How one anonymous tipster, aka Harry Potter, incensed a university, brought down two VCU deans and forced Richmond to re-evaluate its leadership. by Scott Bass
On the cover: The VCU administrator, aka Harry Potter. Photo by Scott Elmquist
In a town run by corporate moneymen and old political hands, 2008 will be remembered as the year of severance. Richmond’s power structure turned upside down: L. Douglas Wilder is no longer mayor and the Rev. Dwight Jones, a protégé of Wilder’s rival Henry Marsh, celebrates his inaugural this weekend. Virginia Commonwealth University’s president, the Napoleonic presence that is Eugene P. Trani, is a lame duck after a series of scandals. Former Richmond Police Chief Rodney D. Monroe, who oversaw the most dramatic reduction in violent crime the city has seen in recent history, commands the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina.
The process of losing the city’s three most powerful public servants — Wilder, Trani and Monroe — in a span of 12 months left a vacuum, a great expanse between the politicians and the people who think they run this town. That the three men were an interlocking troika of power was no accident. Wilder was the epicenter, a political populist and history-making prodigal son, who easily commanded 80 percent of the popular vote to take office. Trani connected Wilder, a close ally who also teaches at VCU, to Richmond’s corporate power brokers. Monroe was the extension cord that connected them both to the broader community, particularly the city’s majority black population. And Wilder connected Monroe to Trani and the university.
But 2008 will also be remembered for one person who pulled the plug. With the click of a mouse, an administrator at the university who, among other things, advises students on graduation requirements, disconnected the city’s reigning power structure with an anonymous e-mail. In it, he questioned the legitimacy of Monroe’s now-infamous bachelor’s degree, obtained from Trani’s VCU, and signed off under the pen name of that magical wand bearer, Harry Potter.
Whistle-blowers are typically relegated to corporate fiefdoms, such as Enron or Pfizer, but in this case Harry Potter served a broader constituency. He had no exclusive information; in fact, the story of Monroe’s erroneous degree was widely known within certain administrative halls at the university, and was unwittingly broadcast in the Richmond Times-Dispatch a year earlier. While few paid attention, it was no state secret that Monroe obtained a four-year degree after taking only two courses at VCU, a clear violation of the most basic graduation requirement: Students can transfer but must take at least 30 credits at the university to get their degrees. Monroe had earned only six.
There were no attempts to hide this, mind you. Monroe told a reporter for the Times-Dispatch that he’d taken only two courses and then graduated, which won a public attaboy from Trani himself, which might say something about this city’s unwavering commitment to good PR. That Harry Potter, with a series of e-mails a year later, could catch the attention of VCU’s Board of Visitors and the General Assembly also suggests that this city is willing to break that commitment when it matters.
But someone had to blow the whistle. It could have been just about anybody with knowledge of VCU’s graduation requirements — the university has more than 30,000 students and a city full of alumni — but no one noticed until Harry Potter showed up.
The fallout was immense. Trani retired, Wilder called it quits and Monroe has been dogged by the degree scandal ever since. For taking a risk, doing what was right and shaking up a city, Style Weekly names the anonymous tipster, the wizardly whistle-blower, as its 2008 Richmonder of the Year.
Harry Potter’s impact on Richmond is both symbolic and painfully real: The administrator remains anonymous, granting an interview with Style only on the condition of anonymity, with his lawyer by his side. He also succeeds the man at the center of the controversy, Monroe, who was named Style’s 2007 Richmonder of the Year.
The two men are a study in contrasts. One is low on the administrative food chain at one of the city’s largest employers, arguably its most influential institution. The other achieved near sainthood for presiding over a miraculous drop in the murder rate, from 95 homicides in 2004 to 32 homicides in 2008, a nearly 300 percent improvement. So lauded was Monroe that he considered running for mayor. (If he’d run, political observers say, he would have been an instant frontrunner.)
The dramatic turn of events and ensuing soap opera following Harry Potter’s anonymous e-mails are well-documented. For much of summer and into fall, the daily blow-by-blow of who allegedly pressured whom and the controversial investigations by the VCU Board of Visitors dominated local headlines. An unnerved Trani suffered a heart attack in his office just days after returning, from a sabbatical, to deal with the mess. Two of the university’s highest-ranking administrators — Robert D. Holsworth, dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences, and Jon Steingass, dean of VCU’s University College — resigned as a result. VCU says they were forced out, while both Holsworth and Steingass deny they were asked to resign.
It all started with Harry Potter’s four-page e-mail. It was sent on May 15 to the wife of Thomas Rosenthal, rector of the board of visitors; the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which oversees collegiate accreditation; and local news media. Initially, only one reporter inquired about the allegations — WTVR-TV’s Mark Holmberg, a former Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist. (Style wasn’t included in the e-mail blast.) The anonymous tipster says he was surprised that there was only one inquiry about his e-mail. The Times-Dispatch initially appeared disinterested, he says.
The initial electronic missive went out just as Monroe was announcing he was leaving Richmond to take the top job in Charlotte, precisely one year after receiving his degree. After stewing with colleagues over what they perceived as an injustice for the better part of a year, Harry Potter saw Monroe slipping away, and the whole ordeal being swept under the rug. His effort was an act of responsibility, he says.
“It was now or never,” he says. “Something had to be done. It was just so clearly wrong, so extremely wrong from the beginning. … It kind of went away, and it stuck in my craw.”
The e-mail narrative was aggressive and included allegations that were part hearsay and fact. It was, perhaps, a bit knee-jerk — even the pen name, says the administrator, came to him on a whim with no real personal significance. “I’ve never read a Harry Potter book in my life,” he says, with a surprised shrug. “I don’t even remember doing it. I don’t know what hit me that night.”
The story of how the degree was awarded has been contested, turning into an inconclusive he-said-she-said controversy that clouded the internal investigation launched by the VCU Board of Visitors in the summer and later by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission of the General Assembly. There is, however, an established storyline. It started early, when Wilder hired Monroe as Richmond’s police chief.
Monroe, a little-known chief of police from Macon, Ga., had made his intentions known to complete his college degree after years of off- and on-again study. He knew that not having the degree made him a long shot to get the Richmond job, which required one. Monroe, an affable police veteran with nearly 30 years of experience, made no bones about his lack of education.
He wanted to set an example, though, and made earning his bachelor’s degree, and eventually his master’s, a priority. Wilder also encouraged him, telling him the day he was hired that “you’re going to get your degree,” according to the Times-Dispatch. Too often the demands of the job got in the way. Monroe had been taking classes online at the University of Phoenix because it was more flexible with his work schedule, he told Style in 2004. “It’s important to me personally,” he said of his education. “I have made a commitment to my kids.” He had two children in college at the time, one at Elon University and the other at Georgia Tech. “The bet is I will finish before the last one graduates,” Monroe said then, cracking a smile.
Monroe’s goal idled until 2006, when he began talking to Robyn Lacks, director of the VCU Public Safety Institute, about enrolling at the university.
