New Haven Independent

Posted by: Mark | November 14, 2008 12:22 PM

"Police arrived there at 8 a.m., woke up five or six male students who were sleeping there, and took them to Police Headquarters for questioning."

Hopefully these gents went willingly or the police just made a big mistake.

Posted by: be careful | November 14, 2008 1:21 PM

All we have is a vague accusation. No witnesses, no medical evidence.

This story is written in a tone to proclaim a sentence of guilty. If the students are 21, drinking until 3:30 and keeping the house in bad condition, although an annoynace, is not a crime.

Remember Duke Lacrosse. Let's allow the legal system to do its job before judgement is passed.

Posted by: Bruce | November 14, 2008 2:12 PM

Be Careful: I didn't read the story that way at all. It just describes the house as it was found. The police even called it "typical". It certainly didn't point fingers at anyone.

That said, I hope the police sort this out and if a crime was committed, bring the rapist to justice.

Posted by: Westvillian | November 14, 2008 2:27 PM

It's too bad the neighbors didn't call the police earlier to report a noise violation. My guess is that if police officers had gone to the home during the party they would have found underage drinking going on (only a small percentage of college students are over 21) and the party would have needed to be broken up. Of course, it's a possibility that either the neighbors did call and were ignored (as anything other than a violent crime tends to be) or they didn't call because they knew it would be a fruitless endeavor.

Posted by: LTMIKE | November 14, 2008 6:35 PM

I just took it as a description of the scene as well. Even if the boys we were awakenened and brought to police headquarters, that is fine, you can be questioned at the station without being a suspect or charged with anything. The police were just getting reports from occupants of the house. Also, I believe it is a crime to supply alcohol to a minor, she was 18. To protect the girl I am sure we did not get all the information the police have.

Posted by: College | November 14, 2008 6:55 PM

The story makes the people who live here and those who attended the party out to be outrageous people when in reality it was probably a normal college party that the police officers and the reporters on this case have most likely attended when they were younger. Just because there was a "wild" party, doesn't mean there were malicious acts taking place.

Medical evidence is definitely key in this situation...it's really unfortunate that in situations like this the girl is more often "believed" by outsiders to the situation without knowing the tendencies of the girl, or the guys being accused.

Posted by: Jon Diss | November 14, 2008 7:02 PM

What's the implication of that photo of the tiara on the floor?

Posted by: Lucy | November 14, 2008 11:02 PM

This article is extremely unfair. This is the scene of a typical college house. Who can say they have never attended a party at a place like this? If the girl was raped, why didn't she go to the hospital? It's unfortunate that the people who live in this home have to deal with these accusations.

Posted by: Mark | November 15, 2008 12:11 AM

some information in this article contains completely inaccurate information and you should be ashamed as a journalist to even post this

Posted by: olordbigtundawg | November 15, 2008 2:21 AM

Why would you lead off the article talking about there being a stripper pole in the house, what does that have to do with anything? So the kids like to party that has nothing to do with a girl being raped, if this is the way you write your articles you should get a new job because you pronounce these men guilty before the police do there job. You should not be so quick to write things when you don't know the truth.

Posted by: Cyrus | November 15, 2008 6:41 AM

Melissa, because the word "home" is not synomynous with "house", such sentences as "red plastic cups, cans of Natural Ice and Bud Light lay scattered across the home" are impossible. They are oxymorons.

Posted by: improve the news | November 15, 2008 10:57 AM

Melissa,

I think that you were wise to modify the title of your artivle from saying there was a crime to saying there was an alleged crime. That is a far more responsible (and honest) from a reporting standpoint.

Another change that you should consider is the term party house. What exactly is a party house? Is it a place that has big parties? Do people live there? Was the party thrown by all of the residents or just a few?

It would be terrible to have some good student livin on the third floor lumped in with some who appear to be acting badly in other parts of the house. In fact, from part of this story, there appear to be some possible evictions.

I would hope the the Independent isn't involved in pointing the finger and punishment people before they get their due process. If the people being evicted lived in Dixwell, I'm sure this publication would have people up in arms.

Posted by: College | November 15, 2008 3:42 PM

I like how I posted a comment that wasn't going along with what everyone else is saying, and how it's taking the side of the people being accused, but I wasn't posted..that's interesting?

There's no proof that anything was done, and no one else on here is considering the tendencies of the girl involved or the guys being accused. There were probably more guys at that party than just those who live in that house, why aren't the rest of those people getting the blame for this?

I'm also assuming that there will be no follow up story if it comes back that the nothing actually happened and that the girl is just crazy?

Posted by: Ryley | November 15, 2008 6:58 PM

This article is absurd. Completely incorrect. Melissa, get your facts straight or get a new job. You are a disgrace.

Posted by: Annonymous | November 15, 2008 7:21 PM

Melissa

I am troubled by your article. As a journalist you are responsible to report the events as accurately as you possibly can. This story is nothing short of fabrications. The young girl involved, and the young men who live in this apartment are the last people deserving of your libel. If you were really trying to creat an neutral account of the events, perhaps you should have also included that the young men who live in this apartment replaced the drug addicts and prostitutes infesting the area before they arrived. Furthermore, I find it very interesting how the NHRegister article reported on the same situation contradicts your "facts" in more ways than one. This is not a personal attack on you Melissa, but as a journalist myself I feel slightly offended at the aim of this piece. I can only hope your readers will not be as misguided by this as the actual article itself.

