CHICAGO – Administrators at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) are being harshly criticized for their handling of a student’s death that occurred in December.

On Dec. 15, Laura Dickinson, 22, was found dead in her dorm room. She was naked from the waist down, and a pillow was over her head.

School officials maintained for more than two months that they did not suspect foul play. They stuck to their position even after the medical examiner found semen on the victim.

Student Orange Taylor III was arrested Feb. 23 after video showed him exiting the dorm, carrying a gift bag received by Dickinson at a Christmas party earlier in the evening.

An independent report commissioned by EMU’s Board of Regents alleges school officials covered up the likelihood Dickinson’s death was a murder. The report says James Vick, who is the school’s vice president of student affairs, had ordered the shredding of a public safety department document describing the scene of the incident. Vick’s attorney, however, disputes that claim.

The report also says the university failed to issue a timely warning about a possible homicide.

On June 19, EMU President Dr. John Fallon issued a public apology to Dickinson’s family and the university community, vowing that “never again will such a confounding series of mistakes be made on my watch.”

In response to these developments, 20 EMU professors signed a letter asking the Board of Regents to fire Fallon.

The U.S. Department of Education is currently investigating the incident to determine if there were any Clery Act violations.

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