Lacks contacted Holsworth, who as dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences, oversaw the criminal justice program. Holsworth liked the idea of Monroe getting his degree at the university, and relayed the message to his boss, Trani, who concurred that Monroe donning a black-and-gold tassel was a “great idea.”
From there, the story gets hazy. Monroe enrolled in the school’s interdisciplinary studies program, which is part of the University College, under former dean Steingass, in January 2007. He took two classes that semester, and by spring plans were under way to see Monroe walk during the May commencement ceremonies.
But there was a hitch. Linda Spinelli, Monroe’s assigned adviser in the University College, flagged the application as insufficient. Two courses at the university, a total of six credits, fell unquestionably short of the 30-credit requirement. Monroe had enough overall credits, just not enough of them at the Richmond university.
The soap opera that transpired after Spinelli red-flagged Monroe’s degree left the school’s internal investigators and the JLARC team befuddled. Spinelli refused to sign off on Monroe’s application, forcing Steingass to approve it. Steingass told the Times-Dispatch that Holsworth informed him that Trani’s office was “very interested” in Monroe getting his degree from VCU, and he felt pressured to overlook the credit requirements. Spinelli says Steingass pressured her to do the same. Holsworth has denied pressuring anyone, and Trani maintains that his enthusiasm for the idea — that Monroe graduate from VCU — was simply misinterpreted.
Meanwhile, Monroe says he didn’t know about the graduation requirement. It’s important to note that this isn’t a contested fact. Spinelli told investigators with the university and JLARC, as well as the Times-Dispatch, that she never contacted Monroe to discuss his lack of graduation credits.
In a recent interview with Style, Monroe says he felt like he became the scapegoat. He says he was in no rush to graduate that May, and if anyone at the university had “even uttered those words” that he needed more credits he would have simply taken more classes. After getting his bachelor’s, Monroe notes, he began working on his graduate degree at VCU and has since earned an additional 18 credits.
“Again, I should have known. But when you have advisers at the university, why would I challenge them?” Monroe posits. “Everything got pushed back to me.”
The investigative notes of the internal investigation at the public university haven’t been released to the public, and the reports issued by both the university board and legislative commission found no hard evidence of pressure from the top. VCU indirectly implicated Holsworth and Steingass by asking for their resignations, but didn’t offer any evidence that Spinelli was pressured to approve the degree application.
The JLARC review was similarly inconclusive. Its investigators confirmed that Steingass’ signature was on Monroe’s degree application, but Steingass declined to be interviewed by JLARC.
“Steingass indicated he never saw the student records,” says Phil Leone, JLARC’s director, adding that Steingass agreed only to answer limited questions via e-mail, but his answers were inconsistent. “He insisted he wasn’t involved in this.”
But he signed the application, Leone says. After an investigation that lasted 20 days, Leone says his team was left “perplexed” with a puzzling set of interviews and evidence that simply didn’t add up.
“To this day, I still don’t know what the motivation was,” Leone says. “Was there an invisible hand guiding this all along? There’s no evidence of that.”
The VCU and JLARC investigations cleared Monroe of any wrongdoing and concluded he could keep the degree. It also wasn’t a recurring problem at the university. After reviewing 15,000 degree applications, investigators concluded that Monroe’s was the only one that violated the school’s credit requirements.
Monroe says he’s still considering whether to give back the degree, but won’t make a decision simply to satisfy VCU or the General Assembly commission that publicly called for the university to revoke the degree.
“Come rain or shine or whatever,” he says, “anything I do will be done for Rodney Monroe and not to satisfy any one entity.”
Despite the haze that hangs over the case, two things were clearly established: Monroe didn’t have the required credits to graduate, and he received preferential treatment whether he knew it or not. And none of it would have come to light had Harry Potter remained silent.
Harry Potter remains a subject of controversy. His e-mails contained aggressive accusations about the people involved in awarding the degree — namely that Trani, Wilder and Holsworth, all close confidants, applied pressure to see Monroe graduate from VCU. He says portions of the narrative were based on things he’d heard from other administrators and remain unproven, perhaps his only regret. “I sent in the facts as I knew them,” he says. “It was in total good faith.”
Some of the administrator’s most critical allegations have been refuted. He wrote that Mayor Wilder and Holsworth contacted Spinelli to pressure her to sign the degree application, an allegation that Spinelli has denied in interviews with CBS 6 and the Times-Dispatch. (Style was unable to reach Spinelli for comment.) She also denied that Steingass informed her that Trani wanted this to happen.
Harry Potter also became the subject of intense repudiation by Holsworth, who asked Harold E. Greer, the project leader in the JLARC review, to investigate the e-mailer. “One of the challenges with Holsworth was he didn’t reveal a lot,” Greer says of his interview with the former dean, which lasted nearly two hours. “In the interview, he went into denial mode.”
Harry Potter says his job hasn’t been threatened, and he hasn’t received anything resembling personal threats from anyone at VCU. He also says he didn’t send Monroe’s graduation transcript to CBS 6 reporter Holmberg, as some have alleged. Holmberg says the transcript was delivered to the station in an unsigned envelope.
Harry Potter, who hired a lawyer, says he doesn’t understand why some are attacking him, questioning his motives. In an anonymous e-mail sent to Style in October, Harry Potter is accused of having unconventional sexual proclivities, for example. “Why should anyone come after me?” he says. “For what?”
Indeed, most whistle-blowers face some sort of retribution, and often wind up unemployed with their reputations smeared, says Andrew C. Wicks, co-director of the Olsson Center for Applied Ethics at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.
“Typically whistle-blowers don’t get rich, don’t get famous and don’t get any love. In many cases they get blackballed,” Wicks says. “Most of the time whistle-blowers are not embraced, even if what they say is true.”
The key question is whether outing Monroe’s degree in public truly was Harry Potter’s last and only option, Wicks says. “If it was not in the best interest of VCU, then he should have said something internally first,” he says, unless there was good reason to think doing so would result in “severe consequences.” Harry Potter says he didn’t think going up the chain of command at the university was an option, considering how Spinelli refused to sign the degree for essentially the same reasons but was overruled.
All of that points to questions of leadership. While documented cases of direct intimidation by the VCU president are few and far between, longtime faculty members say that during his 18 years Trani has created an atmosphere of unquestioned authority at the university. It’s an authority that stretched into the corporate community, and for the last four years, to Mayor Wilder’s office at City Hall.
Trani may not have pulled the trigger, Wicks says, but he needs to take responsibility for the culture he helped create. In his only public statement addressing the degree scandal, Trani expressed regret that this “happened on my watch,” but limited his culpability to administrators misinterpreting his enthusiasm.
“While I am satisfied that the investigation found no involvement on my part,” Trani wrote, “I am also now more aware than ever that an enthusiastic, energetic President with lots of ideas may, however inadvertently, impact the behavior of others.”
Wicks, however, says it doesn’t go far enough.
