University of Michigan regents order external probe of six-month child porn reporting lapse
University of Michigan Regent S. Martin Taylor, right, speaks during the board meeting Thursday while Regent Andrew Richner looks on.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
- Complete AnnArbor.com coverage of the Stephen Jenson case.
- Most recent: Former U-M resident physician Stephen Jenson out on promise to appear on federal child porn charges.
The University of Michigan Board of Regents has ordered an external investigation of the six-month reporting delay of child porn discovered in an employee area at University Hospital.
"We must do everything in our power to make sure it's not repeated," University of Michigan Regent S. Martin Taylor said.
“It’s a terrible situation. It's one that is unacceptable to the regents," Regent S. Martin Taylor said of the lapse. "We must do everything in our power to make sure it's not repeated."
Taylor also announced that the Board of Regents will assume control of all disciplinary actions resulting from the reviews. The regents Thursday unanimously approved a resolution ordering the review.
The regents' action comes after university spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said the university had no plans to seek an external review of the lapse. At the time, Fitzgerald noted that the U.S. Department of Education and the Joint Commission were reviewing the incident. The Joint Commission recently said it's not pursuing action on the case and the DOE is still reviewing the lapse.
AnnArbor.com first brought the six-month reporting delay to light in an article last month.
The university on Feb. 10 released an internal review of the reporting lapse and determined that child pornography went unreported due largely to two factors: A bad decision by the lead university attorney on the case and poor communication between hospital security and police.
The report, however, identified that at least eight university employees knew of the porn in May after a medical resident discovered a thumb drive with the pornography and documents linked to pediatric resident Stephen Jenson, 36. The porn was not reported to university police until November, allowing Jenson to continue to work with children during the lapse. Jenson now faces federal charges of possessing child pornography.
The report also identified that 911 calls made at the hospital go to hospital security and not a law enforcement agency, which officials have said is confusing.
At the regents meeting, Taylor called for an immediate change.
"911 must be fixed ASAP," Taylor said. "When people call it should be clear who they are talking to and under what authority."
Taylor said that the Board of Regents and Coleman's administration would select members of an external panel.
The regents agreed with the university that an additional external review is necessary to identify and fix communication problems between the hospital, housing and North Campus security and university police.
"I share these concerns and appreciate the board's deep commitment to leaving no stone unturned in this matter." U-M President Mary Sue Coleman said.
At the end of the Thursday meeting, Regent Denise Ilitch addressed individuals who blamed Coleman for the reporting lapse during a public comments forum, saying the president "works tirelessly to protect young people."
"The disdain and anger should be directed at (Jenson) and not at President Coleman," she said.
This story has been updated.
Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.
Comments
Kai Petainen
Sat, Feb 18, 2012 : 6:27 a.m.
To show another example of poor communication with UM Hospital Security, look how they were unable to help in this example. According to the AAFD report they were trying to the locate the source of the spill, but the UofM hospital did not have the necessary diagrams. <a href="http://a2docs.org/assets/files/2011/04/05/AAFD_incident_report_on_spill.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://a2docs.org/assets/files/2011/04/05/AAFD_incident_report_on_spill.pdf</a> "Film on surface noted in water traveling down river covering side to side" "Requested U of M retrieve schematics for drain to find where it may be entering drain, its source which appeared to be from U of M properties" But, UofM was unable to help with the scehmatics. The DPS report states: <a href="http://a2docs.org/assets/files/2011/04/05/DPS.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://a2docs.org/assets/files/2011/04/05/DPS.pdf</a> "A member from the Ann Arbor Fire Dept. located a drainage pipe at the above mentioned location which appeared to be the source of the unknown chemical substance draining into the river. UM DPS Police Sgt, #### #### was apprised of the incident. UM OSEH was summoned on scene. UM Hospital Security was also summoned on site and we requested assistance from them in contacting someone from UM Hospital Maintenance. ##### ##### from Hospital Maintenance arrived on scene at approx. 8:40pm. ##### was unable to provide them with information pertaining to drainage schematics concerning the various drainage pipes leading down to the river" Do you see the problem? According to the above, the AAFD may have found the possible source, but without the diagrams, the investigation was hampered. Poor communication, and this problem was before the porn incident.
