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YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2014 · yaledailynews.com
FROM THE FRONT Tailgate lawsuit continues WHA T HAPPENED FROM TAILGATE TO TODAY
Nov. 19, 2011
Accident kills one and injures two
Sept. 14, 2012 Ross pleads not guilty
April 2012
May 7, 2012
May 4, 2012
Ross’ first court appearance
Criminal charges filed against Ross
March 14, 2014
Short attempted to sue the national fraternity but encountered technical obstacles. In addition to their response, the 84 SigEp members have filed a motion to consolidate their cases with Sarah Short v. Brendan Ross et al. That case, first filed in April 2012, pits Short against Ross, the national fraternity, Yale, U-Haul, Contemporary Service Corporation and Patrick Dolan ’13, who was president of the Yale SigEp chapter in Nov. 2011. “The allegations that are made in all of these cases arise from the same exact set of
factual circumstances,” the motion read. “Consolidation will serve the interests of judicial economy and conserve resources by permitting all issues to be resolved in one, rather than two actions.” An identical motion was also filed to consolidate the suit from the Barry estate into a similar case. If granted, the motions would reduce the total number of suits filed by Short and the Barry estate from four to two. Last week, U-Haul filed a memorandum opposing the consolidation of the two cases.
Students continue divestment push DIVESTMENT FROM PAGE 1 bers interviewed emphasized their commitment to the issue of divestment and characterized the CCIR’s conduct as unacceptable. “All of us are extremely disappointed by the inaction on the part of the CCIR,” said Mitch Barrows ’16, the outreach coordinator for Fossil Free Yale. “I personally believe — with many others — that this delay is unacceptable and demonstrates that the Corporation doesn’t recognize the urgency of climate change. The Yale Corporation doesn’t have a great track record on incorporating student voice.” Barrows added that members of Fossil Free Yale fear that the CCIR will release a rejection of the group’s proposal over the summer so as to avoid negative student reactions. He said Fossil Free Yale is working to plan demonstrations to show the Yale Corporation “that our voices will not be swept under the rug.” Fossil Free Yale member Alexandra Barlowe ’17 said it is not surprising that the Corporation has not made a decision yet. Still, she added that the lack of an explicit rejection is promising. Hannah Nesser ’16, the communications director of Fossil Free Yale, said the group remains committed to seeing the issue of divestment through to the end. “We’ve been working with the ACIR for over a year, and, during that time, our climate crisis has only become more dire, so I’m dismayed that the CCIR has so far declined to take action,” Gabe Levine ’14, another Fossil Free Yale member, said in an email. “But we know that 83 percent of under-
introductory language courses, because unlike undergraduates, they do not receive extra course credits for taking those classes. The GSA report on language courses grading cited numerous other complaints from students. The change to the A-F scheme occurred in fall 2012, students and instructors were neither informed nor consulted, which caused unnecessary confusion at the end of the semester, Young said. Laura Leigh Neville GRD ’14,
who is pursuing a master’s degree in European and Russian studies, said she had hoped the grading scheme would change before she graduated this spring. Still, she said it has not impeded her from finding a job upon graduation. The proposal to support standardized grading for graduate students in language courses passed in the GSA with 93 percent approval by representatives. There are 64 representatives on the GSA. Contact HAILEY WINSTON at hailey.winston@yale.edu .
New suits filed against 86 SigEp members
Jan. 6, 2014
SigEp defendants move to SigEp defendants deny First defendants consolidate case with suit responsibility in court filing appear in court
that the first stages of a lawsuit frequently involve a large number of defendants. “While it was initially disappointing that so many people were named as directly involved in the tragic accident, it is right that they are being represented and defended,” Warren said. “I think the case will play out and hopefully these members will be dismissed.” Faxon told the News in January that suing the 86 SigEp members was a last resort after
GSA calls for grading change
Dec. 2013
Barry Estate files lawsuit against Yale, New Haven and Sigma Phi Epsilon
SIGEP FROM PAGE 1
SARAH PALIN ALASKAN GOVERNOR
GRAD GRADING FROM PAGE 1
Short files lawsuit against Brendan Ross ’ 13 and U-Haul
April 2013
March 21, 2014
“Buck up or stay in the truck.”
graduates support our proposal, and we intend to keep fighting to make sure their voices are heard.” Gabe Rissman ’16 said he remains hopeful that the CCIR will continue to meet and not leave the issue undecided over the summer. He added that Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust announced on Monday that the school’s endowment will become a signatory to the Carbon Disclosure Project’s climate change program, a nonprofit organization that publishes data on companies’ carbon emissions. Members of Fossil Free Yale have asked companies to disclose the emissions they generate relative to their energy production, a metric designed by the Carbon Disclosure Project, to give Yale an empirical estimate of each company’s impact. Rissman said it was frustrating that Harvard officially endorsed the Carbon Disclosure Project’s climate change program before Yale but added that he is glad Harvard is working toward similar goals as Yale. “[This step underscores] our growing efforts to consider environmental, social and governance issues among the many factors that inform our investment decision-making, with a paramount concern for how the endowment can best support the academic aspirations and educational opportunities that define our distinctive purposes as a university,” Faust wrote in her announcement. Fossil Free Yale’s most recent demonstration was Friday outside Woodbridge Hall. Contact ADRIAN RODRIGUES at adrian.rodrigues@yale.edu .
Yale has not filed any court documents supporting or opposing the consolidation. On Tuesday, University Spokesman Tom Conroy said Yale had nothing to add regarding the litigation beyond what it has filed in court. University Vice President and General Counsel Dorothy Robinson and Patrick Noonan, the attorney representing Yale in the suits, referred all questions to Conroy. Contact MATTHEW LLOYDTHOMAS at matthew.lloyd-thomas@yale.edu .
KAMARIA GREENFIELD/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Many graduate students are upset about the grading system for language classes due to its potential effect on their job search.