Norwich confronts new 'incident'
Toolbox
By SUSAN ALLEN TIMES ARGUS STAFF - Published: December 18, 2009
MONTPELIER – Norwich University officials have notified Northfield police of a Dec. 6 "incident" on campus involving cadets that was in violation of school rules and possibly state law.
Norwich President Richard Schneider declined to disclose the specifics of the situation.
"I don't want to prejudice the investigation that's ongoing right now," he said Thursday afternoon, shortly after the school issued a media release about the problem.
"This really kind of stands out because it's not the norm," Schneider said. "I believe it's an isolated event, but we're still digging down. This kind of behavior is simply not tolerated."
Northfield Police Chief Jeffrey Shaw could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
Schneider would not say how many cadets were involved in the incident, and he was uncertain whether any female cadets were involved. He said students at the school are currently wrapping up exams and heading home for the holiday break. Schneider said he didn't know if whether any students involved in the incident had left school at this point, which could delay the investigation.
Norwich officials are also collecting statements, have hired an outside investigator, and will take "appropriate administrative action as necessary," the school said in the release.
"Norwich has zero tolerance for any inappropriate behavior," Schneider said. "We will not allow the actions of a few to tarnish the accomplishments of thousands of alumni and students over our 190 year history."
There have been several incidents involving Norwich students in the past year.
Two freshmen face charges after a group of students allegedly lured a fellow student to a "party" in October, bound him and assaulted him. They have pleaded innocent to those charges.
In another case, a former Norwich student fabricated e-mails to send a former Stowe resident to jail for three months.
And hazing allegations, including a case last year where one student allegedly hit another with a broom handle, have been a problem for the school, as well.
Schneider said Norwich has taken steps to crack down on these types of incidents, including restructuring the Corp of Cadets to address leadership issues. In addition, cadet leaders and freshmen annually receive training in identifying and reporting inappropriate behavior.
He noted that the latest incident was student-reported.
"It is good," he said of that outcome. But, he added, "That's about the only good thing."
He said that training might have sparked the reports of other incidents. "We've done a lot to bring everybody's attention and awareness to reporting inappropriate behavior," Schneider said.
He said Norwich is no more vulnerable to these incidents than any other school.
"Anybody that's trying to become a member of something is susceptible to people of authority abusing their authority over them," he said. "That's true in fraternities. That's true in athletics. It's a human thing."
He said the seniors at the school understand that responsibility, noting that no seniors were involved in the most recent incident.
The president said the school chose to disclose the fact that an incident had occurred and was being handled appropriately to assure students and the public that such occurrences are taken seriously.
"I'm using this as a teaching moment, once we find out what's really going on," Schneider said. "I want them to know that I'm absolutely serious about this."
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