Kai Petainen
Sat, Feb 18, 2012 : 6:12 a.m.
Here's an illustration of poor communication at the hospital and how 911 calls can get routed: So I called 911 to report the pollution spill (still unsolved) that ran through the hospital area. To show you how confusing this can get, look at the DPS report of the spill and scroll down to the spot that says 'Actions Taken'. In there, it reads this: <a href="http://a2docs.org/assets/files/2011/04/05/DPS.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://a2docs.org/assets/files/2011/04/05/DPS.pdf</a> "Several Ann Arbor Fire Dept. employees and I began checking the areas around the Huron River for signs of gas leakage in the water. We were initially unable to locate any problems/signs of contamination in the water. "Tom", an employee from H.V.A. who contacted our Dept. to report the river contamination issue was not on scene." Now, when I read that... the obvious question is raised, "why did an emergency person leave the scene, especially if they were the ones who called it in"? That's how most people would interpret that sentence; however, I was told that when I called 911 about the spill then for some reason it gets routed to the HVA and then to the fire department. Strange order... if you ask me. This problem needs to be fixed.
annarbor28
Sat, Feb 18, 2012 : 3 a.m.
@pu2um: in cases involving medical residents, generally the Residency Director is involved, as well as the attendings. In this case it sounds as if they are Pediatric ER residents, although it is very possible that the other ER residents or attendings could have been alerted. Residency Directors initiate investigations for poor performance. In this case, many programs would have the resident take a leave of absence, while investigating, to protect both the patients and the program, and to avoid having the other residents involved with him. If someone has to take a leave of absence, the administration and legal have to know, as the resident may sue. Did you mean in your post that the resident physician went directly to a Compliance Chairman? This would be very unusual, as a resident is a trainee who would generally have no access to highers-up, unless invited into a meeting. If she told an attending, then maybe that person would have this access. All I am saying is that this female resident sounds as if she really tried to alert people. The fact that Dr. Jenson was allowed to stay in the program and work there despite this information being presented to what may be multiple people is mind-boggling. I say this because I have seen residents suspended or asked to take leaves for much much less serious matters, while options are worked on. Many many people sound like they are accountable, and this may prove to be very very far reaching in its scope. Very unbelievable. What were they thinking? Or not.
julieswhimsies
Sat, Feb 18, 2012 : 5:32 a.m.
This is the most tangled web of lies, deceit, cover-up and malfeasance I have read about since the Wall Street debacle, and that did not endanger children..at least not directly.
Ed daggett
Sat, Feb 18, 2012 : 2:26 a.m.
cover up
pu2um
Sat, Feb 18, 2012 : 12:39 a.m.
Finally a sign of life: the dog can wag it's tail. But, the bark is worse than the bite. Taylor has his foot out the door and won't be around to put his words into action, and probably relieved to be gone soon. Unless the Board takes a real U turn it will be business as usual: The "discipline" decisions will be made behind closed doors by Coleman, in consultation with the GC and the attorneys' attorneys. @DennisP - The attending physician took her concern immediately, May 25th, to Chair of Medical School Compliance Committee Dr. Raymond Hutchinson (aka Associate Dean of Regulatory Affairs), who on the same day took it to the university's Chief Compliance Officer Jeanne Strickland. She routed it to Hospital Security and Hospital Legal Office. I, too, would be surprised that she did not take it to her higher-up: Dr. Ora Pescovitz. I'd also be surprised that she would not have taken it to her lateral counterparts: Suellyn Scarnecchia, Douglas Strong and James Wooliscroft, all of whom report directly to Pescovitz. And, I'm amazed that this matter was assigned to an attorney who had only been at UM 3 months. "Lead attorney" is a misnomer. She was the subordinate of Margaret Marchak, Associate Vice President & Deputy General Counsel. I'd be shocked that she would not have known about the incident. And, I'd be astonished that Marchak didn't advise Scarnecchia. @seeking truth - As to the medical hierarchy as "an archaic, outdated system that also contributes to the arrogance and sense of entitlement" so it is for the educational hierarchy, particularly higher education. Here, both conjoin for a double whammy. Shooting a "hot item" down and across chains of command is an effective way to bury dirty business. The Hospital, Medical School and GC's office each have a bad case of "top rot." It's appalling that neither of them contacted the DPS until November 18th. All deserve to be canned, but what's the chance the Regents wi
julieswhimsies
Sat, Feb 18, 2012 : 5:27 a.m.
