UConn professor faces pedophilia probe

[ihs82]

I know people will choose to ignore this post or give me harsh feedback for posting it here but it is important to point out that UConn's music culture enabled a pedophile to roam free for over a decade. I think UConn should be punished because the school placed too high of a priority on music.

bigstory.ap.org/article/uconn-professor-faces-sexual-misconduct-probe


HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A University of Connecticut music professor who was placed on paid leave last month is under investigation by police and school officials amid allegations of sexual misconduct with university students and decades-old molestation involving children, including several boys who attended a camp for sick children.

Robert Miller worked at UConn for three decades and once led the music department. School employees were notified several times between 2006 and 2011 of allegations that Miller had sexual contact with children, but it wasn't until February of this year that school administrators were told of the claims, according to UConn officials and the state attorney general's office. And it wasn't until last month that Miller was placed on paid administrative leave.

School officials didn't have the information they needed to place Miller on leave until they received a state police search warrant affidavit last month, UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said. University officials announced the creation of a Board of Trustees committee Monday to review its responses to the allegations.

Among those allegations were that in 1992, Miller inappropriately touched four boys ages 10 to 13 who attended a camp for sick children where he was a counselor. The accusers say he took them to his home without permission several times and would often make them take off their clothes, saying he had to check them for ticks and bruises. State police said the boys had hemophilia, a bleeding disorder in which the blood doesn't clot normally.

A fifth accuser says Miller molested him when he was 13 and a student at the former Whittier Intermediate School near Falls Church, Va., where Miller taught in the late 1960s and early 1970s, according to Connecticut state police. Officer Eddy Azcarate, a spokesman for Fairfax County police, confirmed his agency is investigating allegations involving the accuser.

State police said the statute of limitations has expired in the Connecticut case but not for the Virginia allegations.

And last month, a faculty member told a university official that a student alleged that Miller had sex with UConn students, visited freshmen dorms and provided drugs to students, according to the state attorney general's office. It's not clear when those alleged actions happened.

Miller, 66, of Mansfield, was barred from the Storrs campus after being placed on leave. He did not return several phone messages left at his home.

The details of the allegations against Miller, who is not charged with any crime, were not widely publicized before Monday's revelations by UConn, which said it is cooperating with the investigations. In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State, many colleges and universities have sought to improve how they respond to allegations of sexual misconduct.

University officials acted quickly after they first learned of the investigations of Miller this year, UConn President Susan Herbst said in a statement.

"Any accusation of sexual misconduct by faculty, staff, or students is among the gravest issues that any institution must face. It is clear that serious accusations have been made, questions that demand answers have been raised, and we will do all we can to find the truth and protect the vulnerable," Herbst said.

UConn also has launched an internal review of its compliance with the federal Title IX gender discrimination law in connection with Miller's alleged sexual misconduct with UConn students. The law requires federally funded universities to act promptly when they are notified of possible sexual assault or harassment.

But Scott Berkowitz, founder of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network in Washington, D.C., said he was troubled that UConn staff members apparently were informed of the molestation allegations years ago. He said the effectiveness of any changes spurred by the Penn State episode remains to be determined.

"We're not going to know until a little further down the road, until those changes are implemented and are making a difference," Berkowitz said.

It was also revealed Monday that the Connecticut attorney general's office is seeking bids from a law firm to advise and represent UConn's Board of Trustees and that the school has hired a private investigator.

University officials released a timeline of events saying that the School of Fine Arts received an email and letter in December 2011 claiming that Miller was a pedophile. State police say the accuser in Virginia sent the email and letter.

But it wasn't until Feb. 13, 2013, that an employee brought the letter to the attention of the new dean of the fine arts school. The next day, UConn officials told campus police and an assistant state attorney general based at UConn.

The camp where Miller worked, the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, opened by actor Paul Newman for sick children, released a statement saying it was aware of an investigation of a former staff member.

A mother of one of the campers told state police that she and the other boys' parents told camp officials about the allegations but didn't tell police at the time. State police say camp officials then fired Miller.

[beuycek]

Jul 16, 2013 10:05:59 GMT -5 ihs82 said:

I know people will choose to ignore this post or give me harsh feedback for posting it here but it is important to point out that UConn's music culture enabled a pedophile to roam free for over a decade. I think UConn should be punished because the school placed too high of a priority on music.

bigstory.ap.org/article/uconn-professor-faces-sexual-misconduct-probe


HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A University of Connecticut music professor who was placed on paid leave last month is under investigation by police and school officials amid allegations of sexual misconduct with university students and decades-old molestation involving children, including several boys who attended a camp for sick children.

