Running head: DWIGHT CLARK CAMPUS CRISIS

Dwight Clark Case as a Campus Crisis Lindsey Hoogkamer Seattle University February 13, 2012

DWIGHT CLARK CAMPUS CRISIS Abstract Dwight Clark was a new student at Western Washington University in the fall of 2010 when he

went missing after a weekend party near campus. His body was discovered 11 days later, lifeless in Bellingham Bay, where there was no evidence of trauma. The following pages outline the facts of the case and the reactions of the campus community, specifically by President Bruce Shepard and the student body president, Colin Watrin. The goal of this crisis response paper is to analyze the administrations response to the crisis by referencing David G. Browns University Presidents as Moral Leaders (2006).

DWIGHT CLARK CAMPUS CRISIS

The dictionary definition of a crisis is an unstable or crucial timein which a decisive change is impending (Merriam-Webster, 2012). Crises that occur on a university campus are no different. Philip Dubois, an esteemed university president said, A crisis does not make character, it reveals character (Dubois, 2006, p. 30). I could not agree with this statement more, especially when considering a relatively recent crisis that occurred at my alma mater, Western Washington University (WWU). The death of a student is always tragic, but the circumstance involving the death of Dwight Clark was especially jarring. Dwight was a new freshman just beginning his college journey at Western. A week prior to his disappearance, his parents moved Dwight into the on-campus dorms. Clark was last seen leaving a friends party on the morning of September 26, 2010 at around 2 a.m. (Young, 2010). At around 2:44 a.m. a blank text was sent from Dwights phone to a friend; this ended up being the last electronic communication from Dwight (Young, 2010). The students body was missing for 11 days. In the meantime, massive search parties were underway to locate Dwight. Dwight was found dead in Bellingham Bay on October 7, 2010 (Stegmeier, 2010). During the time between when Dwight went missing to when he was finally found, an immense amount of distress and concern emanated from the campus community. To demonstrate the outpouring of support from the community, police initially set a $1,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Dwight. A few days later, the award increased to $14,595 due to donations from community members, sponsored by WWUs University Relations office (Woodard, B. & Woods, A., 2010). Gregory C. Farringtons (2006) essay The Importance of Values and Principles, demonstrates this point gracefully: I am also impressed renewed by just how many more people are capable of such extraordinary good when a crisis hits (p. 61).

DWIGHT CLARK CAMPUS CRISIS Before Dwights body was found, many questions circulated throughout the campus community regarding what happened to Dwight. Was Dwight murdered? If so, then was there a murderer on the loose? Did Dwight commit suicide? Was he kidnapped and assaulted? When Dwights body was found lifeless in the Bay, there was no indentified external or internal injuries to account for his death (Young, 2010). The final autopsy report stated that The cause

of Dwight Clarks death has been determined to be asphyxia by salt water drowning. The manner of death has been ruled accidental (Young, 2010). The unknown factor in this case was huge, and I think that this contributed to the fear that struck the community. Even after the final autopsy was released, many questions still remained unanswered as to why this student disappeared and was found lifeless in the bay. Not all student deaths receive equal amount of media attention, but the public seemed to be especially captivated by this case. I believe this case received an astounding amount of media coverage because the case took place in Bellingham, Washington, where Western Washington University is located. Violent crime is not rampant in Bellingham. The chance of becoming a victim of violent crime is 1 in 433, while in Washington state that value is 1 in 293 (Crime rates). Many students, myself included, felt relatively safe on campus and downtown. If this case occurred in the bad part of town in a large city, then I believe there would not have been nearly as much media coverage. This kind of stuff is not supposed to happen in small college towns. Also, Dwight was just a normal kid, fresh out of high school, and could be any parents child. I have a little brother who is Dwights age, and I could not help by think, what if this was my brother, and not Dwight? Needless to say, the disappearance of Dwight Clark sparked fear in the community, even after we knew the autopsy results.