Wow. Just wow.
Sesame45
Sat, Feb 18, 2012 : 12:26 a.m.
In a situation as emotionally charged as this one, people have to be very conscious to make rational decisions and not emotional ones. I've read nothing saying that the woman employee who found the child porn called 911 to report it, so I'm not sure why 911 has become a focus. We have to remember that 911 is for *all* emergencies, not just for a-crime-is-happening-right-in-front-of-you. Most of the time, it's used for medical emergencies which happen a lot in a hospital! So if your brother or sister passes out somewhere in the hospital, you calls 911 and it goes to the police instead of hospital security, then police have to get all the information from you, then call security to tell them all the information you gave them about the emergency- who by now, are getting the information second-hand from a person who isn't as familiar with the hospital as they are because they don't work in that building. (Plus, since security is already in the building, they would get to the emergency before the police do, regardless if 911 goes to security first or the police first.) Generally, the more steps something involves, the greater the chance of a miscommunication or error. It would also double the time between the time somebody called 911, and the time people were actually on the move to help you. Seconds count! If you've ever had to call 911, you know how terrifying it feels as you wait for help to show up. I think it's best to keep it simple.
Kai Petainen
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 11:52 p.m.
the hospital sits in an interesting area of town that is separated by a train track. if something happens in the arboretum, then the call goes to university police. if something happens on the other side of the train track, then that call goes to city police. it gets confusing if something happens on the train track -- the police tell me that they have to notify the train track folks.
julieswhimsies
Sat, Feb 18, 2012 : 5:24 a.m.
What a goddawful mess.
julieswhimsies
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 8:07 p.m.
"The report also identified that 911 calls made at the hospital go to hospital security and not a law enforcement agency, which officials have said is confusing." So. If you are in imminent danger at U of M hospital and dial 911, you get hospital security, and not the real police?! GOOD to KNOW! Bring your cell phones to the hospitals, folks. I am glad there will be an "external agency" investigating this 6 month lapse. I would like to know who chose the agency, and what company does this investigational firm represent.
julieswhimsies
Sat, Feb 18, 2012 : 5:23 a.m.
Good question. If I were being raped by a U of M employee, I would certainly HOPE they have jurisdiction. VERY good point a2.com? What do you think?
a2citizen
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 9:08 p.m.
I believe your cell phone call would get routed to A2 police. Do A2 police have jurisdiction in the hospital? Or do campus police?
BhavanaJagat
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 7:48 p.m.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LAW OVER HUMAN BEHAVIOR : Thanks for that reply. What is the purpose of law? If law intends to impose punishment, would it really change human behavior? We have seen this problem in the activities related to substance abuse. The prisons are filled up and the problem has not gone. We are not able to pay for the costs of keeping people in prison. United States has the world's largest prison population. How long we can afford to increase our prison population? If possession of child porn is illegal, there should be sufficient restraints to keep that material away from people. Why is it so easy to have access to such material if it is illegal? How many people should be thrown in jails while we allow the material to reach our computers and other electronic devices? To stop transmission of the disease called Malaria, we focus our efforts to control the insect vector that transmits the disease causing parasite. We cannot fight the problem of Malaria by simply treating people who are found sick or report their sickness. We need to prevent the disease by preventing the breeding of mosquito that spreads the disease. By throwing Dr Jenson in jail, this problem will not go away. We need better answers than quoting the law book.
BhavanaJagat
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 5:11 p.m.
What should be corrected? The concern appears to be that of the problem of reporting an incident to get help from the Police Department. I would not suggest that it is not important. I would expect an academic institution must correct the problem by paying attention to prevent the problem in the first place. What would I achieve if I direct my anger towards Dr. Stephen Jenson? Would this problem go away if all of us collectively hold Dr. Jenson responsible for the problem called Child Porn? He is simply an individual who is caught up in this problem of illicit Pornography. The correction is not about routing the phone calls. The correction is not about synchronization of the activities of the various elements of the Security and Police. The correction is not about rules, regualtions, procedures, and the administrative policies and practices. The correction that I ask is about education. In a civilized society, we must provide tools and information to all citizens to live a purposeful and meaningful life consistent with the Laws of the Land. A pediatric resident must have the tools and access to information and be provided the training that would prevent the problem of Child Porn so that the Pediatrician is not the part of the problem while providing some service to the pediatric population.
sHa
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 6:37 p.m.