Robert Miller worked at UConn for three decades and once led the music department. School employees were notified several times between 2006 and 2011 of allegations that Miller had sexual contact with children, but it wasn't until February of this year that school administrators were told of the claims, according to UConn officials and the state attorney general's office. And it wasn't until last month that Miller was placed on paid administrative leave.

School officials didn't have the information they needed to place Miller on leave until they received a state police search warrant affidavit last month, UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said. University officials announced the creation of a Board of Trustees committee Monday to review its responses to the allegations.

Among those allegations were that in 1992, Miller inappropriately touched four boys ages 10 to 13 who attended a camp for sick children where he was a counselor. The accusers say he took them to his home without permission several times and would often make them take off their clothes, saying he had to check them for ticks and bruises. State police said the boys had hemophilia, a bleeding disorder in which the blood doesn't clot normally.

A fifth accuser says Miller molested him when he was 13 and a student at the former Whittier Intermediate School near Falls Church, Va., where Miller taught in the late 1960s and early 1970s, according to Connecticut state police. Officer Eddy Azcarate, a spokesman for Fairfax County police, confirmed his agency is investigating allegations involving the accuser.

State police said the statute of limitations has expired in the Connecticut case but not for the Virginia allegations.

And last month, a faculty member told a university official that a student alleged that Miller had sex with UConn students, visited freshmen dorms and provided drugs to students, according to the state attorney general's office. It's not clear when those alleged actions happened.

Miller, 66, of Mansfield, was barred from the Storrs campus after being placed on leave. He did not return several phone messages left at his home.

The details of the allegations against Miller, who is not charged with any crime, were not widely publicized before Monday's revelations by UConn, which said it is cooperating with the investigations. In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State, many colleges and universities have sought to improve how they respond to allegations of sexual misconduct.

University officials acted quickly after they first learned of the investigations of Miller this year, UConn President Susan Herbst said in a statement.

"Any accusation of sexual misconduct by faculty, staff, or students is among the gravest issues that any institution must face. It is clear that serious accusations have been made, questions that demand answers have been raised, and we will do all we can to find the truth and protect the vulnerable," Herbst said.

UConn also has launched an internal review of its compliance with the federal Title IX gender discrimination law in connection with Miller's alleged sexual misconduct with UConn students. The law requires federally funded universities to act promptly when they are notified of possible sexual assault or harassment.

But Scott Berkowitz, founder of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network in Washington, D.C., said he was troubled that UConn staff members apparently were informed of the molestation allegations years ago. He said the effectiveness of any changes spurred by the Penn State episode remains to be determined.

"We're not going to know until a little further down the road, until those changes are implemented and are making a difference," Berkowitz said.

It was also revealed Monday that the Connecticut attorney general's office is seeking bids from a law firm to advise and represent UConn's Board of Trustees and that the school has hired a private investigator.

University officials released a timeline of events saying that the School of Fine Arts received an email and letter in December 2011 claiming that Miller was a pedophile. State police say the accuser in Virginia sent the email and letter.

But it wasn't until Feb. 13, 2013, that an employee brought the letter to the attention of the new dean of the fine arts school. The next day, UConn officials told campus police and an assistant state attorney general based at UConn.

The camp where Miller worked, the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, opened by actor Paul Newman for sick children, released a statement saying it was aware of an investigation of a former staff member.

A mother of one of the campers told state police that she and the other boys' parents told camp officials about the allegations but didn't tell police at the time. State police say camp officials then fired Miller.

Joe Paterno > Robert Miller, thus PSU gets more attention than this story.

All jokes aside, this part disturbed me the most...
"including several boys who attended a camp for sick children."

I have mentioned my daughter's situation before and I know how wonderful and life changing the Hole in the Wall camps are. I have attended the family weekend retreats at the Florida location on a couple of occasions so to know that his actions took place there infuriates me. On the other hand, this quote can't be highlighted enough:

"In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State, many colleges and universities have sought to improve how they respond to allegations of sexual misconduct."

Regardless of how you feel about the events that took place in the PSU scandal, I think we can all agree that this is certainly one significant positive to come out of the case.

