NEW: BU Pres. Hockey Email Leaked to GoLocalWorcester

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Friday, February 24, 2012

Mark Volain GoLocalWorcester Sports Contributor

Boston University students are reacting to the news that the President of the school is forming a task force to look into inappropriate activity by the BU hockey team. GoLocalWorcester got a copy of the email President Robert Brown sent to his students.

On Thursday, Boston University students and staff received an email from BU’s President Dr. Robert A. Brown letting students know that a task force was being created to investigate the BU Men's Hockey program. Two of their star players were arrested for assault this season.

According to President Brown's email, the task force will be “charged with studying the culture and climate of the men’s ice hockey team and its influence on the behavior of student athletes in our campus community.”
“The goal is for the task force to offer the University a thoughtful and impartial assessment of the culture and climate of our team, with a view to answering the question whether that culture and climate could have contributed to actions that, in turn, led to criminal charges.”

Brown expects a report in the early summer so issues can be addressed before the next school year begins.

“I was shocked. It is one of those things where you never think it would happen at your school--certainly not something that you would ever think would happen twice in one year involving the same team,” said Boston University sophomore Sarah Sassen in an interview with GoLocalWorcester.

Boston University's men's hockey program is constantly a powerhouse program in both their highly competitive division- Hockey East- and within the NCAA rankings, where they currently rank fifth in the nation, according to the United States College Hockey Online poll.

Suggestions of entitlement are sure to arise as possibilities to explain the actions of these two students.

“They're great athletes and they know that,” Sassen said. “With the praise that professional athletes receive in the media, I wouldn't say it's surprising that a sense of entitlement arises from student athletes.”
Boston University's hockey coach since 1973, Jack Parker, who sports an impressive 853-441-112 record and has won three NCAA Championships- most recently in 2009- is a three-time coach of the year. Parker has publicly said that he has never seen sexual assault allegations against his players in the past.

Prior to his December arrest for barging into a resident advisers room and reportedly groping the woman, Senior forward Corey Trivino, of Toronto, led both Boston University and Hockey East in goals scored. He has since been dismissed from the institution. Trivino had been drafted by the New York Islanders in the second round of the 2008 NHL Draft.

Junior Defenseman Max Nicastro was arrested on February 12 on two counts of rape, of which he pleaded not guilty. Nicastro was a third round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2008 NHL Draft.
Although it was two players, and not the entire team who participated in this assault, the whole team now has to deal with the image the national media is quickly taking note of.
“I hope that the remaining players want to do something to rectify the image the team has now,” Sassen said.

 

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Here's the email from the school president:

Boston University Office of the President
Robert A. Brown
President

One Silber Way
Boston, Massachusetts 02215

February 23, 2012

Dear Colleagues and Students:

For decades the Boston University men’s ice hockey team has been a source of tremendous pride for the Boston University community, on and off the ice. Our student athletes have competed at the highest level of collegiate ice hockey and united generations of students, alumni, and friends who cheer for their success and admire their accomplishments.

Today we find ourselves at a crossroads for the men’s ice hockey program and the University. As has been extensively reported, two members of our team have been charged with assault this academic year. These charges, if ultimately substantiated, involve reprehensible acts. The Boston University community expects that our student athletes, as representatives of the University, adhere to the same high standards to which we hold all members of our community and which reflect the mission and aspirations of our university.

The charges in these cases understandably lead to questions about whether the hockey team's culture and climate have contributed in some way to the actions of the two individuals. The University must address these questions and, if deficiencies are identified, make appropriate and necessary changes.

I am writing to let you know that I am forming a task force of University trustees, overseers, faculty, and staff which will be charged with studying the culture and climate of the men’s ice hockey team and its influence on the behavior of student athletes in our campus community. I stress that the constitution of the task force does not reflect a judgment about the specific facts in the two cases of alleged assault. The determination of both cases must be left to the judicial system.

The constitution of the task force does, however, reflect a University-level judgment that the two incidents indicate something systemic or habitual may foster a team climate that does not comport with the highest standards of conduct we seek to maintain for all members of our community.

I launch this task force with the full support of Head Coach Jack Parker, Athletic Director Mike Lynch, and Bob Knox, Chairman of our Board of Trustees. Coach Parker told The Boston Globe, "I hope it’s a horrible coincidence. I don’t want this to be the culture of our team, and if it is, we’ll change it." Coach Parker's comment is exactly right.

The membership of the task force, its charge, and its work plan will be announced in the next several weeks. The goal is for the task force to offer the University a thoughtful and impartial assessment of the culture and climate of our team, with a view to answering the question whether that culture and climate could have contributed to actions that, in turn, led to criminal charges. I will ask to have a report from the task force early in the summer so that we can begin to address any issues in the coming academic year.

Working together, we will do whatever is necessary to restore the Boston University community’s confidence in the men’s ice hockey program. I look forward to reporting to you on our progress.

Sincerely,

Robert A. Brown
President
 

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