"He is simply an individual who is caught up in this problem of illicit Pornography." You are wrong. Very wrong. It was about personal choice. Possessing child porn or not possessing child porn. Obeying the law or not obeying the law. No special training or education is needed. Possessing child porn is illegal. That's the law. No exceptions.
annarbor28
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 4:57 p.m.
Question to annarbor.com: Can you file an FOI request to get the records of who knew about this? This is a public university. (Assuming the records have not been destroyed or altered by now.) That way, the names involved can be made public. The MI Bar Association can then also decide whether to take action against the attorneys who covered up. The fact that UM, via these individuals, allowed this doctor to continue to see our precious children at UM is really inexcusable. The actual individuals need to be held accountable. Parents whose children were treated by Dr. Jenson must be running through their minds what he did during the visit. I also wonder if any of the Peds or Peds ER residents informed the attendings or Residency Director about what was happening with Dr. Jenson? This needs to be looked into right away as to whether the medical hierarchy knew, as well.
Gordon
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 3:28 p.m.
More people mudding the waters on an already on going investigation. Break it up: regents look at policy, admin look at procedures, and let the police do their job. Beginning to sound too much as a cover our butts operation. Just correct what needs to be corrected (lock up the horse) and stop making sure the defendent doesn't get a fair trial because of the constant pubilcity. There is no case if there is a pluasible reason the defendent had what he had.
dextpost
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 2:33 p.m.
Not a lot of confidence that U-M will hold itself, nor will anyone else, to both legal and ethical standards. They just continue to get away with bad behavior.
DennisP
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 12:59 p.m.
I'm glad to hear that the Regents want to investigate the time lapse. The report only recommended an external investigation of the communication issues between the UM DPS and the UMHS Security. The Regents realize that the internal audit fails to identify the real cause. An external investigation should seek to interview the attorney being blamed in this. It's always convenient to accuse another who is not there to defend herself. They keep saying her departure in June had nothing to do with this, but what if it did? Then there would have been a knowing failure on the part of OGC to take this further until the resident made a second report. If it didn't then she can shed light on what influenced her decision-making. I would be really surprised that she would not have brought this matter to higher-ups. It would amaze me that this would not have gone to the office in charge of clinical matters and affairs. Most hospitals have an administrative alignment and a medical alignment for review and discipline of doctors. This never went up that alignment? I'd be surprised. I'm also glad that the Regents stated they will take charge over disciplinary matters. That means they are not satisfied with the findings of the internal review. They believe there were other mistakes. Hopefully, these disciplinary matters won't be hidden from the public. The Open Meetings Act is being reaffirmed in recent cases (Wayne County Airport Manager case, Emergency Managers case) to be very broad. Personnel matters aren't a good reason by themselves to close the door. I think this will become very interesting. It's important that the external reviewers report directly and only to the Regents. They should not be hired by UM Administration. As a long-time taxpayer, vother and resident of this State I demand accountability of this public institution.
Sciomanone1
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 12:16 p.m.
Yes, this is so true, when I was working in the ER a man jumped over the counter and put a knife at my throat and after I push the panic button two young females came and just peeped around the corners of the ER, while the man was then talking to the staff Dr. I called the AA city police they would not come, the University police would not come. I called the AA police again and they did come 20 min. Later, the university police did not show, this was at 4 am on a Sunday and they said they state donunt shop across town, the administration did nothing then so a group of workers went to the director of the hospital and a few Months later they got security guards in the ER 24/7. It took way over 6 months, I was told because of me they went there budget, this was around the time a Doctor was shot and killed at his office at the hospital around 8 am one day. It tools months then and it still does for help to the patients and staff and when you speak up, you are the bad guy and you are fired or promoted.
A2Susie
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 4:57 a.m.
