UAlbany: a college that's doing everything it can to discourage victims from reporting

"a college that says, 'Nope, no rape here!' is likely a college that's doing everything it can to discourage victims from reporting, as numerous investigations have found – and a campus with a low reporting rate is likely a campus where rapists are free to keep finding more victims, as statistics show that most undetected rapists continue to offend. On the other hand, a university with a relatively high number of reported rapes is likely to be a place where victims expect to be taken seriously, and where rapists come to know that they may face real consequences."

Friedman, Jacklyn. "Choosing a college? Look into campus rape rankings before you start packingEvery university has a rape problem. But when administrators discourage victims from reporting, potential students need to ask tougher questions." The Guardian. April 25, 2014. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/25/college-campus-rape-statistics-reporting

UAlbany bullshit (indicating they're a "college that's doing everything it can to discourage victims from reporting"):

RESPONSIVENESS TO COMMUNITY CONCERNS ‐

100% of all crimes are followed up;

99% of calls for service were responded to within four minutes or less.

3. POLICE ACTIVITY ‐

University at Albany Police Department cleared 50.3% of its crime cases; the national average is 20%.

http://police.albany.edu/UPDAnnualReport2012.pdf

UAlbany Police don't respond to some calls for service at all. "Followed up" is vague bullshit: hanging up on a student or deleting an e-mail reporting a crime could constitute "following up."

"It's not in anyone's interest to hide numbers, to hide incidents." - "Chief" J. "Frank" Wiley

        "one audience member asked if victims of sexual assaults were being discouraged from pressing charges.

        "'My very first response to that is, why would you think they would be discouraged?' Wiley said.

        "Wiley said his officers review all the options for victims, which include whether to press charges or go through the university's internal disciplinary process.

        "Wiley said university police honor victims' choices.

        "'It's not in anyone's interest to hide numbers, to hide incidents. And the reason for that is simply this: The damage to the credibility of the police department and the institution is far greater if that were to occur. We do not have a senior administration that has ever considered doing anything like that. I have never received any pressure to keep numbers down.' [...]

        Officer Jennifer Fila [...] who has been on the UAlbany force since 1998, said victims are not discouraged from pursuing criminal charges.

        "'We explain the process of each, and we leave it completely up to the woman [sic],' she said.

        "The department always honors victims' request, said UAlbany Police Capt. Aran Mull

Crowley, Cathleen F. "Handling of rape case defended; UAlbany police chief says officers followed protocol in dealing with alleged assault." Albany Times Union. October 26, 2006: A1. http://alb.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=6365244

Victims are in fact discouraged by SUNY Albany - through threats issued by SUNY Albany. SUNY Albany police officers do not review all the options for victims. SUNY Albany police do not honor victims' choices. SUNY Albany police no hide numbers and incidents. Wiley, Fila, and Mull apparently aren't very good at telling the truth.

"NY Budget Grand Slam"*

From: "Governor Andrew M. Cuomo"

Subject: Historic Passage of State’s Fourth Consecutive On-Time Budget

Date: April 1, 2014 at 9:05:34 PM EDT

Today, New York State passed its fourth consecutive on-time balanced budget, for the first time in more than 40 years since Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, Assembly Speaker Perry Duryea, and Majority Leader Earl Brydges – proof that Albany’s legendary dysfunction and gridlock are a relic of the past. Truly a NY Budget Grand Slam, this budget builds on the State’s progress over the past three years in order to grow the economy and create new opportunities for New Yorkers and their families.

The 2014-15 State Budget maintains the fiscal discipline that has characterized the last three years of progress by holding the growth in spending below two percent, while also making broad tax cuts that will help homeowners and businesses thrive. It also contains targeted investments that will transform our schools, ensure safer, cleaner, and fairer communities, and restore the public’s trust in government."

Do the people writing that stuff actually believe it? Or do they feel that releasing it on April Fool's Day gives them license to write such BS?

Passing an on-time (allegedly) balanced budget doesn't prove "dysfunction and gridlock are a relic of the past", won't "restore the public’s trust in government", etc. A LOT more has to be done before such claims could realistically be made.

As for it being a "grand slam," there's the problem of the Legislators and Governor achieving it through performance enhancing....