December 28, 2007 - University Response to the DeVercelly Civil Suit

To the Rider University Community,

As we conclude what has been a challenging year at Rider University, I wanted to update you on recent events.

The University, the DeVercelly family and their legal representatives met in mid-December to find an appropriate means of settling the family's claim against Rider without the need for litigation. That effort was not successful, and despite the University's willingness to continue the dialog, the family chose today to file a civil action against Rider and certain individuals. We disagree with the allegations in that filing and will contest them vigorously.

I made a commitment this spring to honor Gary's memory by working to educate our community about the dangers of alcohol abuse and binge drinking. Through the work of the Presidential Task Force on Alcohol, Personal Responsibility, and Student Life and many others throughout the institution, we have implemented a variety of initiatives this academic year as part of our ongoing efforts in support of this commitment. Several of these are summarized below:

• The alcohol policy was revised to strengthen sanctions and require parental notification for all violations.
• A Good Samaritan policy was established that encourages students to seek help first for medically compromised students who are under the influence of alcohol, without fear of campus repercussions.
• The social events policy was revised to prohibit social events with alcohol in residence halls and Greek houses, confining them instead to registered events in licensed and supervised venues on campus, where alcohol is served and consumed lawfully.
• AlcoholEdu was implemented as a requirement for all freshmen on both campuses as part of a comprehensive alcohol education program.
• Six full-time professionals now serve as residence-based directors in each of our Greek houses. In addition, Rider hired five additional full-time Public Safety officers and a full-time substance abuse education and prevention specialist.

Alcohol abuse occurs much too often on college campuses nationwide. Every day, colleges and universities throughout the country face the growing challenge of promoting personal responsibility among students while also striving to make their campuses as safe and healthy as possible. In the end, this is a matter of shared responsibility.

Rider is a caring and resilient community. I am confident that through the continuing implementation and assessment of the task force recommendations and student-led initiatives, Rider is becoming an even stronger learning community for all. I thank those of you who have been instrumental in supporting these important efforts and look forward to our continuing work together in the year ahead.

Mordechai Rozanski