"The report, however, identified that at least eight university employees knew of the porn in May." Who are these eight employees who knew and did not report this to the police? Are they identified in the report and if so could they please be publicly named by A2.com? Keeping quiet in this situation is outrageous behavior and there needs to be a policy in place for mandatory reporting. Many public employees are already required by law to report something like this where a child is seen to be in danger; are University employees not already required to do so? The attorney has been named; why not the others? Is there a hope that the attorney's leaving the U is going to suffice here without disciplinary action against others who kept quiet? I feel ashamed of our U over this lack of integrity by so many employees. What were you thinking?
a2citizen
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 9:04 p.m.
Keep asking. I have been asking this question since day one. Amazing that in the RR scandal low level employees in the compliance department were named. Who were the eight? (minus the reporting physician)
annarbor28
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 5:24 a.m.
What is the name of the attorney?
annarbor28
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 4:50 a.m.
@snow: the university thinks it has good leadership, whom they pay top dollar, so a little "don't do it again" was what they wanted with no accountability for burying child porn, while allowing the alleged perp to deal with children as a Pediatric doctor perpetually, which was their initial decision. He could have had a 30 year career working with children, if left up to the initial officials involved. That is mind-boggling. This incident hopefully will be investigated as a symptom of the rottenness that can occur in a large institution, and corrrections made on a large scale. Hopefully the people involved in this will also be made to realize the seriousness of child porn and exploitation. Personally I think the people involved in the cover-up should each have to do a few hundred hours of community service for victims of child abuse, such as working for the missing children's hotlines or other volunteer crime fighting organizations. The attorneys involved need to be investigated by the Michigan Bar Association, as I do think they were obligated to report this, per conversations I've had with practicing attorneys.
seekingtruth
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 4:41 a.m.
I applaud annarbor.com for holding UMHS's feet to the fire. It's about time. The exploitation of children by child pornography is heinous and reprehensible. If Denise Illitch's quote is accurate - I am bristling at her response. This is about protecting children. Not about protecting Mary Sue Coleman and UM. Yes, there is deep anger and disdain directed at Jenson - he 'earned' that. However, the complete mishandling and covert way this has been handled by Mary Sue Coleman and her cronies is just as disgusting. Without the Penn State disaster and the efforts of annarbor.com, UMHS administration would most likely have succeeded in the coverup. It's only been when their hand was publicly forced, that they yielded. And why are members of an external review committee going to be chosen by the Regents and Coleman's administration???? How is that going to result in objectivity? If the local courts had the sense and knowledge of the law to send Jenson to federal court, then let the feds choose an external review committee as well - starting with no UM alumni. Open the windows that have been closed far too long and clean that UMHS culture up. The medical heirarchy is an archaic, outdated system that also contributes to the arrogance and sense of entitlement that is rampant in that environment - clouding so many decisions.
seekingtruth
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 5:04 p.m.
@annarbor28: yes, this is one smelly mess. I completely agree that each and every person (e.g. the lawyers, supervising docs, administrators, etc) who were informed and/or otherwise aware of Jenson's crime and played some role in obstructing justice - should be held accountable to the strictest extent of the law. In a health system environment, the docs think they 'rule'. Unfortunately, they are the primary revenue generating employees of the institution. Even Jenson, as a resident, would be able to perform many of the same tasks nurses do, but he would be able to directly charge a fee. If every nurse (and they make up a larger % of the employees) could charge a fee for each service they provide, they would then have a stronger voice at a place like UMHS. My point is, all non-docs at academic health systems may be pressured to defer to docs - the system 'money-makers'. And as such, it is very difficult to hold the MDs accountable - easier to 'blame' oversights on non-physician employees who cost less to replace. I agree that the MI Bar should investigate and penalize any lawyer involved with this case that dropped the ball and sold their soul to the brand name of UM. However, another significant influencing factor in this mess and the culture there is the pandering to docs - especially since they bring in $$$$. Possession of child pornography is a criminal act. The peds resident logically went to her supervisors but when they CHOSE to do nothing, she should have concurrently sought out city and/or state police. Yet another case of having to 'work around' an administrator/medical director to do the right thing. "Right" not as UM administrators may define it. But rather, what moral, ethical, and legal principles dictate.
annarbor28
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 2:52 p.m.