Posted by: norton street | November 15, 2008 9:47 PM

make the kids who live in the house go back home and live with their parents, they can throw parties there if they'd like, and turn the house into affordable housing for people who deserve a beautiful home like that. this house should be available as a nice place to sleep for a family not just one gigantic box for beer.

"Why would you lead off the article talking about there being a stripper pole in the house, what does that have to do with anything? So the kids like to party that has nothing to do with a girl being raped"

isnt a stripper poles sole purpose to get girls naked...

Posted by: nfjanette | November 15, 2008 10:35 PM

It's too bad the neighbors didn't call the police earlier to report a noise violation.
Perhaps they did? My own experience has been varied in terms of the police taking such complaints seriously enough to take action. There are, of course, more serious crimes that demand priority attention, but not even showing up for such calls is inexcusable.

Posted by: Doug | November 16, 2008 12:04 AM

Good story, Melissa. A lot of folks are going to come out of the woodwork (see above) to protect their pals, even if they don't really know what happened.

Further, you can see the bigger picture of the pervasiveness of college drinking. People who probably weren't even there are commenting in an effort to protect the inaccurate idea -- the public perception -- that it's OK or appropriate to engage in underage drinking, drinking games (*read: binge drinking) and hiring private strippers.

A lot of college kids seem to think this is their "due" because they're still young enough to be irresponsible. They're trying to "normalize" the kinds of behaviors that may have been taking place, based on the details of the condition of the house.

The neighbors must be fed up as well. Poor manners at best.

I've got news for college-age youth: Making a habit of binge drinking now is not just a "gateway" to alcoholism. It IS alcoholism. You're already there. Take a step back and look at what you're doing. 4, 5, 6, 7 ... 12 beers a day? Or maybe it's only 3 or 4 days a week? That's alcoholism. Nothing normal about it.

Also, private strippers in a house full of drunk college boys is simply a terrible situation, a mixture made for disaster. Anyone who walks into a scene like that and decides to stay is obviously not smart enough to realize that they're going to be a suspect in any investigation that must follow.

Good job, Melissa. Pull no punches.

Posted by: William Kurtz | November 16, 2008 1:42 PM

Cyrus,

An oxymoron is a word or phrase containing an inherent self-contradiction. The textbook example is 'jumbo shrimp.' You're right that house and home are not synonymous, but using 'home' in that sentence is neither paradoxical nor inappropriate.

Posted by: Alphonse Credenza | November 16, 2008 2:51 PM

A stripper pole in the house is an important fact.

Shouldn't these "students" be studying? How do they have so much time to devote to drinking and lascivious behavior?

Darn it all -- this anti-social behavior should not be countenanced. Kick them out, Southern!

Posted by: Wow | November 16, 2008 5:10 PM

Doug,

Do you live under a rock? Drink a beer and relax!

Posted by: Melissa Is a terrible reporter | November 16, 2008 5:48 PM

Melisa... I am disguisted and apauled for ever having read your article. If you would like to take notes from real life reporters watch the news, read the new haven register and notice that they did not slander any of the students in the house as to it was an accusation. Details by the real reporters are left out for a reason. What if this turns out that there was no crime committed at all? Now these students are just embarrased for false information being presented about there home. Did you physically walk through the house? I assume not since channel 8 could only stand outside and that the students of the the house weren't allowed in all weekend. There is a POSSIBILITY of a crime that was commited, write your article about that and not about what a driveway and living room look like after a party on a thursday night... we get there was drinking thats all that needed to be said. I feel bad for the students in the house if it was not true because now they have more on their hands than necessary with what they are going through. You should be ashamed of yourself seeing that so many people felt the need to respond to your article in a negative manor.

Posted by: Jill | November 16, 2008 5:56 PM

I AM CONFUSED. was this an article about an alleged rape case or about the students needing to hire a cleaning lady after a party? It is a normal thing for a house to be messy, no one wants to clean at the end of the night. and for the photographs? I am not sure that is technically legal, if i were you i would be nervous that these students have read this article and are going to take further action when they have less to worry about at the moment. It is true there may have been a rape at that house, but in america we are innocent until proven guilty, mellissa forgot that fact. this article may be appropriate once convictions are made.

Posted by: Doug | November 16, 2008 6:39 PM

Wow,

Do I live under a rock? Hmmm. I might ask you the same question.

I drank my share of beers and shots a long time ago and found everything I wrote above to be true. Years later, it's pretty easy to see that, as a society, we've allowed the college experience to be attached to alcohol. It's a shame, because college could be so much more than that.

But alcohol and the binge/beer-pong atmosphere is the reason why Nat Pham, a beautiful young UConn grad student, was struck and killed by a drunk driver in front of the police department in Storrs a few years ago. The guy had been playing beer-pong all evening and jumped in a jacked-up Mustang, tearing around campus, before killing Pham in full view of the UConn PD.