DWIGHT CLARK CAMPUS CRISIS Bruce Shepard was (and currently is) the president of WWU when the Dwight case occurred. President Shepard began his career at WWU on September 1, 2008 (Bruce Shepard, 2011), so he may be considered a fairly new addition to the campus community. Regardless of his newness, I believe that President Shepard and the administration did a fine job in reacting to Dwights case. On the afternoon of the discovery of Dwights body, a campus community

gathering occurred on campus in Red Square. I was present for this gathering and I recall a deep, heavy feeling of somberness that afternoon. The words of President Shepard and our student body president, Colin Watrin, managed to bring some peace to the air. President Shepard said, Experience teaches several simple lessonswe must recognize that tragedy is not something we get over. Rather, tragedy changes. Changes us as people. As a community. We are different this afternoon than we were some hours ago (Remembering Dwight, 2010). Colin Watrin also spoke some powerful words during this gathering. He emphasized the strong sense of community that is found on WWUs campus by stating, Looking out at this gathering, I see hope. Hope that we will persevere and that out of this grief we will rise even stronger. I am incredibly proud to call myself a Western Viking, and that all of you and Dwight are part of my Western family (Remembering Dwight, 2010). Dubois (2006) noted several valuable lessons for university presidents who may find themselves in campus crises. The first and one of the most important is: When confronted by crisis, seek ways to ensure that your institution is not defined by the crisis itself, but by your response to it (p. 45). President Shepards words about tragedy in the paragraph prior demonstrate his awareness of not being defined by the crisis, but viewing it as an opportunity for positive change. Dubois fifth lesson for university presidents is: Symbols matter, and so does substance (p. 47). The gathering in Red Square brought the campus together in this time of

DWIGHT CLARK CAMPUS CRISIS

crisis and helped community members deal with the intense emotions brought on by discovering Dwights body. Although the gathering was a symbol, it was not without substance. President Shepard and Colin Watrin brought a comforting voice to the community. Scott S. Cowen (2006), who is president of Tulane University, responded to President Dubois essay with thoughtful consideration. The author noted, crises define our universities and test their core values. Even though we think we prepare for these events, there is no way to prepare completely because by definition a crisis is something unexpected (p. 55). Bruce Shepard had no way of knowing that Dwight Clarke would go missing, but the way in which he responded to the crisis aligned to the core values of Western Washington University. Cowen also noted that openness, transparency, and candor are key attributes at the time of crisis (p. 56). I believe this is something that President Shepard and Colin Watrin demonstrated in the Red Square gathering. Community building and the solidification of Westerns values were perhaps unintended, yet welcome changes that came from this tragic situation.

DWIGHT CLARK CAMPUS CRISIS References Bruce Shepard, President, Western Washington University (2011). Retrieved from http://www.wwu.edu/president/bios.shtml Cowen, S. S. (2006). Moral leadership: A response to President Dubois essay. In D. Brown (Ed.), University Presidents as Moral Leaders (55 58). Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Crime rates for Bellingham, WA. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/wa/bellingham/crime/ Dubois, P. L. (2006). Presidential leadership in time of crisis. In D. Brown (Ed.), University

Presidents as Moral Leaders (29 53). Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Farrington, G. C. (2006). The importance of values and principles: A response to President Dubois essay. In D. Brown (Ed.), University Presidents as Moral Leaders (59 62). Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Merriam-Webster. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crisis Remembering Dwight Clark. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.wwu.edu/univrelations/findDwight.shtml Stegmeier, R. (2010). Statement from Medical Examiner and the Bellingham Police Department on the Death of Dwight Clark. Retrieved from http://www.emergency.wwu.edu/go/doc/1539/917343/ Woodard, B. & Woods, A. (2010). The disappearance of Dwight Clark. The Western Front. Retrieved from http://westernfrontonline.net/news/12570-the-disappearance-of-dwightclark Young, M. (2010). Final Autopsy Report on Dwight Clark Released. Retrieved from http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1264/968927/

DWIGHT CLARK CAMPUS CRISIS