@seekingtruth: absolutely agree. Problem is, CPS probably would not have taken the case, since there was no identity known of the the child. So she thought going to the UM police (who turned out not to really be police or something like that!), would be the right thing to do. I guess she could have gone to the FBI directly, but do they investigate calls from individuals? The attorneys and "police" are the most remiss here. I think doctors tend to be more humanitarian IN GENERAL, but lawyers have responsibilities, as well. Personally, I think that any attorney who touched this case and dropped it should be subject to severe disciplinary action by the Michigan Bar. Don't know what they would have done if it was a lab tech, probably the same, maybe there was also an element of just plain laziness in this, not wanting to deal with it and ruffle feathers that would have to then be smoothed? This whole case SMELLS!!!
seekingtruth
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 5:40 a.m.
Thank you annarbor28. My last point is meant to convey that the 'dark ages' form of medical hierarchy adds to the unhealthy nature of the culture. I agree that the peds resident was the one who tried to do something and I understand via previous articles that she was told the 'case was closed' within days. However, being in pediatrics, she should also have known she's a mandatory reporter to the police as Jenson's penchant for child porn is a major red flag of other potential deviant behavior toward children. I wish she would have taken what should have been her first step - to go to the police - once UMHS pathetically shut the case to protect themselves and/or a doc. Wonder if they would have come to the same conclusion if Jenson had been a nurse or lab tech - people many docs view as "nonessential" staff.
annarbor28
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 4:57 a.m.
I actually think it was the legal hierarchy that did this. The other Pediatric ER resident was the one who tried to do something about it. You are absolutely right about an objective group picking the external review group, so there is no cronyism. You are also right per Denise's statemtn: what has Mary Sue Coleman done to protect children? She spends her "free" time earning huge amounts of money on an outside board. I don't recall anyone ever labeling her a humanitarian.
Joe Hood
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 3:19 a.m.
Bravo!
snowblizzard
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 2:50 a.m.
While the delay is certainly problematic, why is all this attention focused on this incident vs spending the money, investing in accountable leadership to fixing real patient safety problems?
annarbor28
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 1:49 a.m.
About time some adults stepped into the picture. Now I hope they include why the University decided NOT to have an external investigation in the next report. Whose call was that? Why did it take the Regents to request one? So maybe now maybe Regent S. Martin Taylor will be the next president of UM? Is that why the age limits were lifted? He does not seem to be afraid to speak out publicly, which is admirable. I personally was waiting for someone in power to stand up and call this delay for what is really was: "terrible" "unacceptable" 'Bout time! Now I do hope they take an aggressive stand against child porn and exploitation, perhaps by setting up a University of Michigan foundation or fund to actively work against it. The description of the child in the resident's porn haunts me, and I think UM owes it to him to take action, for his sake and for the many other children forced into exploitation.
annarbor28
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 2:43 p.m.
@UtrespassM: cynical, hopefully not true?
UtrespassM
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 10:42 a.m.
They will continue to cover up they want to cover up in a more secure way, and be sure no leaking next time.
UtrespassM
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 1:14 a.m.
What will not happen again? the covering up of a child porn or the covering up. Before the culture changed, the covering up is not going any where.
trespass
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 11:40 p.m.
If not for the AA.com coverage and the nearly universal negative view expressed in blogs such as this one, who knows if the Regents would have ordered an external review. They also knew that multipe citizens were at the meeting to call for an external review. It all goes to show you that the publics right to know and express their collective opinions are very important to assure the proper function of our public institutions. Congratulations to all the bloggers who comment on AA.com.
RJA
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 11:06 p.m.
I think it is time to close this subject to comments and just allow the external probe to continue.
Goober
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 11:06 p.m.
Mary Sue should have made this decision some time ago. Interesting how the board had to step in and make this decision for her.
annarbor28
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 2:42 p.m.
Time for Mary Sue to step down and devote herself to her money-making Board of Director activities. Never understood what she was doing there, anyway?
Kai Petainen
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 10:22 p.m.
the regents delivered a strong statement and a request for an external review. That is fantastic leadership. *kai stands up and applauds the regents *
Linda Peck
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 10:16 p.m.