“This is a classic case of power and responsibility,” Wicks says, adding that the idea that such an egregious case of rule-bending was a matter of misinterpreted enthusiasm simply doesn’t make sense. “That just doesn’t hold up to any kind of scrutiny. Somebody somewhere gave this guy pretty special favors. Somehow that gap [in credit requirements] was overcome. Somebody somewhere, and I’m assuming someone pretty powerful … was bending the rules.”
To get caught up in the months-long soap opera that tainted Trani’s legacy and followed Monroe to Charlotte would be missing the point. It’s that VCU and its many denizens, and the greater Richmond community, responded in force to the degree scandal. One person simply decided that the integrity of the university was more important than protecting the reputations of a few powerful people.
It’s ironic, perhaps, that degree scandal came at the expense of Wilder and his most important achievement in his four years in office: the hiring of Monroe and the subsequent drop in violent crime. It was Wilder, after all, who swooped into office promising to bring accountability to the city’s leadership and to open up a city government long run by the corporate power brokers on Trani’s speed dial. (All the while, Wilder continued to collect a paycheck as a professor at VCU.)
In the end, says longtime VCU political science professor Nelson Wikstrom, the anonymous tipster undressed “a closed power structure in Richmond. When you do enter that, you do sacrifice some of your own decision-making.” The whole ordeal only emphasized the need for VCU, and the city, to open itself up, Wikstrom says.
“We need to have a much more open form of government,” he says.
For all the aftermath, Harry Potter says he’s “largely at peace” with the results of the two investigations. But it could have gone further. Holsworth and Steingass resigned, but Monroe was allowed to keep his degree. And Trani simply retired a few months earlier than expected. Wilder, for his part, announced the morning after Monroe took the Charlotte job that he wouldn’t seek a second term as mayor.
The real test, Wicks says, is yet to come.
“This is not just a story about VCU, but it’s a story about Richmond. I think when you look at society we spend an inordinate amount of time letting things go. Somebody stood up and said, ‘No, this isn’t going to happen,’” Wicks says. “And I think in this case that is good thing.” S
Previous Recipients
Rodney D. Monroe (2007) Richmond police chief
The Harvey Family (2006)* Bryan, Kathryn, Stella and Ruby
L. Douglas Wilder (2005) Mayor of Richmond
Jennie Knapp Dotts (2004) Preservationist
The Young Black Male (2003) Searching for hope
John W. Bates III (2002) Real-estate attorney, downtown deal-maker
Gilbert M. Rosenthal (2001) Philanthropist
James W. Dunn (2000) Executive director, Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce
Jerry A. Oliver (1999) Richmond police chief
Eugene P. Trani (1998) President, Virginia Commonwealth University
Harold M. Marsh Sr. (1997)* Attorney and substitute judge
Paul DiPasquale and Tom Chewning (1996) Artist, fundraiser, Arthur Ashe monument
MCV Hospitals (1995)
James and Robert Ukrop (1994) Grocery magnates and community leaders
Nina Abady (1993)* Director, Downtown Presents
Arthur Ashe (1992) Humanitarian and tennis great
Marty Tapscott (1991) New chief of police
Mary Tyler Cheek McClenahan (1990) Civic leader
L. Douglas Wilder (1989) Former governor and lieutenant governor
Barbara Grey (1988) Fox School principal
Richmond Bureau of Police (1987)
Judge Robert R. Merhige Jr. (1986) U.S. District judge
L. Douglas Wilder (1985) Former governor and lieutenant governor
VCU Code of Ethics Open Forums The VCU community will have the opportunity to discuss the VCU Code of Ethics at an open forum today, Jan. 13, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the University Student Commons Theater. Following opening comments and brief presentations the floor will be open for comments, concerns and ideas for the future. To view the VCU Code of Ethics, visit http://www.vcu.edu/president/ethics/.
Monday, January 12, 2009 11:14:43 AM by Anonymous
This whole affair hasn't been fair. Most of those directly involved are still drawing handsome state salaries - Holsworth, Lacks, Pratt and Brock (who spoke against the BOV), and probably others. Steingass is gone. And now Harry Potter is being rakes over the coals by those spineless faculty at VCU who didn't have the guts to come forward early on so as to avoid this whole mess. Style, you showed a lot of guts in coming out with this, just as Harry Potter did. And I say why not put his picture on the cover - it's clear from the emails here that many faculty already know his identity and are out to get him. Too bad they were as motivated when the real crime was committed - when a VCU degree was handed over to one of their buddies.
Sunday, January 11, 2009 11:39:50 AM by Anonymous
Obviously one poster is NOT in the know. JLARC did not itself into the investigation because they thought that the BOV overstepped. They were called into the situation by the House of Delegates Appropriations Committee - they were concerned that some at the largest state instiution of higher education had decided to give away a degree. They were concerned that this reflected badly on the Commonwealth. They thought this was unfair. They thought that those responsible should be held accountable. And since they give a boat load of money to VCU, they thought, rightly so, that they were within their authority to ask the tough questions.
Saturday, January 10, 2009 5:27:56 PM by Anonymous
Anon: You don't know the reason for the timing of the Harry Potter email? It was within a week after Linda Spinelli retired. She was the one who made the graduation plan with Rodney Monroe, and he knew she was vulnerable. He didn't want to get his friend in trouble.
Saturday, January 10, 2009 12:41:01 PM by Anonymous
Jason, JLARC was only called in to investigate because the VCU Faculty Senate declared that the Board of Visitors was abusive of power in its investigation and badgered its witnesses to admit to wrongdoings they never committed. When they couldn't force they answers the wanted, they made them up. The BOV report was full of errors, many of which had to have been intentional. The fact that the JLARC report did not condemn the BOV even after getting the truth from the witnesses is evidence that the abuse of power extends into the state government. Steingass did violate rules, but his treatment was unreasonably harsh. He is known to have resigned not because he was ordered to by VCU administration, but because of the outright lies printed in the BOV report. His statements in his interviews were reworded to implicate him when in fact he was exonerating himself. The upper administration, knowing this was going on, would not stand by him. Holsworth, who by all accounts had no involvement in the Monroe degree was singled out for abuse with no evidence whatsoever. This can only be due to a personal vendetta by members of the Board of Visitors and state government. If you want Style Weekly to do true investigative reporting, there's your story. Your hero, Harry Potter himself, claimed to have waited over a year to send his email because of the "climate of fear and intimidation at VCU". That really doesn't explain the timing of his email, but it does explain the behavior of upper administration in the investigation. The BOV certainly did not have VCU's best interest in mind, as both departments are now lacking the leadership that had made them great successes. It will be interesting to see the relationship between the new appointees and the people that ran this witch hunt.
As and aside, knowing the behavior of the leaders of Board of Visitors and the inquisition they are capable of running, I am certainly going to remain anonymous. Call me a coward if you like, but I'm sure not stupid. Certainly not stupid enough to have my picture on the cover of a newspaper if I'm trying to remain anonymous. For that reason alone, your Person of the Year demonstrates the lowest I.Q. of any on record.
