[The Pikes Peak Bulletin will answer the questions raised in this column as we are able. — ed.]
I have a few questions.
On Feb. 16, two young people were slain on the UCCS campus in a dormitory. University authorities had been notified of the accused killer’s aggressive behavior and shirking of campus rules prior to the killings but apparently took no steps to address the complaints. At least, no such steps have been publicly disclosed.
In late March, UCCS announced it had hired two former U.S. Attorneys – one being former Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, and other being Jason Dunn, with Brownstein Hyatt, Farber and Schreck, a firm with which Suthers has an employment arrangement – to determine what led to the shooting and recommend whether any campus policies and procedures should be changed, Colorado Public Radio reported at the time.
CPR also reported that an arrest affidavit said there were significant issues and complaints that had been filed with the campus police and housing department about Nicholas Jordan smoking marijuana and cigarettes inside and cleanliness in the common living area. UCCS officials told CPR it can’t release student complaints under the Family Educational and Privacy Act.
The affidavit also said, according to CPR, that Jordan and his roommate Samuel Knopp engaged in a dispute in January over a bag of trash that Knopp collected and left near Jordan’s door. The affidavit said that during the confrontation, Jordan threatened to kill Knopp if he was asked about taking out the trash again. On Feb. 16, Jordan showed up at the Alpine Village Apartment complex on campus and now stands accused of two counts of first-degree murder in the slaying of Knopp and a visitor, Celine Rain Montgomery.
Other news outlets also reported the hiring of Suthers and Dunn, but none that I saw have reported: 1) how much UCCS is paying for this “review,” 2) how the vendors (Suthers and Dunn) were chosen and whether a competitive process was used, and if not, why not? And 3) what exactly were the marching orders UCCS gave the dynamic duo of Suthers and Dunn? A contract should contain specific language about the scope of work, but alas, no reporters that I’m aware of have sought the contract and reported what it says. One could fairly wonder if that scope of work includes suggesting potential legal defenses should a civil lawsuit be filed, considering that both vendors are veteran attorneys. And, by the way, have the families of those killed filed notices of claim, a precursor to a lawsuit?
Given what appears to be a security failure on the part of UCCS, one might ask if the University of Colorado Board of Regents, which oversees UCCS, has sought or been given an interim report of any kind by these two attorneys of their findings.
Not that UCCS would necessarily share this, considering that back in February when the complaints involving Jordan came to light, the college “declined to say whether it took any action in response to the problems, citing the ongoing criminal investigation and federal student privacy laws,” CPR reported.
It’s worth noting that the regents held special meetings on Feb. 17, Feb. 19 and Feb. 29 at which the only agenda item was an executive session to discuss legal advice about “campus safety measures.” On Feb. 29, the regents heard an “update on ongoing investigation and campus safety measures,” the agenda states. (The board has held at least 10 executive sessions this year to receive legal advice about “campus protests.”)
In June, the regents adopted a policy that allows those on campus to carry concealed handguns, if they hold a permit, and vests chancellors with adopting rules regarding firearms on campuses.
All that said, we taxpayers, others who fund UCCS and those who send their kids there, would probably like to know the answers to the questions outlined above, and whether UCCS has addressed the obvious holes in the system that led to this horrible crime.
Those constituencies are also waiting to hear the results of this review, even as we head into the eighth month since these preventable deaths occurred.
Pam Zubeck worked for over 45 years as a journalist in Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado. She covered local government and other topics at The Gazette for 16 years before moving to the Indy in 2009 where she contributed news and cover stories for 14 years. She’s won numerous state, regional and national awards, including the Sigma Delta Chi public service award from the Society of Professional Journalists for her 2012 story, “Misfire,” about the city’s response to the Waldo Canyon Fire.
She may be reached at Pam@PikesPeakBulletin.org.
