Student says Harvard is wrongly linking her to campus murder

Colleges & Universities Harvard University
181

<p>I agree that until more facts are known, there is no way to assess whether or not Harvard acted properly. However, I think that includes the speculation about Ms. Campbell–we simply don’t know what she did or didn’t do in this particular instance.</p>

<p>And unlike many of you, I do think that while Harvard may have acted prudently (better to not give out the diploma, in case the facts show a connection with the case, rather than to give it out and try and get it back), I also know that school disciplinary proceedings (at many many schools) often lack proof and substance and certainly lack transparency.</p>

182

<p>3togo, you raise interesting points. I suspect that Smith tried to help the shooter hide the gun and was the one who told him that the victim would be there that day. Its hard not to see how she shouldnt be charged. I suspect Campbell faciliated the victim being there day to sell drugs. Its harder to see how she gets charged. </p>

<p>I suspect that Campbell refused to give out the letter she received because it referred to, at minium, the check theft and forgery incident, and possible being put on disciplanary probation, and other violations.</p>

183

<p>"I agree that until more facts are known, there is no way to assess whether or not Harvard acted properly. However, I think that includes the speculation about Ms. Campbell–we simply don’t know what she did or didn’t do in this particular instance.
"</p>

<p>True. At the same time, no one would have been speculating about Campbell if she hadn’t gone to the media about the situation. The only reason the public knows that she was kicked off campus is because she announced that info.</p>

184

<p>I think that in general, a decision like withholding someone’s diploma is not done lightly and is not done without a through examination of all the evidence at hand and without the advice of their lawyers. The legal ramifications alone would cause any organization to proceed cautiously. If they did not do this and acted improperly I will be very surprised.</p>

185

<p>The Ad Board has long been the subject of criticisms on many different grounds; I read some time ago in the Crimson that there were going to be changes in the way it operates. That said, there is no reason for the general public to be told what a particular student is accused of when the student is not being the subject of legal (as opposed to university) proceedings. There is such a thing as privacy and privacy laws. The various accusations against the student have all come from the student herself or from others, once her identity was disclosed by herself. The Ad Board has to respect the privacy of the students who come before it. And in this case, it has, much as it may irritate others.</p>

186

<p>I have tons of complaints about the Ad Board, but the fact that it doesn’t publicize details of pending cases is a plus, not a minus.</p>

187

<p>2nd Arrest-</p>

<p>[The</a> Associated Press: 2nd arrest made in Harvard dorm shooting](<a href=“http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h9uogQjRx9o7ejYubcR6WPuLYwfwD98NS0N80]The”>http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h9uogQjRx9o7ejYubcR6WPuLYwfwD98NS0N80)</p>

188

<p>"BOSTON (AP) — A second man has been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting at a Harvard University dormitory, prosecutors said Wednesday.</p>

<p>Blayn Jiggetts, 19, of Mount Vernon, N.Y. was arrested just before midnight Tuesday in New York City, said Corey Welford, a spokesman for the Middlesex District Attorney’s office…</p>

<p>He faces charges of first-degree murder, accessory after the fact of murder, carrying a firearm without a license, and armed robbery in Massachusetts, Welford said…</p>

<p>Prosecutors have said Copney and two other men arranged to meet Cosby at the dorm several days before the shooting, and gained entrance to the building with a key card obtained from a student.</p>

<p>Police are looking for a third suspect, Welford said."</p>

189

<p>"The two female Harvard students have been described by prosecutors as the “common denominator” that brought together the victim and the three alleged assailants. The three men allegedly gained entrance to the dormitory because they had been provided an electronic-access card by one of the female students.</p>

<p>One of those students is Brittany Smith, the longtime girlfriend of Copney. Police have said that Copney and the other two men hid the gun in Smith’s dorm, Lowell House. The weapon was found in a friend’s room that Smith frequently used to store her belongings, said a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation…"
[Second</a> man charged in Harvard killing - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/06/second_arrest_i.html]Second”>http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/06/second_arrest_i.html)</p>

190

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<p>So Campbell is saying that her key card wasn’t used in this mess. That should be easy to check out. Lending the key card to either the killer or the drug dealer could be seen as physical evidence suggesting that she was in on the set up. Without the key card…?</p>

191

<p>From today’s Globe:</p>

<p>"In yesterday’s interview, Leone contradicted Campbell, who told the Globe last month that she had never heard of Cosby until after the killing. Leone also said Smith was familiar with Cosby.</p>

<p>“They knew the defendant and they knew the victim. They both were familiar with Cosby,” Leone said. “How and why I can’t comment on.” …</p>

<p>Leone said that his office is not providing Harvard with information about drug use on campus from his inquiry and that Harvard is not sharing results from any administrative action the school may be taking against students."</p>

<p>Either the DA is lying or Campbell is lying.</p>

192

<p>Ellen, I suspect that is a sloppy quote on the part of of the Globe. In the earlier article, Campbell is saying that she did not loan her card out that day. Which at the time, I thought was a way to avoid the question.</p>

193

<p>Make your own judgment as to reliability, but this story at the Huffington Post claims that Campbell is lying when she says she didn’t know Cosby, and even goes so far as to suggest that Campbell set Cosby up:</p>