Saturday, January 10, 2009 10:16:52 AM by Anonymous
Nothing pushes newspapers like controversy. Too bad that's all you were thinking about.
We hope you're enjoying the discussion here. We also welcome signed letters to the editor on these topics. E-mail: letters@styleweekly.com.
Friday, January 09, 2009 1:11:53 PM by Anonymous
The last graf of your story says it best:
“This is not just a story about VCU, but it’s a story about Richmond. I think when you look at society we spend an inordinate amount of time letting things go. Somebody stood up and said, ‘No, this isn’t going to happen,’” Wicks says. “And I think in this case that is good thing.”
AMEN! Thank you Style Weekly!
Friday, January 09, 2009 11:46:45 AM by Anonymous
Mr. Roop
Fear not, I intend to address my issues with this person’s behavior through the proper channels at VCU.
As for an appropriate resolution to this scenario, I can imagine many realities far more productive than that which has transpired. I, of course, agree that VCU inappropriately awarded this degreeI would have taken no exception to the appropriate investigation and sanctioning of the VCU personnel responsible. From the outset, this was a Human Resources issue that should have been handled internally. The media cries for public blood-letting and the "investigative reporting" (read media stalking) turned this into a circusthe very public "Mea Culpa" offered by the University should have been sufficient.
For as long as I've been at VCU, I've known the school to be one of a few institutions at which we look for legal and legitimate ways to say "yes" to students in a proactive way, rather than dismissing them with a categorical refusal of consideration. Clearly, exuberance won the day in the Monroe case and the administrator in question went WAY_TOO_FAR. Was it done for monetary gain? Did anyone in the case profit from this action? This is the equivalent of offering a celebrity an honorary degreethere's no evidence of "quid pro quo" in the case. All that was accomplished by the actions of the allegedly "great and self-less" Harry Potter was the inciting of public accusations that VCU is a "diploma mill" and that the University College is simply an evil tool of the "Trani Empire"every accusation more ridiculous and unfounded than the next as meted out by numerous independent investigations.
I take umbrage to the fact that professionals were publicly humiliated when their punishment and sanctions should have been confidential, and that the Media is holding up on high a vengeful, unprofessional nit-wit who was clearly out for some sort of revenge. I commented about this article simply stating that I feel your choice for Person of the Year a bad one. I think it a class-less attempt for ratings and readership. You've gotten it, and I realize I'm contributing by continuing to comment. I just want Style to admit this fact and not claim they've identified some great "humanitarian in the rough" by tapping this egoistic fool as person of the year.
Friday, January 09, 2009 11:23:27 AM by Anonymous
"Residency requirements, just like many other academic requirements are waived on a case by case basis by universities continually all over the country. That is all that happened with Monroe. He did all the work required to earn his degree. There was nothing underhanded in Monroe's degree, and nothing that this nobody of a "person of the year" exposed that was not already public knowledge"
In all the other degrees issued by VCU, only one other has ever been issued without meeting the residency requirementand that was approval of a requested waiver for a dead person.
Monroe was consoled by one person (Lacks) not in his department of study , was arguably told by her incorrectly what the requirements were, what would transfer, and processed fraudulent documents for admission and graduation. No application was ever made to waive the residency requirement, and none was granted. She created independent study classes he "needed" and taught them herself. The counselor for his department of study would not sign the graduation application, but Lacks and a dean signed them and adminstration overlooked the incomplete application and issued the degree. I doubt this kind of perfect storm has ever occurred at any other school in the county, much less be of a routine nature.
Monroe still claims to have the utmost respect for the woman who serviced him with at least all this special favors, and shows no real intention of returning the illegitimate degree and actually earning one. He lied to Charlotte during the interview process, telling Charlotte he had a BA in Criminal Justice, which he doesn't. When called on it, he said he didn't know how to represent the degree he did haveand Charlotte HR bought it and excused his false representation.
There was nothing underhanded in Monroe's degree?
dj
Friday, January 09, 2009 11:21:52 AM by Anonymous
****“Harry Potter" broke that law himself by accessing Monroe's file in the first place unless HP was responsible, at some point, for advising Monroe or signing off on his degree (which I know was never the case).”
So, unless the fictitious Potter is Linda Spinelli, Robin Lacks or Jon Steingass, he broke a federal law by accessing the file—that doesn’t even touch on whatever contents of that file he shared in his email to non-university personnel (i.e. Style, Richmond Times-Dispatch, local news media, etc.). He broke the law even if he didn’t send transcripts to the news media. If you, Style Weekly, want to claim some sort of Journalistic victory, why don’t you try investigating this topic further, instead of suggesting that this low-level administrative flunky has accomplished anything damaging the reputation of Student Services Workers at VCU.*****
Monroe waived privacy for specific records to be provided to R-T. Harry Potter appears not to have violated any laws, but if he has certainly he should be charged. I'm guessing he considered his exposure and felt the possible cost was worth the truth being exposed and highlighted. dj
Friday, January 09, 2009 10:24:48 AM by Anonymous
"(2) What were the two classes he actually took at VCU? We have never been told. Were they independent study classes? Did he really do any work? Likely the prof overseeing them didn't keep any records. But again, we just don't know. No one is willing to be forthcoming. We are left to think that they must not have been legit."
They were independent study classes, created by Lacks, taught by Lacks, since the classes Monroe supposedly needed were full, and for some unknown reason no one could force-add Monroe to the full classes. These facts came from the General Assembly review of the scandal. dj
While I appreciate your passion for this subject, Harry Potter has not been charged with anything, and still holds his job. I'm unaware of any evidence to back up your accusations. If you work for VCU, perhaps you can contact officials should you think laws have been violated.
Also, no private information was necessary for anyone to point out the incorrect degree requirements. You may have missed this in the story, but the information about Chief Monroe's degree was public:
From the story: "[Harry Potter] had no exclusive information in fact, the story of Monroe’s erroneous degree was widely known within certain administrative halls at the university, and was unwittingly broadcast in the Richmond Times-Dispatch a year earlier. While few paid attention, it was no state secret that Monroe obtained a four-year degree after taking only two courses at VCU, a clear violation of the most basic graduation requirement ... Monroe told a reporter for the Times-Dispatch that he’d taken only two courses and then graduated, which won a public attaboy from Trani himself ..."
Anonymous, beyond discussing Harry Potter, I am curious what outcome you think would have been the most just? Is it your contention that VCU did nothing wrong in awarding a degree to Chief Monroe?
Friday, January 09, 2009 9:05:58 AM by Anonymous
To: Jason Roop From: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 1:04:09 PM by Anonymous
Wow! An editor who doesn't read the entirety of a statement before trying to discredit itthat should give everyone following this discussion a little insight to the journalistic integrity of this publication. A quote from my earlier post:
“Harry Potter" broke that law himself by accessing Monroe's file in the first place unless HP was responsible, at some point, for advising Monroe or signing off on his degree (which I know was never the case).”
