any updates on this case? new articles link?
There is an interesting twist in the school is getting some flak for apparently hidding student run newspapers covering the incident, and then apparently not admitting to it. Supposedly there is a backroom somewhere filled with student free pass papers covering the story. Schools officials say they are available by request.
Reporters were removed from the medical school campus, and it seems fair to do that, especially for the students studying there, but removing the freepress students papers seems like it was only done to deflect attention away from the school as this doesn't seem to interfer with medical students studying.
This is a trajedy no doubt, especially for the victims and their families, and also for the medical students at BU who knew this student. But, I don't think the attempt by BU's med school to basically wash their hands and walk away from the incident serves anyone, except maybe some nervous people in admissions.
When the space shuttle blew up there was a massive investigation over years to figure out what went wrong. While Phil Markoff may have been hardwired to be a sociopath, and nothing the school could have or would have done might have averted this, before his time at BU he wasn't murdering people and participating in robberies. Although apparently he did try to force himself on a female friend which was brushed away by her at the time, but in retrospect and in reality is pretty serious.
It would be good if the BU medical school looked at how their medical students cope with the massive amounts of stress and pressure applied to them during medical school. While the information about how to decrease stress or "de-stress" won't bring back the young woman who's life was cut short it could help future classes at BU. I think to sweep it under the rug is inappropriate as is being concerned about what is said on a message board when worse things are doubtlessly being said in private.
By censoring the free press, coaching employees and student tour guides how to respond and refusing to talk to reporters (schools administrators, not students) this leaves a bad impression that BU is only concerned about their image and not assessing their medical school in terms of stress and support for students. This is sort of separate story from the whole Markoff incident. It would just seem wrong if the medical school didn't launch a study or investigation about how their medical students deal with stress, what issues are available to them, and to see if there are any areas where the school could improve. Certainly there have been past complaints about the treatment of medical students at the school, which perhaps isn't unique to BU, but perhaps should be looked more closely at.
Studying how to help med students cope at BU would help the students there, and would actually make the school look good in applicant's eyes. Certainly no one wants to have to answer questions about going to the same med school as Markoff, and it is a trajedy that current students will be asked this by countless people in the future during residency and beyond, hiding newspapers won't help with that unfortunately.
When the space shuttle blew up NASA didn't go around hiding newspapers chroniciling the disaster, they had the more mature approach to figure out if something could have been done different and were shocked that a piece of styrofoam going at accelerated speed ripped through metal like a knife through butter. Victims families appreciated the effort to learn something from the trajedy, and I am sure the young woman's family would at some point, maybe not now, but at some point appreciate it if the school tried to make sure that something like this never happens again. It is an important gesture to make. You gotta wonder about a guy who goes drinking/gambling pretty heavily during second year curriculum, who presumably spends a whole lot of time at the school like a lot of students. BU does employ a tough sink or swim type educational environment, which before the incident the administration was going to make it even harder to progress from year to year with problems on exams for good or bad. It would be very arrogant in a way for BU's medical school not to investigate "what went wrong" and assume that it was a fluke.
QUINCY —
Boston University is hiding copies of the student paper with headlines about accused medical student Philip Markoff's murder charges so prospective students and their parents won't get scared off, reports The Daily Free Press, the independent student newspaper.
The Daily Free Press writes:
When it comes to the case of Philip Markoff, better known nationally as the "Craigslist killer," a second year Boston University School of Medicine student arrested Monday on suspicion of murder, kidnapping and robbery charges, BU administration appears to have "no comment."
Though their phones have been ringing constantly for the past three days, school officials have been tight-lipped about anything to do with the case, from terse and few public statements, to efforts to keep copies of The Daily Free Press out of places where prospective students might see headlines about the alleged "Craigslist killer."
Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore has been quoted in only one news story (The Daily Free Press, "Students ‘shocked' by suspect's ID," April 22), and Medical Campus Provost and MED Dean Karen Antman has released one statement, dated April 20. It reads, in its entirety, as follows:
"Phillip H. Markoff [sic] is a second year medical student at Boston University School of Medicine. Upon learning of the charges against him, University officials immediately suspended him.
Any further inquiries on this case should be directed to the Boston Police Department."
The campus has found itself in the national spotlight in connection with the crime at peak college decision time for most high school seniors. According to the Admissions Office website, at least five prescheduled tours, led by President's Hosts for prospective students, meet at the Admissions Reception Center at 121 Bay State Road every day.
The Daily Free Press is delivered to the reception center daily, as well as to other on-campus locations. The paper can usually be found in the waiting area for prospective students and parents to peruse while they wait for their tours to begin. Tuesday and Wednesday's editions, however, were only available by specific request. The papers featured prominent headlines about the case ("Police arrest BU student as ‘Craigslist killer' suspect," April 21; "MED student pleads not guilty," April 22; "Students ‘shocked' by suspect's ID," April 22), and staff at the office said they did not want the potential freshmen to get a bad idea about the school or its students.
An admissions office employee, who wished to remain anonymous out of concern for her job, told a Daily Free Press reporter Wednesday that the papers had been hidden because of their content, which could reflect negatively on the school.
BU spokesman Colin Riley said he knew nothing about the newspapers being hidden.
"There's no reason that I know of that they wouldn't be there today or yesterday," he said. "I don't see any reason why they wouldn't be. Maybe they're all gone because people picked them up."
President's Hosts got an email from Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions John McEachern Tuesday with advice from Riley, telling them how to approach the issue if they were asked on tours.
"[Riley] urges [the admissions staff] not to be defensive," McEachern stated in the email. "He encourages us to embrace [questions about Markoff], and gave me some talking points."
Though College of Arts and Sciences sophomore and host Anthony Schultz has not led a tour since Markoff's arrest, he said he would "take the politically correct approach and say that we don't have that much information. Even his close friends and family had no idea."
Another host, College of Communication junior Hannah Ubl, has not given a tour since Monday either.
"[The email] just helped with knowing what the right thing would be to say," she said. Ubl said the hosts are encouraged to "be civil, real, authentic and say that we are sorry for the family," and that "no one can understand his behavior and it doesn't represent what a BU student is."
The party line used on tours seems to be playing well to prospective students.
"It's one student out of 15,000 to 16,000," Sherrie Deng, a Newton North High School junior, said. "That one person may be crazy, but that doesn't mean the school is bad."
MED students were also sent an email from Antman with tips on handling the media rushing to report on "the sad and disturbing news."
Antman wrote in the email that reporters would not shy away from using information found on the Internet and social networking sites such as Facebook for information on the alleged murderer.
"Please use caution and discretion in discussing this case on those sites as anything you post could become part of the media coverage," the email stated.
Elmore said he had no comment on how the alleged connection between a BU student and a murder trial could affect admissions at the university.
"You should talk to Dean Antman at the medical campus," he said.
However, calls to Antman's office were immediately redirected to the Corporate Communications Office for MED and its teaching hospital, Boston Medical Center.
"I can only tell you what's in the statement," BMC and MED spokeswoman Gina DiGravio said. "He was –– or is –– a second year student at the School of Medicine."
She said the medical campus has been "crawling with reporters" since Markoff's arrest, and public safety officers have been removing any media who leave the sidewalk to ask questions.
"They are trespassing," she said.
Riley defended the removal of reporters from the South End medical campus.
"The students and BU School of Medicine are in the process of getting an education and are studying, and it's the end of the semester," he said. "The last thing they need is a distraction, impediment or nuisance."
