around which to understand them," Lorimer said. "We have been working very hard to improve security here, and New Haven itself has become a safer place--both of those facts are not generally known, and stories like this obviously in many people's minds may erase the positive gains, even though tragedies happen every place."

While Conroy did field calls from The New York Times and the New Haven bureau of the Associated Press (AP), the number of inquiries from national media organizations proved lower than he had expected. But while staff writers were not dispatched from many media outlets, newspapers nationwide have used AP reports to cover the unfolding investigation. On Wed., Jan. 13, for example, USA Today ran an AP story about developments in the Jovin case on page two of its news section. The spread was complete with photos of Jovin and her political science professor James Van de Velde, who is an official suspect in Jovin's case.

On Mon., Jan. 25, the primary responsibility for handling this and all other public relations matters for the University will transfer from Conroy to Lawrence J. Haas, who was introduced as the new director of the OPA on Thurs., Jan. 7. Haas officially replaces B. Jay Cooper, who left his post in May. Conroy had acted in an interim capacity since that time.

Haas knows that he will have to confront certain immediate challenges upon his arrival. "An important part of putting Yale's best face forward is explaining very aggressively what New Haven has to offer while cutting through some of the negative myths about the city. That obviously involves day-to-day reactions and strategic thinking," Haas said.

Administration sources are unified in their belief that the murder will not have a lasting effect on the perceived character of the University. "This is not symptomatic of something, and it does not represent a trend. While it is a horrible tragedy, it is one that could happen anywhere at any time," Conroy said. "That's different from issues like the graduate school or labor relations or financial aid. Those are the kinds of issues that say something about the place one way or another, and in studying them you learn things about Yale."

"I fail to be able to regard it as any kind of revelation about Yale," Brodhead added. "My profound conviction is that this is a wonderful place, full of lively, talented people doing great things with themselves, and my experience is that the world of perception is powerful and cannot be ignored, but that after a while the truth of things becomes clear."

The applicant pool

Imagine yourself as an applicant who has just been accepted early to Yale's Class of 2003. Imagine reading in the pages of a national publication that one Yale professor is under investigation for the murder of one of his students and another is on trial for molesting a young boy on Yale premises. Are you alarmed about the safety and normalcy of the community you are about to enter?

While it is still too early to tell whether or not the Jovin murder has had any discernible effect on this year's applicant pool, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Richard Shaw does expect to field questions about campus security and safety in the months ahead. "We haven't created this extraordinary strategic plan," Shaw said. "We respond to inquiries, we discuss these issues with people who visit the campus, and we do it honestly. We are ready to respond to anyone that calls and to talk to them about it."

Various sources reported that in the wake of the Prince shooting, applications to Yale declined as much as 9.5 percent the following year. According to Shaw, however, the number of applicants actually increased in 1992, though there was a slight dropoff in yield--the percentage of accepted students who matriculate. Shaw emphasized that everything from building maintenance to academic programs was in disarray at the beginning of the decade. "The causality of applications going up or yield going down pinned on the Christian Prince situation was not an appropriately holistic way to look at the situation," he said.

No measures have been taken by the Admissions Office to inform applicants of the tragedy. "We'll respond to their concerns. These things are difficult and they are unfortunate, but they are unusual as well," Shaw said. "I don't want to focus all our energy on things that are negative. I think we need to talk more about what this place is about."

Shaw's approach has not been completely reactive. In the upcoming newsletter of the alumni schools committee, a personal communication from Shaw stresses the strength of community that was revealed in the aftermath of the crime. "While there is no way to remove the sorrow and pain of these events," Shaw wrote, "it is important to emphasize that the Yale community came together in a way that validated what we say to prospective students."

"The people who have reason to care about the kind of education a person will get at a particular college will do more than read a sensational account of something for their information," Brodhead said. "I believe that anyone who comes and looks will find much here to invest in."

