Privacy is main goal for victims

Ohio University officials must be careful when deciding whether to allow victims of alleged hate crimes to report the offenses anonymously.

The details of the proposed system are not clear because it is undergoing legal review, but the policy must have a few provisions to make sure both sides in a case are protected.

Students should have to give their names when reporting hate crimes. They must be held accountable if their allegations are malicious and unfounded. However, their names should not be released to public record to protect individuals who could go through further trauma in the community by being labeled the victim of a hate crime.

Administrators need a clear definition of what they consider to be a hate crime. They also should be consistent with federal standards. The Hate Crimes Statistics Act of 1990, amended in 1994 and 1996, defines a hate crime as a crime against a person or property motivated by bias toward race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, disability or sexual orientation, according to the FBI’s Web site (http://www.fbi.gov).

In addition to establishing a solid definition, OU should work to educate students about what hate crimes are, the penalties involved and the procedures for reporting them. Hate crimes have come into focus lately, both locally with a student who alleged being beaten because of her sexual orientation, and nationally for Muslim-Americans who reported mistreatment after the Sept. 11 attacks.

OU should make all hate crime hearings in the Office of Judiciaries closed to the public. Under current policy, the accused can decide to have an open hearing. But hate crimes are so serious and can cause even more damage to the accuser. The alleged victim needs to be protected from public scrutiny and possible future attacks. Before a hearing gets to this point, administrators must investigate the claim fully to make sure it has merit. OU must do everything it can to protect both parties involved. 

Sewers smell throughout city

Residents are raising a stink about the dilapidated sewer system serving a four-block area off North Court Street, but relief soon might be on the way.

Athens will apply for a $300,000 grant to help fund repairs to the more than 100-year-old brick storm sewer. City engineers estimate the total costs for the project will amount $492,500.

Although no requirement exists in the application for the city to match funds, Athens must raise the rest of the money to complete the project. Because Athens will know whether it received the grant by April 4, there is no reason construction cannot begin by early summer.

Residents of the area, including Fern Street, deserve to live in an odor-free environment. And the foul smell is only a symptom of a deeper problem. Because the sewer is so old, a pipe is likely to burst and lead to contamination. Athens officials need to fix the sewer soon before they have a bigger mess on their hands.

Athens also needs to look at the big picture and sewer system throughout the city. Other areas surely need to be updated and repaired. The city needs to take preventive measures to beautify and deodorize other neighborhoods. Officials should start looking for funding sources now and come up with a plan to renovate the underground lines.