[trnyerheadncough]

Here's my opinion...which is worth slightly less than a hill of beans.

You posted this here, and standing on its own, it should (and does from me) garner significant outrage. It's detestable, and deserves condemnation.

However, IMO, you also posted this here to try to draw out some sort of claims of hypocrisy, either from this board or from the NCAA (or both). Why? To paint Penn State as the pariah...and the martyr?

The harsh feedback isn't from the substance of this story. Everyone can agree that the perpetrator at UConn should be drawn and quartered. It is from your ulterior motives.

[Deleted]

ihs, have you ever heard the phrase "Beating a dead horse"?

[ihs82]

Jul 16, 2013 11:01:38 GMT -5 trnyerheadncough said:

Here's my opinion...which is worth slightly less than a hill of beans.

You posted this here, and standing on its own, it should (and does from me) garner significant outrage. It's detestable, and deserves condemnation.

However, IMO, you also posted this here to try to draw out some sort of claims of hypocrisy, either from this board or from the NCAA (or both). Why? To paint Penn State as the pariah...and the martyr?

The harsh feedback isn't from the substance of this story. Everyone can agree that the perpetrator at UConn should be drawn and quartered. It is from your ulterior motives.

Well first of all, if this post truly elicited that type of emotion from you, then I would suggest your anger is misplaced.
'
I don't have any ulterior motives. I'm not trying to hide my point. I'm just being a bit subtle about it. There was an unfair rush to judgment against Penn State. And if you believe that Penn State's football culture somehow enabled a pedophile to continue criminal activity, then you must also blame the culture that surrounded this UConn guy. Because that's obviously how it works.

[trnyerheadncough]

1. I'm not angry.

2. You do have ulterior motives if you post a story of one thing with the idea that you are trying to make subtle comments about another completely different story.

3. I think you're overcooking your grits about Penn State's football culture. As I said, you want to paint everyone else as viewing Penn State as the pariah, while at the same time turning them into the martyr.

I detest pedophilia whether it occurs at Penn State, UConn, or at the creepy guy's house who lives 2 blocks away. Simply because I'm over you continuing to trying to find any and every story about pedophilia and dragging it here to make some sort of statement about Penn State and how you've been treated unfairly doesn't mean that you're getting the short end of the stick.

[Deleted]

Walter, please, please, please move this to a different and more appropriate board.

ihs82, you need to open a PSU thread and post your PSU stuff in the PSU thread on the team board. Get with the program.

[ihs82]

Jul 16, 2013 12:58:07 GMT -5 trnyerheadncough said:

1. I'm not angry.

2. You do have ulterior motives if you post a story of one thing with the idea that you are trying to make subtle comments about another completely different story.

3. I think you're overcooking your grits about Penn State's football culture. As I said, you want to paint everyone else as viewing Penn State as the pariah, while at the same time turning them into the martyr.

I detest pedophilia whether it occurs at Penn State, UConn, or at the creepy guy's house who lives 2 blocks away. Simply because I'm over you continuing to trying to find any and every story about pedophilia and dragging it here to make some sort of statement about Penn State and how you've been treated unfairly doesn't mean that you're getting the short end of the stick.

1. Maybe not anger. But you're feeling extreme annoyance, which is essentially what anger is. The two emotions aren't mutually exclusive.

2. No ulterior motives. Ulterior motives are used by people who are trying to hide or conceal their intentions. I am doing no such thing.

3. I don't believe that to be an accurate characterization of what I'm doing. It's more to point out that the NCAA used flawed logic in their decision to hammer Penn State because it's utterly ridiculous to blame a culture for enabling a pedophilia. There are communities everywhere that give pedophiles the benefit of the doubt b/c of our general lack of understanding of how pedophiles operate. Yet, at Penn State, the football culture was blamed w/ absolutely zero evidence.

The governing body of the sport we all love recently levied the harshest punishment ever against a major college football program. And they did so based on flawed logic, which is what I'm pointing out. And I believe this to be topical.

[trnyerheadncough]

1. The two emotions aren't mutually exclusive, I agree. But I'm not angry. I'm annoyed. Anger is extreme displeasure. Annoyance is a source of irritation.

2. Yes, you do have ulterior motives. You even state what your ulterior motive is when you say, "
It's more to point out that the NCAA used flawed logic in their decision to hammer Penn State because it's utterly ridiculous to blame a culture for enabling a pedophilia."