<p>[Casey</a> Gane-McCalla: An African American Tragedy at Harvard](<a href=“HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost”>An African American Tragedy at Harvard | HuffPost Latest News)</p>

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194

<p>Assuming that Harvard decides to withhold either or both girls’ degrees, what does that mean? Can they transfer to another university? Will any of the units transfer?</p>

195

<p>I would assume all units, with the possible exception of the last semester, would be eligible for transfer. I would assume that not only would most Ivy and comparable schools decline to accept as transfer, at a mnimum until the criminal case is over. Further complicating is even if either student were willing to transfer to a much less selective school, most schools require the last two years in residence. Also, the finaid issues would have to be dealt with. My guess is that after the criminal case proceeds, presumably without them, they will try to do community service for a year or so, and then try to re-apply. Complicating that is Campbell’s going public – I think she would have been far better off to try to keep it quiet.</p>

196

<p>Wow. What a great story. And to think that Chanequa Campbell feld to Italy. If she is innocnet of all accusations, why leave the country? How I would have loved to attend Harvard in her place. Especially doing a concentration in the famed Sociology Department. Here is the Newsweek link tto her story:</p>

<p>[Kicked</a> Out of Harvard - Newsweek](<a href=“http://www.newsweek.com/2009/07/17/drugs-murder-race-and-harvard.html]Kicked”>Drugs, Murder, Race, and Harvard)</p>

197

<p>Do you really need to dredge up this two year old story?</p>

198

<p>I had no idea that this story existed. I wonder if she ever received her Harvard degree?</p>

199

<p>No, she did not receive her Harvard degree. She was found guilty of lying, and giving her swipe card to the assailant so he could enter a dorm and hide himself, as well as hide the murder weapon in another student’s room. (For details, see the Boston newspapers’ online stories.) The other girl involved told the truth to Harvard and was granted her degree after commencement I believe.</p>

200

<p>Hi Fauve,
I believe that the following will clear things up:</p>

<p>BOSTON — A former Harvard University student was indicted Tuesday as an accessory after the fact in the 2009 fatal shooting of a 21-year-old Cambridge man inside a Harvard dormitory.</p>

<p>Brittany Smith, 22, of New York City, was the girlfriend of Jabrai Jordan Copney, one of three men charged in connection with the killing of 21-year-old Justin Cosby. Cosby lived a few blocks from the Ivy League campus but was not a Harvard student.</p>

<p>Prosecutors allege the three men — all from New York City and none of them Harvard students — shot Cosby in a Harvard dorm in a robbery attempt during a deal to buy marijuana from him.</p>

<p>Copney, 20, and Blayn Jiggetts, 19, are charged with first-degree murder and other counts, while Jason Aquino, 23, is charged with being an accessory after the fact of armed robbery and carrying a firearm without a license. All three have pleaded not guilty.</p>

<p>Smith is accused of giving the men her Harvard electronic key card to enter the building where the shooting occurred, hiding the gun under a friend’s dorm bed and lying to authorities. She was indicted on charges of accessory after the fact of murder, illegal possession of a firearm and willfully misleading a grand jury and police.</p>

<p>– from “Ex-Harvard Student Indicted in Dorm Shooting Death,” by Denise Lavoie (AP), March 16, 2010</p>

<p>Although Harvard has refused to make a public statement on the fact that Campbell was not among those indicted, her attorney, Jeffrey Karp, believes that Campbell should be reinstated as a senior and receive her diploma.</p>

<pre><code>Jeffrey Karp […] said Campbell remains barred from campus and has not received her degree from Harvard.

Karp said Campbell is having “considerable difficulty” finding a job because of the notoriety of the case and because of Harvard’s decision not to give her a diploma.

“I assume the investigation is over, and it seems to me that the fair thing for Harvard to do is to give her a diploma and allow her to graduate,” Karp said.
</code></pre>

<p>I sincerely hope that these indictments mean that Campbell has been discovered to have no involvement in this crime. If she is indeed cleared of any responsibility for the crime last spring, then Harvard owes her an apology and a diploma.</p>

<p>Ordered to Leave Harvard Campus</p>

<ol>
<li>Ordered to leave Kirkland House dormitory on May 22, 2009</li>
<li>Student Justin Cosby was killed in the Kirkland House dorm on May 18, 2009</li>
<li>Prosecutors say the suspect gained entry to the building with an electronic key card</li>
<li>Campbell’s attorney said she was taking an exam on the day of the shooting and lives in a dorm away from the scene</li>
<li>Suspect is Jabrai Jordan Copney, age 20, from New York City</li>
<li>The murder was described as a drug-related robbery attempt</li>
<li>Campbell was a friend of the suspect’s girlfriend, but claims not to have any relation to either the suspect or victim</li>
<li>Was only permitted to take a few belongings with her</li>
<li>Received a no-trespassing order

<ol>
<li>Campbell said she is being singled out because she is black</li>
<li>Was not formally expelled</li>
<li>Attorney: Jeffrey Karp</li>
</ol></li>
</ol>

<p>Also, here is a link to the source of the story:
<a href=“http://hiphopwired.com/2010/03/17/former-harvard-student-indicted-in-deadly-dorm-shooting/[/url]”>http://hiphopwired.com/2010/03/17/former-harvard-student-indicted-in-deadly-dorm-shooting/&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost”>HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost;