Unfortunately, none of the personnel involved in getting these stories into print, including the professional newspaper reporter, seem to understand the distinctions among scandals, controversies, and tragic accidents. This lack of distinctions should be more embarrassing to them than the stories are to Berry. My own observations during 37 years of service to Berry includes incidents of all three types, but confusing them can be grossly unfair.
I am pleased that the primary researcher refrained from reporting rumors or “leads” that could not be documented. What I find unfortunate is the expenditure of very limited resources chasing “The Dark Side of Berry,” while feeling that this activity was more valuable than the honest productive labor of keeping the campus beautiful. The resulting products of this research, including the two newspaper articles already published are disappointing in professional quality. I do not have any higher hopes for the third installment promised.
That amount of money could have easily allowed Berry to continue offering students access to a vital field like computer science. In fact, it would be enough for the college to have one of the best CS programs in the country, especially considering the small size of the school.