So, unless the fictitious Potter is Linda Spinelli, Robin Lacks or Jon Steingass, he broke a federal law by accessing the file—that doesn’t even touch on whatever contents of that file he shared in his email to non-university personnel (i.e. Style, Richmond Times-Dispatch, local news media, etc.). He broke the law even if he didn’t send transcripts to the news media. If you, Style Weekly, want to claim some sort of Journalistic victory, why don’t you try investigating this topic further, instead of suggesting that this low-level administrative flunky has accomplished anything damaging the reputation of Student Services Workers at VCU.
Trani was only a couple of years from retirement in the first place. Wilder had no shot at re-election even before this issue was made public. And the list of positive accomplishments of Steingass, Holsworth and the other faculty members who resigned in disgust over the investigation would fill several inches of your precious print space. In the end, the only people “HP” really screwed are the students of VCU by robbing them of truly fantastic educators and administrators and by possibly limiting the amount of access current, hard-working and integrity-minded VCU Student Services administrators have to files of students we’re meant to be guiding and protecting.
Friday, January 09, 2009 8:35:03 AM by Anonymous
The educators whose careers were ruined? - they have no one to blame but themselves for breaking the rules in the first place. A lot of trust is placed in faculty - consequently they are expected to exhibit the highest standards. They are afterall supposed to be setting examples for their students to follow both inside the classroom and outside. To violate their responsibilities to behave ethically and professionally in all dealings with students is the highest crime they could commit and the punishment should be swift and severe.
Friday, January 09, 2009 8:29:05 AM by Anonymous
The last poster is wrong. Monroe needed 30 credits at VCU to satisfy the residency requirement. That translates to 10 courses, assuming that each was worth 3 credits. Monroe took 2 classes at VCU which means he needed 8 more classes at VCU in order to qualify. These are facts.
Online classes can be more difficult, or not. It depends upon the school, the teacher, the class. Looking at Monroe's record with the U of Phoenix, I am left to wonder how demanding those classes were since he was able to complete one a month during one period in which he was acting police chief in Richmond.
All of Monroe's credits counted toward the master's were NOT all U. of Phoenix. He even states that. Some were Phoenix, some were at other unnamed school, some were FBI Academy courses (not college accredited courses - but seminar types programs), and officials at VCU acknowledged that some of this "credits" were not courses at all, but credit for his work.
Let's make sure we have the record straight before we start bashing the T-D and Style for doing a really thorough job of investigating this story, disclosed by the anonymous informant. Thankfully he did come forward and thankfully they followed up or we would all still be in the dark. We still are in some ways and probably always will be as most everyone at the College of Humanties and Wilder School has been proven to be less than forthcoming.
Thursday, January 08, 2009 10:39:26 PM by Anonymous
It's unbelievable how many people still think Rodney Monroe did no work for his degree. Rodney Monroe earned over 120 credits for his degree, just like anyone else who completes a Bachelor's program. All but 6 of those credits were transferred in from the University of Phoenix. And to those of you who think an online course is a walk in the park, I invite you to take one. They are usually much more rigorous than classes taken in person. The irregularity was the waiving of the 9 extra credits that VCU would have required him to take ABOVE the 120 needed for the degree ONLY to satisfy the residency requirement for the BIS degree.
HIS DEGREE WAS NOT A GIFT. The Times Dispatch printed letters from people wondering why Monroe only had to take two classes to earn a degree. THIS IS A FALSE RUMOR THE TD INTENTIONALLY SPREAD. Obviously they assumed that if a lie is framed this way in a letter to the editor, they can't be held responsible for the publishing lies.
Thursday, January 08, 2009 9:11:43 PM by Anonymous
The Monroe case at VCU reminds me of Cooper's Mush to Mush blurb that caused an uproar at UR. Sometimes I guess an institution needs a public blood-letting when they aren't willing or able to deal with problems internally. It's sad that both VCU and UR had to have their reputations damaged but isn't it more tragic that it became necessary in the first place? UR has learned a lesson. I just hope ultimately VCU will. Right now, I'm not hopeful.
Thursday, January 08, 2009 9:07:43 PM by Anonymous
The T-D, Channel 6, and now Style were all protecting their sources - that's why no names. And it's clear that their sources needed protection based on the mud you all are slinging at this guy. Good choice. Hope his career isn't ruined just because he wanted to do the right thing.
Thursday, January 08, 2009 8:45:39 PM by Anonymous
My understanding is that with the Monroe case: (1) credits were counted that were beyond what would normally be counted - so there does remain a question of whether or not he really obtained all of the necessary credits for the degree. Do you think he should be given credit for his job? for the "school of hard knocks?" Were other students given those same considerations? I wasn't given credit for decades in public service. Non-university classes that I took were not counted toward my degree. Others have stated similar situations. So the answer is No. If they were really legitimate, then why wouldn't the online school count all of that and then transfer in VCU's two classes? Ironically, they wouldn't. (2) What were the two classes he actually took at VCU? We have never been told. Were they independent study classes? Did he really do any work? Likely the prof overseeing them didn't keep any records. But again, we just don't know. No one is willing to be forthcoming. We are left to think that they must not have been legit. (3) He did not meet the residency requirement, by a long shot. Not even close. As one poster states (who I would guess based on his assertions is a VCU faculty member) that this kind of thing happens all of the time. Well, unless VCU officials are lying yet again, this was the only exception for a living student in the last 15 years. So, it seems it doesn't happen all the time at VCU, does it? VCU does seem to have done a good job with enforcing the residency requirement. Unless of course, that faculty member wants to come clean on other exceptions??? (4) The Board of Visitors' investigation and the JLARC investigation, both said that officials at VCU were not cooperative and some gave conflicting statements. That's troubling. Make a mistake and we'll forgive you. But then try to cover it up? No way. (5) The constant circling of the wagons - protecting one of their own. and now lashing out at "Harry Potter." This does not speak well to the willingness for the faculty to be held accountable. Should you be above the law? No. I would like to hear some faculty step forward and say thank you to the whistleblower for getting out what some claim they were unable to disclose out of fear. So congratuations Chris Dovi on a very well written and researched article. Fair, complete. And if some don't like it, maybe it's because it hits just a little too close for comfort. Hmmmm . . . .
Thursday, January 08, 2009 8:30:46 PM by Anonymous
Thank you Style for choosing one of the real people of Richmond for this recognition. I am grateful that he exposed the special treatment that the former chief received. It was wrong there is no doubt. VCU deserves better than the teachers who would work for the benefit of their buddies rather than for the good of all students. Those who would criticize him and not those who really started this whole mess are off base.
Thursday, January 08, 2009 7:46:18 PM by Anonymous
Wow. Talk about anger issues. Somebody needs some mirror time.
Thursday, January 08, 2009 6:57:09 PM by Anonymous
"unconventional sexual proclivities" So that's HP's dirty little secret exposed by the fine faculty speaking out against him? Good Lord! What kind of creeps are you all employing over there at VCU? And he was an employee in good standing, wasn't he?