Ulterior does not require hiding or concealment. Ulterior means, "going beyond what is openly said or shown". What you openly said or showed was a story about UConn. Going beyond is trying to use that to make an unspoken point about your angst about what happened to Penn State.

And, true to form...there you are...again. Penn State...undiscovered martyr, unjustly blamed for a tragedy that occurred, all the while the rest of us cast down our terrible condemnation, albeit unjust.

I get it. We all get it. You've been trying to renew the same points/discussion for months now. Hence the reason it is annoying.

[ihs82]

Jul 16, 2013 14:48:17 GMT -5 trnyerheadncough said:

1. The two emotions aren't mutually exclusive, I agree. But I'm not angry. I'm annoyed. Anger is extreme displeasure. Annoyance is a source of irritation.

2. Yes, you do have ulterior motives. You even state what your ulterior motive is when you say, "
It's more to point out that the NCAA used flawed logic in their decision to hammer Penn State because it's utterly ridiculous to blame a culture for enabling a pedophilia."

Ulterior does not require hiding or concealment. Ulterior means, "going beyond what is openly said or shown". What you openly said or showed was a story about UConn. Going beyond is trying to use that to make an unspoken point about your angst about what happened to Penn State.

And, true to form...there you are...again. Penn State...undiscovered martyr, unjustly blamed for a tragedy that occurred, all the while the rest of us cast down our terrible condemnation, albeit unjust.

I get it. We all get it. You've been trying to renew the same points/discussion for months now. Hence the reason it is annoying.

I was referring specifically to the NCAA. Don't really care what others here or elsewhere think.

It's July 16th and nothing else is really going on around college football besides Ohio State being overly concerned about UF following NCAA rules and Johnny Manziel doing something that gets overhyped by the media . If you can think of better topics to talk about, I'd love to read about it.

[daleko]

Jul 16, 2013 14:07:41 GMT -5 ihs82 said:

1. Maybe not anger. But you're feeling extreme annoyance, which is essentially what anger is. The two emotions aren't mutually exclusive.

2. No ulterior motives. Ulterior motives are used by people who are trying to hide or conceal their intentions. I am doing no such thing.

3. I don't believe that to be an accurate characterization of what I'm doing. It's more to point out that the NCAA used flawed logic in their decision to hammer Penn State because it's utterly ridiculous to blame a culture for enabling a pedophilia. There are communities everywhere that give pedophiles the benefit of the doubt b/c of our general lack of understanding of how pedophiles operate. Yet, at Penn State, the football culture was blamed w/ absolutely zero evidence.

The governing body of the sport we all love recently levied the harshest punishment ever against a major college football program. And they did so based on flawed logic, which is what I'm pointing out. And I believe this to be topical.

You're right the NCAA should restrict U Conn's ability to play in concerts around the country, reduce their band scholarships by 5 per yr, the glee club should be put on probation along with the jazz band, the prep band and the U Conn symphony. Oh wait, they have no authority. Perhaps the NCAA got it right and the governing bodies of music, whoever they are, didn't. Yet. But I'm sure after you contact them they will.

And FTR it wasn't the harshest penalty. They artfully dodged the death penalty, unlike SMU.

There was no flawed logic and their karma was met.

But how did U Conn handle it? Found out on Feb 13, brought in the state AG THE NEXT DAY, suspended him in June and banned him from the campus. Just think if PSU U had done that back when.

[ihs82]

Jul 16, 2013 16:07:54 GMT -5 daleko said:

Jul 16, 2013 14:07:41 GMT -5 ihs82 said:

1. Maybe not anger. But you're feeling extreme annoyance, which is essentially what anger is. The two emotions aren't mutually exclusive.

2. No ulterior motives. Ulterior motives are used by people who are trying to hide or conceal their intentions. I am doing no such thing.

3. I don't believe that to be an accurate characterization of what I'm doing. It's more to point out that the NCAA used flawed logic in their decision to hammer Penn State because it's utterly ridiculous to blame a culture for enabling a pedophilia. There are communities everywhere that give pedophiles the benefit of the doubt b/c of our general lack of understanding of how pedophiles operate. Yet, at Penn State, the football culture was blamed w/ absolutely zero evidence.

The governing body of the sport we all love recently levied the harshest punishment ever against a major college football program. And they did so based on flawed logic, which is what I'm pointing out. And I believe this to be topical.

