San Jose State University (SJSU) released its own report that states the school acted appropriately when they learned of allegations of hate crimes against a black student.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, SJSU's report was conducted to determine if authorities had learned about the abuse and failed to act. Authorities in the residence halls and elsewhere did not know about the abuse one black student endured at the hands of his white suitemates for weeks, the report stated.
Mike D. Moye, a lawyer in San Francisco and lead investigator, said the victim tried to keep instances of bullying private. He concluded there was no other way SJSU could have known what the four young men charged with committing hate crimes had done. Allegations include confining the victim by his neck with a bicycle lock, trapping him in his room and using racial slurs as nicknames.
Some students were still critical of the school after the report's release. Since the story broke in Nov., many people on campus have criticized the school administration for not knowing about such abuse.
"We called that back in December," Ashlei McPherson, a student activist, told the SJMN. "They were going to get the answers they wanted because of the questions they asked."
LaDoris H. Cordell, a civil rights advocate and retired judge, will lead a task force on SJSU's campus climate that will use Moye's report for reference. The task force will begin regular public meetings on Thursday evening and will eventually make recommendations for the school.
"One of the issues we're going to look at is environment on the campus to see if there is anything that can be done to encourage individuals who are the subject of this abuse, or alleged abuse in this case, that could enable them to come forward and not be as reluctant," Cordell, who said she volunteered to head the task force, told NBC Bay Area.
Moye found that even when the victim spoke with school officials, he gave no indications he was being bullied. On an occasion where a resident assistant fielded complaints about a confederate flag hanging from the suite's window, Moye found the resident assistant did not know a black student was living in the room.
What's more is Moye said the victim urged those who knew about the abuse not to report because he wanted to "keep the matter private." The school reportedly learned of the abuse when the victim's father visited and learned for himself what his son had endured.
At that time, Moye concluded, SJSU acted swiftly and appropriately. However, he did note that he arrived on his conclusion with difficulty in determining if it was reasonable that school officials missed signs of bullying.
Reported Moye, "There wasn't a situation where a (resident assistant) or someone from the staff walked by these things and did nothing."