Can't the men working over there "keep it in their pants?" Seems like that's a problem you all need to work on. Offer some sexual harrassment classes why don't you!
Thursday, January 08, 2009 5:26:47 PM by Anonymous
The Richmond Police Department has an anonymous tip line. Crime Solvers also asks for anonymous informants. Many entities in state government have anonymous tip lines to expose corruption and misuse of public funds. The list goes on and on. Some people are just ticked off that one of their own was punished because of these anonymous disclosures.
Get over it VCU faculty and administrators! Know that we're all going to be keeping a much closer eye on you now - especially since we know so many unscrupulous persons are among your ranks (per the crazy attacks against this one person who finally finally finally exposed this cesspool of fraud) Get over it and forget any notions you had that you're running your own little fiefdom over there with tax-payer money. All thanks to Harry Potter – without him the PUBLIC WOULD NEVER HAVE KNOWN. Were any of you, so quick to disparage the Whistle blower, willing to say anything? I doubt it. You knew and you did absolutely nothing. Nothing. And there is no excuse. No excuse for your cowardice. Why didn’t ONE of you who claims to occupy the moral high ground say something? Were you afraid? Did you agree with Monroe’s special treatment? Were you involved? Or were you just too wrapped up in yourself and your own pathologies to give a rat’s [censored]? I would guess that the last assertion is probably closest to the truth.
Get out of your freaking Ivory Tower and give a crap, why don’t you? I am sick to death of hearing you pathetic academic types, who never had the skill and the balls to actually go out there and DO anything, trash this guy. Get over yourselves and, while you’re at it, why don’t you get out of our town. Richmond would be good to rid itself of “teachers” who don’t know the first thing about professional ethics, responsibility, and what the community really thinks about you and your arrogance. You have NO business teaching the next generation – what a crock!
What those VCU folks did was WRONG – EVERYONE KNOWS IT – everyone knows about it now and something was done for one very simple reason . . . because Harry Potter exposed it. And I’m not Harry Potter and frankly I don’t give a crap who he is. I just know that he is the sole reason why we know what we should have known all along. But the rest of you jokers in Scherer Hall didn’t tell us. I guess you were all just too busy writing your pathetic journal articles, and over analyzing your students’ papers making yourself feel superior over them for one moment.
Harry Potter was the perfect choice. Congrats Style for yet again doing what NONE of the other publications would do – say “the emperor has no clothes.”
Thursday, January 08, 2009 4:58:11 PM by Anonymous
The issue has been over-discussed and the reports are out. Let's move on to what is the real issue on the table now. This is not about whether HP is an honorable guy or if his actions were honorable or if VCU did something wrong. At this point, I am just sadened that a "reputable" magazine would give such an honor to someone who is unwilling to show himself and be strong. Anonomous tattling is not something that should always be taken seriously. (even thought it worked out this time) That's why papers require that you sign your name to an editorial comment before they will publish it. This is probably why there wasn't as much initial interest in HP's email as he expected. I just don't get the honor. Put him on a list of the top 50 if you want to, but to make him out to be on the same level as others on the list. Unbelievable...
Thursday, January 08, 2009 4:16:07 PM by Anonymous
There are too many people at VCU defending the people who allowed Monroe to get his degree without meeting the requirements. Perhaps there needs to be a thorough house cleaning in the Wilder School and the interdisciplinary studies program. Based on my first-hand experience this situation is just the tip of the iceberg.
One teacher in the school said to me during the investigations that faculty regularly have to count transfer credits that aren't up to standard so that students can graduate in a reasonable timeframe. Basically "this kind of thing goes on all the time" and "the people complaining about this just don't understand the pressures that the academic community faces." Really?
This instructor went on to say that he was dismayed that so many good people (in his opinion) were being "thrown under the bus" in order to hold someone accountable and satisfy the public outcry. I suppose I would argue with his characterization of these people as good people. Good people don't knowingly violate the rules and play favorites, violating the sacred truth given to them - how could they look other students in the eye after what they did for Monroe?
So should Style have recognized the Whistle-blower? Absolutely, in my opinion. He stands for all of the “little people” plodding along in their day to day jobs as civil servants who are powerless against the establishment to stop wrongdoing. Maybe others will be emboldened to come forward and expose the other disgusting, unprofessional, and unethical behavior that I’ve seen running rampant in the halls of academia. I hope those who would disparage the Whistle-blower don’t scare off other selfless individuals who are willing to tell their stories.
Come on . . .
Thursday, January 08, 2009 3:54:18 PM by Anonymous
As an alumna of VCU, I am disappointed that anyone in the employ of my alma mater would defend the actions of the faculty and administrators who participated in the unfair awarding of a bachelor’s degree to Monroe. I hope none of my professors would condone the actions of those named. It matters not to me how the truth was disclosed but it does matter that it was, finally, exposed to the sunshine. HP took considerable risk, as evidenced by the attacks he is suffering from co-workers is it any wonder why he couldn’t come forward through usual channels?
As I learned in my studies, ironically in the Wilder School, public servants are held to a high ethical standard and they are expected to serve the greater good in carrying out their duties. They are required to serve the students, ALL of the students, fairly and impartially. The “public servants” at VCU were proven to have made many grave errors in awarding this degree, they were proven to have broken numerous rules, and these individuals and others took great pains to thwart the investigations by the Bd of Visitors and the House Appropriations Committee when the situation was disclosed. Somewhere along the way these “public servants” were convinced that this was THEIR degree to bestow on their friend and in doing so they violated just about every standard involving the most sacred duty of an institution of higher education. They lost their way and I am hopeful that they will learn from this tragic episode that no one is above the law, no one should receive special treatment, and that perhaps, they should go back to school and sit through some of the classes that I had the privilege to attend at VCU. Maybe they would learn something about public service, and fairness, and ethics. Or maybe not.
One can argue all day long about the appropriateness and necessity of the method employed by Harry Potter. In my opinion, in this case, the ends justified the means. It was clear from the investigative report that no one at VCU was going to do the right thing – all were going to look the other way for their own reasons: self-preservation, agreement, or indifference. As VCU is taxpayer-supported institution of higher education, the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia had an undeniable right to know of this egregious violation of trust perpetrated by the faculty and administrators of VCU. It was our RIGHT to know – unfortunately Harry Potter was the only person in the employ of VCU who was willing to expose this. How disappointing and unfortunate that the atmosphere of intimidation, indifference, and/or arrogance prevented others from doing the right thing much, much sooner. Style, thank you for recognizing the courage of HP when so many were cowardly looking the other way.
Thursday, January 08, 2009 10:27:10 AM by Jason Roop
Anonymous writes: "Which leads me to wonder: Did Style ever consider weighing the "contribution" of this one icky man against all that VCU has done for the City of Richmond?"
That's exactly why so many people, including the Board of Visitors and JLARC, jumped into action after Harry Potter's e-mail. They were concerned with protecting the reputation and integrity of VCU.