A little while later, another drunk driver came along and plowed through the orange cones and the lights and crime scene tape at the scene of the first accident while police were still investigating. Fortunately, that guy didn't hit anybody.

But when you look at the body of work involving drunken college kids and cars on that single night alone -- and not to mention the obvious link between alcohol and rape -- then you can understand why it's not OK anymore to sit there idly by when someone tells you to, well, relax and have a beer.

If the girl's story bears out to be true, her life is changed forever. It's going to take a really long time for her to ... relax and have a beer.

Posted by: anonymous | November 16, 2008 7:18 PM

Norton street and doug: Just because there is a stripper poll in the house a.) doesn't mean all of their females friends are getting up there and taking their clothes off, maybe it's just for fun to dance to a good song and then hop off and b.) who EVER said there were private strippers at the house at any point in time? that's a huge assumption and I think questioning the boys study habits is out of your range because you have no idea who they even are. Also, just because they had a party on a thursday night which is extremely common for not only college students but other people in their twenties to do ..does not mean they having " 4, 5, 6, 7 ... 12 beers a day" or drinking 3 or 4 days out of the week ...maybe they only drink on thursdays because they are in class prior to that day and work on the weekends, ever think of that? A dirty house, beer cans, and a corona clock MUST mean alcoholics though....

Posted by: norton street | November 16, 2008 9:12 PM

this is addressed to the people against melissa's reporting: i think youre all pretty silly.
after a wild party that rages out into the wee hours of the night, what would you expect to find in the morning? a messy house, right? i know i would. if the house had been clean the morning after the alleged incident i would be much more suspicious of the people who live in the house, but sense it was still dirty i suspect the people who live in the house had little or nothing to do with the alleged incident.
so either the people posting negatively against melissa think that the students living in the house are too dumb to clean up the house to hide the evident of a rape, they are too cold hearted to care whether or not evidence of rape is left in the house, or you're just far too silly to realize that a dirty house is a positive thing in a case like this, at least for the one's who live in the house.

Posted by: Emily | November 16, 2008 9:13 PM

To Melissa,

I am a student at southern who is actually taking classes in journalism and am studying the ethics of a story...i guess only being a student doesnt allow me to make statements against your story, but I feel you are contradicting what a journalist does. Your story is one-sided and unethical. Provide a neutral story and better sources. Stripper poles? Big deal. "Beer Gods" ...seriously? How did you get in the house Melissa? I watched this story on the Television and warrants to go inside were not aloud until 5:00 pm. Are you breaking more rules of a journalist?

To those of you who question these students:
Weren't you in college once? Did you ever go to a party with beer and alcohol? Come on get serious before you even think to critcize a students "behavior" ask yourselves if you hadnt done the same thing. Remember Duke Lacrosse?

Posted by: Corinne Blackmer | November 16, 2008 10:20 PM

Dear Melissa,

While it might be alleged that your story contained some "leading" elements, that does not, in and of itself, make your report either unethical or unprofessional. As someone who is a professor at Southern Connecticut State University (although professors at any of our universities could tell you the same), alcohol is a disaster, and materially contributes to the manifold forms of pernicious sexist abuse and denigration that are endemic in our society. First, it is positively true that students should be studying, and their course of work should be sufficiently challenging as to obviate the forms of license seen at that house--whether or not, in this instance, such behavior led to rape--felonious trespass against a human being. I could not disagree more with the notion that college students "just drink," or that all of us who went to college "behaved that way." Actually, I did not. Although no one in my immediate family abused alcohol, I had seen enough in our society to dislike alcohol as promoting violence, disregard, and lack of liberty. My wife-to-be, Pilar, had, like so many of my students, had grown up in a family where there was alcoholism. Thankfully, her family survived and transcended this addiction, but, like others I have known, Pilar does not like even the smell of alcohol, and there is none in our house except for Shabbat wine. Indeed, I regard it as a responsibility of all educators and community leaders to set an example by not drinking alochol--and, of course, this includes not smoking cigarettes or taking illegal drugs. All of us who teach know, from the evidence that is plentiful before us, that alcohol is destructive, as is casual brutality and hardness.

Posted by: Doug | November 16, 2008 10:59 PM

Yikes, Emily. If you really are studying reporting you'll know that getting access is the hardest part.

And maybe it'll turn out that there was no rape, or that there was a rape but it was committed by someone who doesn't live there, or maybe it was someone who lived there, who knows? Nevertheless, signs point to -- note, "point to" -- binge drinking and adult entertainment. These are not the kinds of activities where people tend to make good decisions.

So, folks, get a clue here. Perhaps people are making judgments not because they never took part in such nonsense, but possibly because they did take part in their share of debauchery back in the day, and they know the score.

Or maybe I'm wrong and the stripper pole was part of a nontraditional religious service. A praryer group of some kind. Sure.

Posted by: Ridiculous | November 17, 2008 12:46 AM

Your comments. Ridiculous.

It's an in-depth, fine story. Melissa isn't crossing any lines.

The postings rife with typos, full of ad hominem attacks, and attempts to question Melissa's reporting bear out the theory that it's all the same nit wit sitting there and pecking away feverishly.

The reporter described the house & a wild party. One can imagine, it's at a wild party that things may get out of hand. That's what is suggested by the evidence, & the reporter carefully catalogued & reported it all.

Now,
if the party was a benefit for Easter Seals & she didn't mention that, I'd question if there was a bias. If she invented a stripper pole I'd wonder. If you don't want you or your friends party to be mentioned in the paper in connection with a stripper pole, don't have one.

Grow up. You had a wild party, something terrible may have happened, & now a reporter wrote about it. This isn't Duke. No one in a position of power is doing anything to any of you. An independent observer is reporting what they observed.

Save your ire & your fire for the administration of your school if they kick you all out or some such, but there is no point in making these stupid, lame, half-witted attacks against a reporter doing their job.

Posted by: Anonymous | November 17, 2008 1:11 AM

I really think the term "wild, raging party" should be put to rest because none of you, including the reporter or police, know if that's really what the party was. Loud music doesn't mean they had the house packed wall to wall with people running around screaming and playing the god-forbidden game of beer pong...maybe there were only 20-30 people in and out of the house that night...and about the extra mattresses mentioned in the article, maybe instead of assuming that 12 people live there (which i highly doubt is the case) they have them so if people have been drinking and would rather not take a cab, they can sleep there, and maybe that these boys, in fact, are good people and aren't promoting drunk driving ...

Posted by: anonymous | November 17, 2008 4:18 AM

Doug... I feel bad or whatever that people died in D.U.I accidents but as it pertains to this story why bring it up? No one drove, it is an alleged rape investigation. You assume that private strippers are hired, why? You assume everyone's an alcoholic because they have a party, why? You must be the kinda guy who waits until something bad happens and then says, "I told you so because ...I stab people in the back and hit them when they're down." Instead of having an online opinion why don't you wait to see what the cops have to say, I commented on the editorial point of view of the writer because she did an awful job when it comes to honest journalism. You are trying to make an argument on why these guys are guilty needing to be proven innocent. ...

Posted by: olordbigtundawg | November 17, 2008 4:23 AM

To respond to Norton Street, yah a stripper pole could help induce a girl to get naked, but it doesn't mean they're going to get completely nude in a room that I'm assuming has other people in it. Also, just because you get a girls shirt off doesn't mean your going to take them somewhere and rape them. When you go to a strip club do you take them in a private room and rape them? Don't be so immature in your narrow minded thinking, the poles probably just there to have a little dirty fun NOT RAPE SOMEONE

Posted by: Fedupwithliberals | November 17, 2008 4:37 AM

Private Strppers? Didn't know the state provided for public strippers. Is that part of Section 8, or Livable Cities? Where do we go for that?

Posted by: cedarhillresident | November 17, 2008 8:25 AM

Emily
I do have ask have you ever read the Independent prior to this story? This is not your standard paper. It is known to be an opinionated paper. Melissa's style of reporting respected in the region. She has a bit of a following. It may not be your text book style, but if it was this paper may not have the large number of readers that is does.

Posted by: joey A | November 17, 2008 8:37 AM

Once again the one way Independent strikes.

Posted by: William Kurtz | November 17, 2008 9:06 AM

What an interesting and learned collection of experts in journalistic ethics this story has attracted!

Professor Anonymous, I commend you on the candid expression of your deepest feelings--"bad or whatever"--for the many people who have been the victim of (often someone else's) problem drinking. Of course you're correct; mattresses all over the floor don't prove that the house in question was at capacity. Maybe they're running a home for wayward orphans, or sheltering victims of Hurricane Katrina who have lost their homes.

Emily, perhaps you should pay closer attention in those journalism classes. I can't imagine your professors are discouraging you from recording details that help the reader put the story into context, or from seeking accuracy about such matters as who gets a warrant (the police, not reporters) and the proper spelling of the word 'allowed' and the capitalization of proper nouns (i.e. 'Southern'). But notice how the Independet is thoughtfully promoting your First Amendment rights by allowing you to respond to the free press!

A careful reader would notice that the statements in the article were sourced. The neighbors described the party as 'wild,' Officer Avery said that the woman reported a rape, and Officer Cavaliere estimated that up to twelve people were living in the house. (Not unlikely, with three apartments).

The specter of the Duke University debacle is rightly raised here, and one hopes that the local press, including the Independent will follow up on the outcome of the investigation, especially if the alleged victim's complaint is unfounded. But in the meantime, Ms. Bailey has written an accurate story, and based it on what she observed and was told by legitimate sources willing to go on the record.

Posted by: DAFeder | November 17, 2008 10:04 AM

Partying with cheap beer and stripper poles does not in any way preclude critical thinking once sober. But it sure seems to have done so here. Beer drinkers, let's step up our game, huh?

COLLEGE, especially: when you say, "...without knowing the tendencies of the girl...," you mean her history of telling the truth, right? Because you're very close to a really despicable accusation ("she's a slut, she deserved it"), which was enshrined in unjust law for many years.

David

Posted by: Bruce | November 17, 2008 11:18 AM

I don't see where all these attacks on the story are coming from. This article described as much about the alleged crime as was available. It described the scene and even referred to the house as "typical". The story didn't lay any blame on anyone nor did it imply any guilt. Ms. Bailey interviewed neighbors and tried to get comments from the occupants of the home, which is about as far as any journalist could possibly go towards getting the "other" side of the story. She even got into the house for a picture. What is the problem? It's an excellent story. Nice work, Melissa.

Posted by: Boobhead | November 17, 2008 11:47 AM

I walk by that house every day and how dare all of you people judge these students and assume them to be such terrible people when you know nothing about them. Everyone needs to stop being so defensive with what you believe in and stop to think that i know for a fact that these kids havent had a party in over a month and a half and maybe they wanted to throw an innocent little party and POSSIBLY have a fun time. Is that so wrong?

As far as the article goes...the incident ALLEGEDLY happened on the third floor which this article failed to gather that tid bit of information and only reported on the FIRST floor. Who let you into the house MELISSA? Word on the street was that the owners of the house couldn't set foot in the house all day, how did you manage to do it?

Ever think of this?....

Boobheads?...IRRELEVANT to the story
-maybe that was just a funny word that was an inside joke at the house...sounds funny to me!

Stripper Pole? IRRELEVANT to the story
-maybe someone in the house loved seinfeld and celebrated festivus..who knows!

Blackened Bath Tubs? IRRELEVANT
-maybe the tubs were like that when they moved in?

12 people living at the home? INCORRECT
-i wanted to move in this house and there were 7 rooms and in no way was there room for anyone to double up and adding 5 more to the list

The whole story? TERRIBLE
-only the first 2 paragraphs are about the incident, the rest is just irrelevant, and some incorrect information to make the owners of the house look guilty

just some advice to everyone that comments after me...stop assuming things about these poor kids and just wait to see the outcome, then comment

Posted by: Boobhead | November 17, 2008 11:50 AM

oh, and Ive been in the house before...not one mattress on the floor in the whole house

get your facts straight

Posted by: Professor Anonymous | November 17, 2008 2:33 PM

To William Kurtz, you don't know any of these people and you have never been in that house, so keep your mouth shut. DWI deaths are awful but no one said this girl got raped while someone was driving her around in a car drunk so what does that have anything to do with this situation? I don't know if your wayward orphans comment was supposed to be funny or witty because it wasn't. It just makes you come off as an arrogant prick. All you people are like flies, this story is shit so you all wanna buzz around it and get into it.

Posted by: juli | November 17, 2008 3:06 PM

the more criticisms of the article posted, the more it seems that there are a hoard of pouty college kids in their computer labs pissed off about any possibility of negative light shed on their friends or themselves, regardless of guilt. ("if you are explaining, you are losing" -j.c. watts)

if the people involved here have nothing to hide, then cooperating with the investigation will only be a minor annoyance.

if there was a crime committed, the victim deserves the facts of the evening to be explored.

the more this comment board devolves into either kids blindly defending their friends, or a rush to judgement of wrongdoing, the farther we are from the truth. and i do not see those elements in the article, only in this comment board.

Posted by: COLLEGE | November 17, 2008 4:40 PM

DAFEDER: Yes I said none of you know the tendencies of the girl and that YES she may have been a ..., but never did I say she deserved it if it actually happened, so don't put words in my mouth...and thanks for clarifying that rape is unjust and wrong I didn't already know that.

and JULI: maybe people who know the residents of the home and are pissed off that none of you know what you're talking about and know nothing about the what this girl was doing before her alleged rape..

and KURTZ: just because people aren't writing their comments like they would a term paper to give to a professor, doesn't mean you have to be an asshole about it - and I'm sure that if you had an extra mattress in your house you'd be housing orphans and Hurricane Katrina victims right?

Posted by: jeff | November 17, 2008 5:06 PM

This comment board is pointless because no one knows what happened, lets wait and see the outcome. Its been 3 days and i havent seen any knew articles or news casts.

Posted by: Mister Jones | November 17, 2008 5:23 PM

Just when you think you've seen it all...these blog posts boggle my mind.

Melissa wrote what looks like a thorough article based on personal observation and interviews. Why are so many lunkheads so eager to kill the messenger? She described the scene the next morning, and what she saw corroborates that there was in fact a party there the night before. And by the way, Mr. "Annonymous" the journalists, since when can you libel a house?

Posted by: rebecca | November 17, 2008 6:08 PM

Wow

Someone needs to get doug a beer ... - something to get him to lighten up...and maybe open his eyes.

A few thoughts from a 30 something female (to make it clear that I'm not one of the college boys)

1. A stripper pole doesn't lead to rape. How can anyone make that connection?

2. DUI is bad....absolutely. But how do you get there from a bunch of college student drinking - and apparently sleeping over?

3. "her history" is important if you think back tot he Duke lacrosse case...which involved a woman who repeatedly acted one way in the evening followed by misguided allegations of rape in the mornings.

4. Whether the allegations are true or not, all involved should not jump to conclusions. Again remember that none of the boys in the Duke cae where able to graduate from Duke, even though they were eventually found innocent oc all charges.