The words from the Regents are appropriately strong, now. Why were these not the words spoken by the administration at the U? Why did the U not ask for an external audit immediately? The "whys" are endless in this case.
UtrespassM
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 1:21 a.m.
and this is the culture. There is no way they can make any change by themselves.
UtrespassM
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 1:19 a.m.
Because the administrators were still looking for the opportunities of covering up.
justcurious
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 9:53 p.m.
I am very pleased to see that the Regents are taking this matter very seriously. I hope that the University cooperates fully with the outside investigators and does not withhold any information. I can see no excuse for the (at least) eight people who knew about this during the entire six month time period not making sure that Dr. Stephen Jenson was off the premises and not seeing patients. That is inexcusable and damaged the credibility of the entire U of M Medical Community.
Dan Watson
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 9:33 p.m.
The reporting issues between the Hospital Security and the Police have been an issue with for years. This is not some sudden or new problem. Although they seem to be part of the same security force, they are in fact funded under separate entities and there in lies the issue. Until the university takes control of the Hospital Security force and funds it you will continue to have issues.
Dan Watson
Sat, Feb 18, 2012 : 12:56 p.m.
Eep I will stand corrected then. When I was associated (about 4 years ago) with DPS the former not the later was the norm.
Eep
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 9:37 p.m.
@Dan, You are correct about Housing being more integrated with DPS than Hospital Security, but you are wrong about the reporting relationships. The Housing Security Director does NOT report to both Student Affairs and to the DPS Chief. No matter how many times you say the opposite, it still won't be true. It actually used to be true, but it changed about 4 or 5 years ago. In the past, the Housing Security Director had a 50% appointment with DPS and a 50% appointment within Student Affairs. Now, the appointment is 100% with Student Affairs.
Dan Watson
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 : 1:24 p.m.
@Eep: Housing and Campus divisions of DPS are more integrated. You are correct in your statement, but the housing security has a closer relationship with DPS. The hospital uses its own radio channel and dispatch for example, where housing calls are all routed through the main campus police dispatch. Also the housing director answers to both the DPS chief and student affairs.
Eep
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 11:52 p.m.
@Dan There is no direct reporting relationship between the Housing Security Director and the DPS chief. The Housing Security Director reports through the Division of Student Affairs.
Dan Watson
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 10:18 p.m.
@say it plain: The issue I was bringing up was the fact that you may think you are reporting an incident to the "police" when in fact it is not. The three main security entities at UofM are campus police (DPS), housing security (whose director reports directly to the campus chief) and hospital security whose director reports to hospital admin. See the difference?
justcurious
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 9:56 p.m.
The worst of it is that the Vice President General Counsel for the University has herself been touted as a child abuse expert, haven written books and papers about it. Was she totally unaware of what was going on underneath her?
say it plain
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 9:44 p.m.
But isn't the whole Hospital Attorneys' Office the *real* problem here? I mean, you might believe that there is a problem with Hospital security being separate, but the 'issue' here seems to me more that Hospital Security might act as a conduit for problems to go to the higher-ups in 'legal' at UMHS, and then get duly swept under the linoleum floors. Sure, the separate forces make it harder for 'civilians' to know whether their reports of criminal activity were taken care of properly, but here it seems that there was incredibly irresponsible lack of concern about patients, residents, etc., for the sake of avoiding the hassle and embarrassment of pursuing child porn charges. Against a pediatrician resident, wow, it still boggles my mind to consider they'd drop the ball like that on this guy given his patient contact, how very very wrong.
JustMyOpinion
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 9:28 p.m.
About time. Looking forward to the glaring light of day on all aspects of this issue. It is a good sign that the Regents have assumed control of all disciplinary actions for this incident, which hopefully means there will be some accountability and consequences for a shoddy job.
MyOpinion
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 9:16 p.m.
"One has to wonder what the outcome would be in a non-election year" No. One wonders what the outcome would have been if the Penn State sex scandal were still buried.
The Black Stallion3
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 9:07 p.m.
Let's get to the bottom of this, find out who was wrong and get them off the payroll of the U of M. This should prove to be very interesting if done fairly.
treetowncartel
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 : 9 p.m.
One has to wonder what the outcome would be in a non-election year