Univ. President Fired After Cover-Up

YPSILANTI, Mich. – Eastern Michigan University fired its president, months after top university officials were accused of covering up the rape and slaying of a student by publicly ruling out foul play despite evidence that later led to murder charges.

The president, John Fallon, confirmed that he was fired Sunday evening by a unanimous vote of the Board of Regents, The Ann Arbor News reported in its Monday editions.

Fallon said the termination letter was delivered by courier Sunday night to the president’s house. It did not state a reason for the firing, he said. The letter stated that the board had voted unanimously to terminate his employment contract effective Sunday – two years after his five-year contract took effect.

Fallon’s dismissal follows an independent law firm investigation and U.S. Department of Education report, both of which found that the 23,500-student public university violated the federal Clery Act, which requires colleges and universities to disclose campus security information.

The body of Laura Dickinson, 22, was discovered Dec. 15 in her dorm room. At the time, university officials told Dickinson’s parents and the media that she died of asphyxiation but that there was no sign of foul play, despite evidence to the contrary.

It wasn’t until another Eastern student was arrested in late February and charged with murder that her family and fellow students learned she had been raped and killed.

The accused student, Orange Taylor III, of Southfield, has pleaded not guilty to murder and criminal sexual conduct charges in Dickinson’s death. He is scheduled for trial Oct. 15.

Many in the university’s administration were accused of covering up the truth and endangering students to protect the school’s image, which has been marred in recent years by tensions with faculty, students and the community.

The board was expected to meet later Monday to discuss the case. Still undetermined was the status of Vice President of Student Affairs Jim Vick and Public Safety Director Cindy Hall.

Fallon told the Ann Arbor News that the letter indicated his office had been secured and arrangements would be made for him to retrieve his personal items.

“As a citizen, I am disappointed in this hastily called meeting, without any opportunity to be present or to respond,” Fallon told the newspaper. “I have a story to tell and intend to tell it.”

His secretary, reached Monday morning at the office, did not know how Fallon could be reached for further comment. Messages left at a telephone listing for the official president’s residence at Eastern Michigan were not returned.

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On the Net:

Eastern Michigan University: http://www.emich.edu