Junior Sean Chapin contacted The Clarion and claimed he had been hit by a Campus Safety vehicle on the night of Oct. 31. The Clarion ran an article in the Nov. 3 issue stating Chapin’s claims and that Campus Safety was still investigating. After further review, it was determined by the University that Chapin was lying about the incident.
Chapin was asked to write a reflective letter to be published in The Clarion‘s next edition.
“The school forced me to write it because I couldn’t attend a meeting with their detective,” Chapin said.
“It has been determined that he was lying about this incident and, as part of the disciplinary process at DU, he was asked to write a retraction statement,” said Kristin Olson, director of the Office of Citizenship and Community Standards.
When asked for more information about the case Olson stated that she “cannot make a comment on the specifics involving Sean’s case as it is part of his disciplinary record and, as such, is confidential.”
The retraction is below:
The University of Denver Office of Citizenship and Community Standards has asked me to write a reflective letter about a previous Clarion publication in which I was the main subject.
I am writing to retract my statements about being struck by a campus safety vehicle.
My actions, as defined by the University, have been inappropriate. My actions were inappropriate because at the University of Denver we stress ethics.
This incident was unethical in many ways and many precautions will be taken in the future to deter such an incident. At the University of Denver students are expected to uphold the code of student conduct, something that I did not do in this situation.
The code of student conduct is important at DU because it is a code we must live by in order to behave ethically and morally. The purpose of the DU Code of Student Conduct is to communicate University values to the University community, and promote an environment conducive to education, work, recreation, and study.
This incident inflicts upon those values instilled by the University and hinders the encouraging environment we so desire on our campus.
I apologize for my inappropriate actions and any harm that it may have caused the University community.
