U-M hires project manager to follow up on internal audit of 6-month child porn reporting lapse
University of Michigan has appointed a project manager to implement the changes recommended by an internal audit of the six-month reporting lapse of child pornography discovered in an employee area of University Hospital.
Mary Sue Coleman
U-M President Mary Sue Coleman said the university is making “progress” on the “directive to engage in a external review,” but did not say whether the university has chosen a panel or firm for the review.
Coleman made the announcement during a Thursday Board of Regents meeting.
In May, a medical resident at University Hospital discovered a thumb drive containing child pornography in an employee area. Although the resident reported the pornography to hospital security and at least eight people knew of it by June, including university lawyers, the thumb drive and its contents were not reported until November. Former pediatric resident Stephen Jenson has since been federally charged with possessing child pornography.
The university conducted an internal review of the reporting lapse and released a report in February. The review calls for improving communication between hospital security and the university's Department of Public Safety, including defining reportable criminal activity. It also suggests considering a DPS liaison office within the health system.
Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.
Comments
pu2um
Fri, Mar 16, 2012 : 8:05 p.m.
What a farce!! Fixing the communication between security and police will be the easiest to do. It's a no-brainer. The real question is the communication (or lack of) between the medical school and hospital, between hospital chains of command, between hospital and general counsel, between general counsel, Pecovitz and President Coleman, and between U-M administrators and the DPS. Which U-M administrators, hospital administrators, medical school administrators, and possibly Regents, knew what when? They had an eight month running start massaging their story and still need a project manager and liaison to keep it from being unraveled. If the FBI does look into a possible obstruction of justice, the country club crowd will start clawing to distance themselves from one another. I'd be surprised if many haven't "lawyered up" already. Not just with outside counsel provided by U-M, but with their own personal attorneys.
sultanofswing
Fri, Mar 16, 2012 : 6:38 p.m.
Sorry to say not an impressive appointment. UM needs to move outside it's own world and find folks not connected with the old guard. This is not a shot at Fred White but if you are going to do a fair review of this sad but fixable situation UM has to get on board with some fresh approaches. "old school" isn't going to get it done.
lilypooch
Fri, Mar 16, 2012 : 11:32 a.m.
Can any one say, 'penn state' ?
Basic Bob
Fri, Mar 16, 2012 : 10:49 a.m.
This reminds me of the mob movies, after the embarrassing incident they bring in the cleaner and the remaining witnesses change their stories.
trespass
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 11:47 p.m.
It is very simple, hospital security is responsible for guard duties but any report of criminal activity goes to the campus police for them to investigate and all calls to 911 go to campus police. Why do you need a consultant to come to that conclusion. The truth is that you need a consultant to tell you how you can plausibly not do that and keep things as close to the way they are as possible. The rest of it has to do with an investigation of who was responsible for the failure to report. That really should be the responsibility of law enforcement. If campus police is too conflicted then the FBI should do it because this is now a federal prosecution and if there was an obstruction of justice it should be prosecuted by the US Attorney. Again, the University administration is not trying to get to the truth but are trying to figure out how they are going to hide the truth.
Silly Sally
Wed, May 16, 2012 : 3:25 a.m.
As Mary Sue Coleman may have chanted in her youth, "hey HEY! ho HO! Mary Sue Coleman has got to GO!" Heads should roll, and I don't mean the little people.
Bablat
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 11:44 p.m.
It's time (long past actually) to come clean. A "retired senior auditor"? Come on, we are not dealing with an accounting error here!
cinnabar7071
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 10:10 p.m.
This is a center for higher education? LOL! This just has to be some crazy April fool prank, no way can this be real.
observer
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 9:42 p.m.
I did not report an abuse report of any kind, please post my comment....
observer
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 9:41 p.m.
The U of M messed up big time and will not admit it ...they just add to their problems by creating more bureaucracy.....
A2Dave
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 9:07 p.m.
I have not submitted an abuse report against my own comment. What is with you people??
justcurious
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 9:11 p.m.
According to Tony Dearing they have implemented a new comment package and are working on the bugs. I get the same thing when I post.
A2Dave
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 9:04 p.m.
I did. Post it.
A2Dave
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 9:03 p.m.
Hire consultants to check on executives to monitor auditors to assess managers to find someone to blame. Come on, Michigan! Is there no one in the massive managerial hierarchy of this University willing to take on responsibility for assessing and correcting systemic failures?? That is what executives are employed to do--not hire someone else to do it. Step up! Demand control! Demand responsibility and accountability! What a team of yahoos! Earn your outrageous saleries! Do your jobs--don't hire someone else to do it for you!. Starts with you, Mary Sue. Step up! Deal!