You're right the NCAA should restrict U Conn's ability to play in concerts around the country, reduce their band scholarships by 5 per yr, the glee club should be put on probation along with the jazz band, the prep band and the U Conn symphony. Oh wait, they have no authority. Perhaps the NCAA got it right and the governing bodies of music, whoever they are, didn't. Yet. But I'm sure after you contact them they will.

And FTR it wasn't the harshest penalty. They artfully dodged the death penalty, unlike SMU.

There was no flawed logic and their karma was met.

But how did U Conn handle it? Found out on Feb 13, brought in the state AG THE NEXT DAY, suspended him in June and banned him from the campus. Just think if PSU U had done that back when.

I said "major" college football program. SMU doesn't qualify as a major program.

According to the article, school employees were notified of allegations several going back to 2006. And there are accusations going back to 1992. So the school knew for quite sometime.

The final paragraph:

"A mother of one of the campers told state police that she and the other boys' parents told camp officials about the allegations but didn't tell police at the time. State police say camp officials then fired Miller."

How can you not see that this is a societal problem, and not a football culture problem? If parents of victims don't tell police about a known pedophile, why is it that Paterno took so much crap for actually notifying his superiors of a second hand account? There's a lot of complexity in diagnosing and reporting this stuff. That's why predators are able to away with this for so long.

[lz2112]

Jul 16, 2013 16:31:39 GMT -5 ihs82 said:

Jul 16, 2013 16:07:54 GMT -5 daleko said:

You're right the NCAA should restrict U Conn's ability to play in concerts around the country, reduce their band scholarships by 5 per yr, the glee club should be put on probation along with the jazz band, the prep band and the U Conn symphony. Oh wait, they have no authority. Perhaps the NCAA got it right and the governing bodies of music, whoever they are, didn't. Yet. But I'm sure after you contact them they will.

And FTR it wasn't the harshest penalty. They artfully dodged the death penalty, unlike SMU.

There was no flawed logic and their karma was met.

But how did U Conn handle it? Found out on Feb 13, brought in the state AG THE NEXT DAY, suspended him in June and banned him from the campus. Just think if PSU U had done that back when.

I said "major" college football program. SMU doesn't qualify as a major program.

LOL. Maybe you're too young to remember, but SMU was a major program when they got the death penalty. They've just never recovered.

[ihs82]

Jul 16, 2013 16:40:41 GMT -5 lz2112 said:

Jul 16, 2013 16:31:39 GMT -5 ihs82 said:

I said "major" college football program. SMU doesn't qualify as a major program.

LOL. Maybe you're too young to remember, but SMU was a major program when they got the death penalty. They've just never recovered.

The were a major program for a short period of time because they were offering impermissible benefits to elite talent.

[daleko]

Jul 16, 2013 16:31:39 GMT -5 ihs82 said:

I said "major" college football program. SMU doesn't qualify as a major program.

Not today, but they once were. See what happens when you get the Death Penalty. PSU chose wisely.

You've never heard of the Pony Express? Erick Dickerson and Craig James?

Don Meredith?

The Mustangs' football legacy includes five Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductees, including Heisman winner Doak Walker, All-American Eric Dickerson, and two-time Super Bowl winner Forrest Gregg. SMU played in three National Championships in football, with a win in the 1982 Cotton Bowl Classic and an unofficial championship in the 1982 "Polyester Bowl." All told, the Mustangs have played in 15 Bowl Games, including one appearance in the Rose Bowl, four appearances in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

A 10–1 record in 1981 vaulted SMU to their first conference title (The same SWC that held all of those Texsux schools) in 16 years as a new quarterback took over the reins of the Pony Express. Lance McIlhenny was the perfect leader for SMU’s option attack, using his running ability and leadership capabilities to guide the Mustangs to a 34–5–1 record after taking over as the starting quarterback in the seventh game of his freshman season in 1980.

Dickerson, James and McIlhenny led SMU to an 11–0–1 record and number-two ranking in 1982, including a 7–3 victory over Pittsburgh and its star quarterback, Dan Marino, in the 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic.

In 1982, SMU was the only undefeated football team in the nation that season competing in the difficult SWC, but Penn State, with one loss, was named the national champion after defeating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, having been pounded by Alabubba during the season.

In '78 a bad 4-6 SMU lost to a 11-1 PSU by 5.