U.Va. President: Rape Allegations ‘Shocking’

"The story in Rolling Stone is shocking. My initial reaction was numbness. But the numbness then turned to anger and a deep grief for the survivors. I want to make it perfectly clear to you and to the watching world that nothing is more important to me than the safety of our students. Not our reputation, not our success, and not our history or our tradition. If there are systemic problems, they must be rooted out. Foremost in my mind is fully investigating these allegations as well as thoroughly reviewing all of our current practices.

That's why I have asked the Charlottesville Police Department to investigate the gang rape as described in Rolling Stone. That's why I fully endorse the investigation by an independent counsel who will advise us on how we can better respond to sexual assault on the grounds, as well as propose necessary changes to state law ...

This suspension does not indicate wrongdoing on the part of every member of the Greek system, nor for every individual who chooses to participate at. But the actions of even a single individual within a larger community do reflect on that community as a whole. I'm going to work with our staff and with the Greek community to make their environment safer for their residents and for visitors. This is the defining moment for us to improve our oversight of a Greek system."