Talking to applicants from the Class of 2003, it would seem that Brodhead is correct. While many applicants have expressed concern over the news of the murder, the prevailing sentiment has been positive toward the University. Josie Rodberg, a high school senior from New York City who was recently admitted to the Class of 2003, commented, "This crime does not affect how I feel about Yale at all--I really think that Yale as an institution is not at fault."

Rebecca Rosenthal, another admitted high school senior from New York, agreed. "Yale won out in my mind because the programs, the groups, and the atmosphere there felt right to me," Rosenthal said. "The potential for crime wasn't a deciding factor. I don't feel unsafe."

Karen Weise, a senior and early admit from Sherman Oaks, Calif., was surprised at how few people in her area had heard about the tragedy. "I think that from this coast, the impressions won't be lasting," Weise said. "It won't stick in people's minds as a hallmark of Yale."

Alumni connection

The special concern among future students about the state of the University is shared and perhaps even exceeded by Yale's vast alumni network. Alumni constitute a large part of Yale's fundraising pool, and it is important for the University to assure its graduates that their alma mater has its recent scandals under control.

Association of Yale Alumni (AYA) Director Jeff Brenzel, TD '75, recognized the need to take action in the aftermath of the murder. While the AYA is not the primary organ for communicating with alumni en masse according to Brenzel, it does maintain contact with agents from each graduating class and also distributes a newsletter that reaches nearly 3,000 alumni volunteers. "Yale tries to live out aspirations of being a family and a close community," Brenzel said. "And with that in mind, tragic episodes such as this require a special outreach."

Brenzel, who headed an online technologies company before taking over AYA's top leadership position in January, used email lists to inform the network of alumni volunteers. The mailing marked the first time an electronic medium had been used for the purpose of informing alums of significant events. "Over the last two years, active use of email has penetrated demographics more than anyone expected," Brenzel said. "Even
senior alumni have started using email as a primary means of
communication."

Brenzel's announcement was well-received. "It's tough to say what the appropriate response would be," Arthur Greenwald, MC '75, said. "Since many alumni are active in the Alumni Schools Committees, etc., we appreciate a heads-up about good and bad news about Yale. I think Linda Lorimer and Jeff Brenzel have done a really good job of passing on this tragic news without reducing or sensationalizing its importance."

"There are misdeeds at Yale from time to time. Same goes for Harvard and probably Podunk too," alumni Richard Mooney, CC '47, commented. "If they happened frequently they might affect my
feelings about the University, but
fortunately, they don't."

As editor-in-chief of the Yale Alumni Magazine, a publication whose editorial content is not controlled by the University, Carter Wiseman, TD '68, knows he carries the weight of being the primary news outlet about Yale for many alums. "I don't consider it my business to focus on the good," Wiseman said. "I consider it my business to focus on what's important, which isn't always cheerful."

"The burden we shoulder," Wiseman continued, "is how to get this horrible information across to people who are highly concerned about the situation without soft-pedaling or sensationalizing it."

Because of the still-inconclusive details of the case and the magazine's monthly production schedule, Wiseman will face the additional challenge of reporting the murder in the space of a 150-word news brief in the February edition.

Some alums, including Hanna Norfleet, CC '98, learned of the murder through various non-University channels and believe that the crime highlights certain areas in need of improvement. "I highly respect and am proud of my alma mater and I do not feel that this incident reflects poorly on her as an institution," Norfleet said. "But security is a tough issue to address, and improvements are needed."

Rebecca Friedman, PC '98, had similar feelings. "Every institution has unfortunate, disturbing incidents in its lifetime," she said. "It's up to Yale now to answer all questions posed by alumni with candor. We who love Yale can only hope that the future brings no more horrible events its way."

What next?

It is five weeks to the day since Suzanne Jovin's death, and many questions still remain unanswered. Far more time will be required for the campus to come to terms with a tragedy that has shaken the very foundations of its safety and tested its powerful sense of community. Only time will tell exactly how this horrific event will affect the prestige and reputation of this University.

Front photos by Patrick McGarvey and Julia Tiernan. Photo collage courtesy of The New York Times, the New Haven Register, and USA Today.

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