Posted by: Ridiculous | November 17, 2008 6:08 PM

You nit-wits who make the same typos in every post (with different names) feel so clever because you leave asinine comments on a news story anonymously.

Sure, berate Melissa, that will DEFINITELY clear your name with the police! Oh yea! that's a SMART thing to do :)

Good luck ducks

Posted by: Shut up | November 17, 2008 7:11 PM

Who here even has a name to clear with the police,

Posted by: Jen | November 17, 2008 7:41 PM

Melissa,
Starting off your little story about having a stripper pole was absolutely absurd. That has nothing to do with the incident that is being accused about these boys. Big deal there is a pole, you clearly know nothing about them and about that night and what really happened.
If this "rape" really did happen, she should have went straight to the hospital that night when she was found. Saying these students threw a "raging party last night" is not needed as well. Again, you were not there, people could have heard bass from the music whether it was 10 people or even 30 people.
12 people do NOT live there. I know this for a fact, they are all very good friends of mine and i have been there numerous times. Their mattresses are not on the floor and even if so, who cares. Mine is! That ALSO has absolutely nothing to do with anything. "They were a bunch of messy guys" THEY ARE IN COLLEGE..I live in a house with 4 other girls..and we are messy too and i would consider my apartment a typical party place at times, yes I do drink, yes there is alcohol in the house, I am sure this pertains to many other college students as well. People need to stop pointing fingers to these kids until they know the real story and what really happened that night.
And, honestly sometimes we barely have any food in the house. You ever hear of a meal plan, people not going food shopping for a few days or eating out? Well those things do happen, especially with college students, who wants to cook every night? Blackened bath tub? Probably sure it was not black, but another thing, tubs do get dirty! I'm sure yours does too.
Talking about how the house smelt and looked on Friday morning, listen, most of us went to college or are in it, people do have parties and we have all at least seen one house the morning after. Of course its not pretty after a night of some beers and guests over. I have parties a lot, I enjoy having fun and the LAST thing I want to do that night is clean, do don't underestimate these boys for having a dirty house on a FRIDAY morning. I thought describing their house was out of line. Worship to alcohol gods? Come on..Big deal if there were products to do with alcohol, chili pepper lights or a corona clock! Also, yeah maybe they did play a game of beer pong, college students like to have fun these days. I'm not sure if your clear on this, but when people do play a game of beer pong there normally is a scoreboard, "Boobheads" if a funny name and was probably a joke between anyone that was there, it could have absolutely nothing to do with the boys who lived there, another thing you do not know the truth about so Another thing that is pointless.
3:30 is actually early for most college students. Seriously, these facts are completely not needed and you are just trying to make these boys come off as something they are totally not.
Bottom line, you do not know these boys and most of these people who leave the comments probably don't, so don't assume ANYTHING before you know the real truth. They are college students who enjoy having a good time just as any other one does and they have none nothing different than any other does.

Posted by: Deuce | November 18, 2008 8:12 AM

Are we sure it's a stripper pole? Maybe it's a firehouse pole, or a prop from the Batcave.

Posted by: Emily | November 18, 2008 11:10 AM

After noting that this an opinion article Melissa does have the right to say what she does. however it doesnt make it right, if she were a real journalist it would explore to some extent both sides of this story. Witty comments of beer gods and the tiara lying on the floor to represent a "broken girl" are just silly. I'm a public relations major and laugh at her attempt to misrepresent the house and these boys. To all of you who read the paper check out the New Haven register who gives real facts on the neighbors who say that the boys party but they never get that crazy and are thankful for them. Doesnt sound much like a "rager" to me. So looks like the beer gods failed at their job to provide a proper college party. Looks like the only boob head is you Melissa.

Special note to everyone:

If your complaning about students speaking up about the incident... get over it. We're students, we're opinionated, and whenever one is in touble we jump to the defense. "A delayed response will be seen as what it is: am attempt to cover without taking responsibility."- Lori Knapper. We drink beer, we party, but we also study. The motto of most students is work hard, party hard. In spite of everything I believe that it will work out for the best whether its in favor of her or them.

Posted by: Anonymous | November 18, 2008 12:08 PM

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2008/11/15/news/new_haven/a3-nerape.txt#blogcomments

This is how the article is supposed to be written...maybe this'll shed some light on the rest of you extremely judgmental people who really don't know what you're talking about

Posted by: James | November 18, 2008 1:33 PM

Emily, Jen, and the rest of the pep rally, relax. Most people are capable of thinking for themselves. Most people who read this "paper" take it for what it is--informational but often opinionated and always left-leaning (paper is in quotes not because I wish to cast dispersions in it legitimacy, but because its not actually "paper" in the literal sense). However, the Independent covers news that others won't as long as the Obamas are looking for that puppy. That being said, sure, Melissa most certainly had things pretty much wrapped up before she ever got on the scene. The broken tiara on a dirty floor does not scream "we're not sure what happened, but here are some facts, I love objective journalism." Moreover, most of us have lived in the real world and are aware that college student drink, sometime too much, and that not everybody who consumes a beer or 12 is an alcoholic. It might be an immature and stupid thing to do, but it doesn't make you a rapist. Just a moron. And most of us have greatly enjoyed being morons at one time or another. But give people some credit. You don't suddenly become an idiot after you graduate from college. And yes, Doug is clearly an opinionated, self-righteous expert on addiction and proper study habits. I bet you're a big Pat Boone fan, aren't you, Doug?

