This morning, a University of Virginia women’s lacrosse player, Yeardley Love, was found deceased in an off-campus apartment. A member of the UVA men’s lacrosse team, George Huguely, was charged with first degree murder in connection with Love’s death.
I wrote about the facts of the case, as they are known, this afternoon at the Examiner. Not only is the story incredibly heartbreaking to the lacrosse world, it strikes another chord with me because I feel also for the administrators at UVA.
In my full-time job, I have served on a crisis response committee that responds to student deaths for the past four years. Trying to make sense of the tragedy that is a young man or woman passing away accidentally and suddenly, while consoling the students who comprised the deceased’s “second family” is a test of emotions. Add to that the close-knit quality of any athletic team, and the impact must be intense. UVA administrators are working overtime, providing counseling services to students, staff and faculty members, while trying to manage a controversy hungry media, and trying to be appropriately responsive to a grieving family.
On top of that, another student of theirs is being charged for murder, a charge that allows for an nearly automatic suspension in most university conduct codes. Suspension is not at all automatic – one can’t just press a button to suspend a student – especially in a day and age where students retain lawyers to represent them in noise violations, let alone a murder. While a student facing a murder charge has “bigger fish to fry,” you would be surprised at their priorities and assumptions. Parents stunned with the grief of losing the student they knew, a son or daughter who would never commit such a devastating crime, may believe that courses could be completed from a jail cell, or that the criminal process may speed along and allow for a student to come back to school that same semester.
I do not envy the administrators at the University of Virginia right now, but I believe they have the strength and abilities to provide the best outreach during this difficult time. My thoughts are with everyone connected with this tragedy.
[…] A member of the UVA men’s lacrosse team, George Huguely, was charged with first degree murder in connection with Love’s death . I wrote about the facts of the case, as they are known, this afternoon at the Examiner. … While a student facing a murder charge has bigger fish to fry, you would be surprised at their priorities and assumptions. Parents stunned with the grief of losing the student they knew, a son or daughter who would never commit such a devastating crime, …Click Here […]
[…] A member of the UVA men’s lacrosse team, George Huguely, was charged with first degree murder in connection with Love’s death . I wrote about the facts of the case, as they are known, this afternoon at the Examiner. … While a student facing a murder charge has bigger fish to fry, you would be surprised at their priorities and assumptions. Parents stunned with the grief of losing the student they knew, a son or daughter who would never commit such a devastating crime, …Click Here […]
[…] A member of the UVA men’s lacrosse team, George Huguely, was charged with first degree murder in connection with Love’s death . I wrote about the facts of the case, as they are known, this afternoon at the Examiner. … While a student facing a murder charge has bigger fish to fry, you would be surprised at their priorities and assumptions. Parents stunned with the grief of losing the student they knew, a son or daughter who would never commit such a devastating crime, …Click Here […]