Thursday, January 08, 2009 10:26:19 AM by Anonymous
People can be appalled as they like, but the facts of the matter are simply that VCU did not take care of this matter internally. VCU's leadership, inspired no doubt by the headcase that is Wilder and by the business community that will whore itself to whoever is in office, abused its own authority by playing high-stakes political games.
And, VCU and our community lost. We lost credibility. We lost the faith of many students and alumnae who have worked hard to earn degrees and to have those degrees actually mean something.
By outting this mess and risking exposure of his personal life, history will show that HP did more to build and strengthen VCU than his revelations destroyed in the short-run.
I honestly cannot blame anyone for doing all that they could to keep Rodney Monroe around as Chief of Police. He and Bill Gates are proof positive that one does not need a college degree to be successful in life. Still, having a college degree does not hurt one's chances in life, but NOT having a degree does.
Style Weekly deserves our thanks. Had they not been dedicated to covering the City of Richmond as they have, and most especially for increasing their focus on hard news, the taxpayers and citizens of metropolitan region would (stll) be woefully ignorant.
Knowledge is power. Our City cannot heal itself and grow if those in authority continue to hide information as maniacally as a miser hordes gold.
Thursday, January 08, 2009 1:43:27 AM by Anonymous
The residency requirement is the number of credits a transfer student is to earn at the school awarding the degree in addition to the credits transferred in. At least one report stated that Linda Spinelli wrote in an email the she was being "very lenient" in this requirement. There was nothing sinister, no conspiracy to commit academic fraud, and certainly nothing that should have caused the ruin of the careers of dedicated men or damage to the credibility of a fine university.
Which leads me to wonder: Did Style ever consider weighing the "contribution" of this one icky man against all that VCU has done for the City of Richmond? It has given us one of the leading cancer research centers in the nation, a wide range of vibrant arts communities, and is a giant economic force employing over 17,000 people serving over 30,000 students. Most of these students bring revenue into the city from other locations. This is real "trickle down" - these students spend their money straight into our city's economy. VCU is an amazing place that deserves none of the abuse dished out from the newspapers, TV, and this pathetic "Harry Potter".
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 11:57:06 PM by Anonymous
What did this have to do with residency requirements? There were no requirements that were waived by the university. The follow-up investigations showed they erred, not that they intended to waive their requirements.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 11:44:24 PM by Anonymous
Residency requirements, just like many other academic requirements are waived on a case by case basis by universities continually all over the country. That is all that happened with Monroe. He did all the work required to earn his degree. There was nothing underhanded in Monroe's degree, and nothing that this nobody of a "person of the year" exposed that was not already public knowledge. He did not "turn Richmond's power structure upside down." Style is giving him much more credit than he deserves. Look back at all the prior honorees, and ask yourself if a muckraking anonymous email from a disgruntled employee bears any resemblance the dedication and achievements of those great people. Style Weekly must be losing its grip on reality.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 11:43:22 PM by Anonymous
To Jason Roop: Please check with the Richmond Times Dispatch. They are the source that received the "anonymous" student records of Chief Monroe. Who else other than "Harry Potter" would have reason to "anonymously" them off?
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 11:27:58 PM by Anonymous
VCU employee: The point is, it wasn't handled internally. The degree application was flagged as insufficient yet nothing happened.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 11:09:17 PM by Anonymous
I am a VCU employee and graduate with no loyalties to any of the former administrators implicated by this scandal. The fact that "Harry Potter" chose to blow the whistle on a situation that could very well have been handled internally speaks more to his need to gratify his ego than anything. Knowing this man's real identity, I don't believe for a second that he had VCU's best interests in mind throughout all of this. Surely there was a worthier candidate for this honor.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 9:50:07 PM by Jason Roop
Thanks to all of you for your comments, and we invite you to continue the discussion. At least one poster has accused "Harry Potter" of breaking federal laws and sending confidential records to news media. Style Weekly never received such records, and there is no evidence that "Harry Potter" disclosed these records; indeed, he denies it. If anyone has such evidence, we will be happy to look into it. Until then, we appreciate if posters will refrain from such personal, unproven attacks.
Thank you, Jason Roop, Editor
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 9:21:07 PM by Anonymous
That's supposed to read "Terrible s.e.l.e.c.t.i.o.n" below. A lame attempt by Style's web host to block database hackers is just deleting any part of a word that looks like database programming instructions. You'll see similar nonsense in the prior comments. Come on guys. You can do better than that.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 9:15:43 PM by Anonymous
Terrible ion. Terrible article. The factual errors are just astounding, considering the length of time that the identity of "Harry Potter" has been known by anyone who cared to find out. Style is just perpetuating the circus promoted by the Times Dispatch and Channel 6 to sell advertising in a flagging market. It's a pathetic gasp for air by a drowning medium.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 7:01:37 PM by Anonymous
I just love it that all those VCU people had plenty of time to post their highy-offended messages during the workday. Our tax dollars at work.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 3:58:09 PM by Anonymous
How do the folks at Style know that this man they interviewed is the "real" Harry Potter? Just a thought.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 2:53:10 PM by Anonymous
OVER-the-top? No. The problem with Watergate wasn't the break-in, it was the cover-up. It was the arrogance that they would not get caught.
The problem with Monroe's degree wasn't the awarding of it, it was the secrecy and string-pulling and threats to ruin people's lives. It was and remains an arrogant display of what happens when authority gets abused and the key players in it have yet to acknowledge that by doing what they did they were devaluing every degree earned (and paid for)legitimately at VCU.
I wish Monroe would just hand the degree back and tell everyone caught up in this nasty drama to grow up!
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 2:38:05 PM by Anonymous
I was so proud when you named the Harvey family as "Richmonders of the Year" two years ago. Indeed, the mighty have fallen. Not the powers at be at VCU. Style has stooped to a new low. I know that newspapers are facing problems with circulation I never thought that Style would adopt "National Enquirer" journalism.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 2:36:59 PM by Anonymous
Illegal degrees? Watergate? While I don't think we should condone improperly awarded degress, a comparison of HP to "Deep Throat" might be a little over-the-top. If I remember correctly from history, the Watergate scandal involved things such as illegal wire-taps, breaking and entering, espionage, fraud, and money laundering. In the grand scheme of things, the degree awarded to Monroe is a relatively trivial (and isolated) incident. And at the end of the day, just how much value will that degree be when any potential employer with access to Google can easily discover its questionable nature? Rather than condemn or congratulate Style on its choice, I would like to congratulate the Richmond media for managing to inflate this issue to such a massive scale and keep it alive for so long. If only our educators could keep the interests of their students in such a manner.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 2:20:00 PM by Anonymous
The photo on your cover is obviously HP. Those of us who know his identity would ask about the motives of one who obviously wants the attention, but isn't willing to take any real responsibility for his actions. The truth is that he has an agenda of his own, and since VCU hasn't promoted him to the level he'd hoped, this is his only way of addressing the issue. Style has played into this guy's sad little drama, and shame on you encouraging him.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 1:51:27 PM by Anonymous
Style Editors:
Thank you! Don't let these whiners bother you! Here's hoping that HP inspires others to blow the whistle on illegal actions happening in all parts of goverment!
