Bates College confronts 'distressing' racial incident, promises reform

Private investigators hired by Bates College to look into complaints that security officers mishandled a confrontation with a black student at a May 13 dance on campus determined that the officers acted appropriately in difficult circumstances.

The probe, detailed in a six-page report released this week by the college, found that one student had engaged in disorderly conduct but neither he nor the officers will face any disciplinary action.

College President Clayton Spencer, in an open letter, called the events of that night distressing and indicative of racial issues the school needs to address. She outlined a series of actions that Bates plans to take in response.

Spencer said the college ordered the report from “two independent investigators with higher education and civil rights experience” in the wake of the incident “because of the complexity of the situation and the varying accounts of what happened.”

Read more: http://www.sunjournal.com/news/maine/0001/11/30/bates-college-confronts-distressing-racial-incident-promises-reform/2150321