So here's the thing. Most people read this for what it is and try to glean the facts from a clearly leading piece. Others will simply freak out or make outrageous claims. The world is full of them. But you know what's not going to change most people's opinions? A trio of whiny college girls and third-tier academics protesting WAY too loudly. We get it. You love you school and your friends. Good for you. Now really, tone it down. Because you're annoying me. Also, your professors (if these people who claim to be SCSU professors are who they claim to be) are acting like children and are making SCSU look like a sub-par learning institution. You should be mad at them, not the Independent. Because this article never made me think about anything about SCSU one way or another. But your professors posting with all the tact and skill of, well, a whiny college girl, has most certainly damaged my perception of your institution.

You have a lovely day!

PS. A phrase such as "well, I'm a student of journalism..." translates to "what I am about to say will not be persuasive on its own merits, so here's an irrelevant factoid to lend legitimacy to my point." Just a pointer to keep in mind.

Posted by: Corinne Blackmer | November 18, 2008 3:27 PM

Dear Emily, Jen, and James,

I am concerned about the casual support of drinking among college students, and the contempt shown towards so-called "third rate" college professors. No professors should be supporting the kind of behavior shown here, for whether or not massive drinking, late-night partying, loud parties, disruption of neighborhood peace, self-righteousness, disorderly conduct, contempt for study, objectification of human sexuality, and avoidance of responsibility lead or not in specific situations to rape. In this situation, the students in question repeatedly disturbed the peace of their neighbors, and they are behaving like bullies. My wife-to-be and I once were on Crown Street picking up a rental car for a guest visiting our house. It was in the winter and in the middle of the day. In one house adjacent to the house where these disturbances were reported, almost 20 young people--students--ran out of one Crown Street house stark naked and ran up and down the street. We stood on the street, ashamed. Two neighbors, an African American man and a Hispanic woman were disgusted and angry. They had long suffered the loud, self-righteous, shameless, and arrogant activities of the various students living on Crown Street. Their comment to me was that because these students were white and privileged, they could get away with practically anything. They were outraged at the example such young people set for their own children, wondered at the lessons they were learning at college, and had contempt for them and for college because of their shameless behavior. By the way, I am a professor at Southern, and this incident has made me more determined to help create a counter-culture in which drinking, loud partying, rudeness, arrogance, trespass, and bullying are very uncool.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | November 18, 2008 4:32 PM

What should happen is their parents should get this article! How much money is going to their education? If it was my son and their was a pole in the house guess what he would have to find another place to live! Parting is one thing. But shame on all of you for just the symbol of degrading women as a trophy in your living quarters. Trust me in 10 years you will all think back and look at this way differently. As you all defend these partyers and have yet to feel for the young lady that may or may not have been violated.

Posted by: Josh Smith | November 18, 2008 5:10 PM

It seems like the four mattresses on the third floor may have been there for people who wanted to sleep over because they didn't want to drive home that night. I can't say for sure, because I don't know these people, but between the article and the comments, that's what it sounds like. I think that if there were people living up there, they'd bring actual beds and furniture and really move in, rather than just sleep there on the mattresses. Also, it's really none of our business why the mattresses are there. My old apartment house when I was in college over in Pennsylvania was set up the same way -- with four apartments dividing up the house, 12 people total living there -- and it had extra mattresses stored in the hallway next to the stairs on the second floor landing. They belonged to the landlord, as far as I know. I never really asked, because they weren't in my way, and it didn't bother me that the mattresses were there.

In any event, the police should do the thinking here instead of all of us making judgments against people we don't even know based on a couple of photos. When I had college parties, I remember my apartment looked a little rugged the next day too. By the way, I didn't see anything wrong with this article. Melissa provided a description of the place where the alleged crime took place. I just feel bad for the guys who live here, because if they had nothing to do with the crime, and just wanted to throw a party and have a good time, well... now their apartment house is all over the news and they have to deal with a terrible choice that someone else made.

Posted by: Anonymous | November 18, 2008 6:16 PM

Oh, and about their parent's money...who are you to question how much money is going to education and who is every paying for it? All of those guys pay for rent themselves, they can put whatever they want in there..it's coming from their pocket

Posted by: robn | November 19, 2008 8:51 AM

Melissa painted a picture of the environment inside of the house becuase it clearly portrays a wild lifestyle. The police wouldn't ignore such circumstantial evidence so why should the author of this article? Its clearly germane and recording it is good journalism.

Posted by: Mister Jones | November 19, 2008 10:40 AM

Funny how all these self-professed journalism student critics hold up the Register is a model of good reporting! Although to be fair, the problems with the Register are not with its reportage but with their corporate owners who keep cutting news staff. The three reporters who are left there [that's rhetorical hyperbole, j-schoolers] continue to do as good a job as they are allowed. And they do a decent job of covering local news, especially their regional weeklies [while they last].

Mark Zaretsky is good reporter who wrote a good article with less detail than Melissa but with even more neighbor's comments about raging parties and beer cups littering the back yard.

I keep rereading Melissa's article in light of all the negative comments and I can't find much fault with it. If I were vetting it for pre-publication review it would have passed muster.

Now, I understand kids wanting to defend their friends who they feel may have been unjustly accused, but nobody was named in the article, so all reputations are protected. One can gather from the articles and postings that a woman [or her boyfriend] reported a sexual assault after she awoke at the house and found herself naked. This could mean she passed out drunk and another party-goer tried to "take advantage" of her condition. Thus, the reporting of the aftermath, and the stripper pole, are all relevant details.

There was a party. Ms. Bailey reported her observations from which one may infer that people were drinking and playing beer pong, a drinking game. Alcohol impairs judgment. Strippers, or party-goers performing suggestively on a stripper pole are a sexual turn-on for many people. It doesn't require a great leap of logic to connect the dots. Alcohol fueled young man watches lewd or at least suggestive performance and then, hormones raging, fails to control his urges. That's the prosecutor's closing statement. It doesn't mean that's necessarily happened here. It certainly doesn't mean that anyone deserves a sexual assault, whether stripping, dressing attractively or simply falling asleep at a party. All it means is that Ms. Bailey reported the facts from which readers may draw their own conclusions. That's what good reporters do.

And finally, the broken tiara was a beautiful touch--the "money shot" as they say. It doesn't mean the alleged victim was wearing it but it is at least allegorical.

Posted by: JMC | November 19, 2008 1:17 PM

Re: Corinne Blackmer's comments: "Two neighbors, an African American man and a Hispanic woman were disgusted and angry. They had long suffered the loud, self-righteous, shameless, and arrogant activities of the various students living on Crown Street. Their comment to me was that because these students were white and privileged, they could get away with practically anything."

It's sad that the neighbors felt compelled to bring race into the issue. Since the neighbors brought it up, they should realize that the behavior of many black and hispanic young people in our city is nothing to be proud of either.

Maybe they need to deal with the "arrogance" and misbehavior of teenagers in their own communities.

Posted by: Joe | November 19, 2008 5:38 PM

Everyone needs to relax, on both sides of this debate. Lets wait and see what happens, keep your opinions to yourself because nothing is going to change arguing with people you don't even know. When more information is released, if ever.. then we can discuss this issue further. Maybe Mellissa will have a follow up article no matter what the outcome is, i would hope. Most of your claims and arguments are erroneous.

Posted by: Corinne Blackmer | November 19, 2008 10:11 PM

Dear JMC,

The people to whom I spoke that day are more than aware of the fact that the behavior of some African American and Hispanic youth in our city is "nothing to be proud of." However, to charge them with "bringing up race" when race and racial considerations inform most things is indeed unfair. My point and I believe their point was that the behavior of more privileged youth who are also getting a college education hardly aided their efforts to inspire better behavior and seemed to them arrogant. I get it.

Posted by: JMC | November 20, 2008 1:24 PM

Corinne Blackmer: Sorry, but I fail to see how the fact that the kids involved were white is pertinent. A large proportion of young people, of all races and backgrounds, (hello?), tend to like to drink and party.

I don't think the fact that, in this particular instance, white college students have parties has anything whatever to do with innate "arrogance" or "assumption of privilege", and I think the "neighbors" were singularly biased and unproductive in making an issue of it.

Posted by: Josh Smith | November 20, 2008 3:16 PM

Before I start typing my thoughts on race, this isn't a comment for or against anyone -- it's food for thought.

I would like to know this: Since when is bringing race up a capital crime? It seems like these days, if anyone says the words "black", "white", "hispanic", or "asian", someone is always ready to pounce on the person and twist their words around so it makes them look like a racist. It isn't funny to do that; it's unfair to the person who made the original comment, and whoever unfairly paints someone else as a racist should be ashamed of themselves. Whenever I see this happen, I feel bad for the person who mentioned someone's race with the sole intent of describing a situation accurately. If you describe a car, do you leave out the fact that it's red, blue, black, or white? No. So why do we do that with humans?

It's okay to mention it, as long as you don't generalize or stereotype any race of people, in your words or in your mind. And if you get stereotypes out of your mind, that'll take care of the words automatically. Maybe some day we'll have all mixed races enough so that everyone's skin color is the same and we won't be worrying about race anymore, but I hope it doesn't have to come to that, because a diverse society is a good thing. It makes life more interesting. I just wish that everyone would open their minds and become accepting of everyone else. It would make life better and easier for everyone.

Posted by: JMC | November 20, 2008 10:13 PM

Josh Smith: I agree.

I think that, to use your word, "painting" the universal phenomenon of young people partying as an "arrogant" attack by "privileged" white youth on ethnic minorities is farcical old wank.

Posted by: Josh Smith | November 21, 2008 11:44 AM

Exactly. No race should be singled out for a bad decision made by a small group of people, privileged or not.