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 1:43:24 PM by Anonymous
Style must have plenty of egg on its face given that they previously chose Wilder (twice), Gene Trani and Rodney Monroe as Richmonders of the Year.
Maybe choosing HP was, in part, an effort to remove past egg on face?
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 1:40:48 PM by Anonymous
I am reading all of the comments and feel that I must add my two cents worth.
The primary reason that I disagree with your choice of ing this informant as Person of The Year is that the careers or people who have done so very much good to help others have been questioned. What has this low level employee done to better mankind and our great University and City? Dr. Steingass was while at VCU a very tireless worker - on the job day in and day out helping staff, faculty and students succeed. Dean Holsworth is a man who has contributed so very much to VCU, our city and to society itself. He did so very much to promote good will, encourage by his teaching record, and leadership to make a difference in the lives of those he touched for good.
Now tell me what in the world good has the Whistle Blower done to improve our society? Oh the graduation records will be more closely monitored - that is good but - from what I have read in the news the error of awarding Chief Monroe's diploma was truly an unusual case - the uproar caused by this error is very much out of proportion to the damage that was caused to the people who are no longer at VCU. I hope the Whistle Blower will be able to realize what harm he has caused and come to realize he need professional help for his sick ego. And I truly hope you at Style will come to realize what a bad choice you have made in ing this sicko.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 1:37:07 PM by Anonymous
To all those complaining that HP is the problem and that Style erred in honoring him, can you honestly say that you believe that Wilder, Trani, Monroe and Holsworth would have corrected this problem had someone politely pointed it out?
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 1:24:56 PM by Anonymous
How do you think Nixon felt when the secrets he was trying to cover-up kept getting reported in the Washingon Post?
If I were receiving an illegal degree, I would deserve to have my privacy violated.
I am sure that there are criminals who are upset that Chief Monroe had their phones tapped. I bet Rod Blagoevich isstill upset that hi phone was tapped.
No one is talking about anyone's medical records being violated. Without any wrongdoing, HP would not have had nothing to blow the whistle about .... HP is not the problem ...
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 12:55:34 PM by Anonymous
I agree with others that this choice is pathetic and laughable. How will Style ever again get someone to be profiled as Richmonder of the Year after this?
According to the article, the winner is an anonymous “low on the administrative food chain” man who served his employer poorly (a real whistle-blower would have first tried to complain internally, “he didn’t think going up the chain of command at the university was an option”), and who made serious, career-threatening “allegations that were part hearsay” and that were in part "refuted" or "remain unproven" after two investigations. All of this comes from the story to honor the man! Gratuitously, Style also reports that in an anonymous email he is "accused of having unconventional sexual proclivities".
Can’t Style Weekly find a Richmonder of the Year they can say something nice about?
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 12:48:49 PM by Anonymous
To the person who wrote "Watergate demonstrated that NO ONE is above the law" and that "it is ok to look the other way and let SOME people get away with breaking the law," I have one question. How would you feel if someone got hold of your medical or personal records and sent them to the media? You seem to be forgetting that HP also BROKE the law by disclosing confidential student records. That is the point that the vast majority of the commenters are trying to make - that Style Weekly has "honored" this behavior.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 12:35:33 PM by Anonymous
BRAVO STYLE! Whatta gutsy decision to honor HP! I do not care how imperfect a human being he may be. What matters is that he blew the whistle and in so doing stood up for truth and honesty.
I think the comparison of HP to "Deep Throat" is especially apt. If Trani, Wilder et.al. had done nothing wrong, there would have been nothing to say. THEY brought this mess upon themselves. HP and Style Weekly are only the messengers.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 12:28:13 PM by Anonymous
This sounds like the kind of comments people made when "Deep Throat" spilled the beans on Richard Nixon and CREEP. And, of course, the identity of "Deep Throat" was a deep secret because it was against the law to rat out the president.
But, given what was revealed about Richard Nixon, I am glad that Watergate demonstrated that NO ONE is above the law. And, right here in River City, we have far too many people who think they are above the law or that someone is different than they are socially that it is ok to look the oether way and let SOME people get away with breaking the law if they are IMPORTANT enough. For the record, I am glad that "Deep Throat" blew the whistle on Richard Nixon and Cronies and I am glad that HP blew the whistle on Richmond's bigwigs who thought they could get away with handing out a degree just because they liked Monroe, or Holsworth, or Trani or Wilder.
Those who wish to trash HP's intentions, or his reputation, fail to see that by honoring HP, Style is praising the "Not-So Famous Men."
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 12:24:29 PM by Anonymous
Your choice of Person of The Year is very sad. The actions taken by this person remind me of how children behaved when I was in Grade School. It is a sad day when I see that you have only encouraged people like him to stoop so low as to bite the hand that feeds him. Even my pet dog would not do that. He should look elsewhere for employment! And you Style should consider your choice in ing Person of The Year!
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 12:17:24 PM by Anonymous
I would like to make it clear that not all of us commenting are part of VCU. There are some of us out here in the RICHMOND community who think this was handled incorrectly as well. Sorry Style, if I were one of the past recipients, I would give it back after this stunt.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 12:07:35 PM by Anonymous
I would like to address my comments directly to "HP." As you can tell from the numerous negative responses to this article, there are many in the VCU community who are aware of your identity. As you check back to view the comments (several of which are positive and more than likely written by you), you should keep in mind that you committed a federal offense and that legally, the end does not justify the means. Well meaning informants do not inform out of pettiness, retribution, or a perceived injustice, but to right a wrong. I do not see that to be the case here.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 10:47:51 AM by Anonymous
I find your choice for "Richmonder of the Year" almost laughable. HP was hardly acting on some noble attempt at redressing the situation with Chief Monroe. He's a disgruntled employee with a bone to pick and delusions of his own grandeur. A textbook case. And now Style has only added to his neurosis. A sad story all around...
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 10:30:19 AM by Anonymous
Style Weekly should be ashamed for naming him the person of the year, they should indeed have done their homework on him. I agree, most people who know his identity clearly disagrees with the choice of the award and wonders how this is possible.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 9:52:11 AM by Anonymous
Well Done Style!! You trash the reputation of the man who helped reduced crime in this town by 300% and by all accounts did nothing wrong,. Then you glorify a man who does not have the courage to come out of the shadows. Perhaps that's because he is afraid that the whistle will be blown on his own actions!! Do your homework and write the whole story then the public can decide if he should be named Richmonder of the Year
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 10:23:05 PM by Anonymous
Wilder and Trani thought they could get away with giving Monroe a degree. Instead of blaming HP for blowing the whistle, VCU should thank him for having the courage to step up and put a stop to the action.
The collateral damage that has happened to good people is not the fault of HP or of Style Weekly. It is the fault of Wilder and Trani who thought they could do whatever the Hell they wanted because they were the "Big Dogs."
