Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Interview with Baylor University President Robert Sloan
Aired August 22, 2003 - 07:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The father of Patrick Dennehy reportedly plans to sue Baylor University. The suit is expected to be filed today, according to "The Dallas Morning News." The report says the suit will accuse the school of creating an unsafe atmosphere and covering up information about his son's killing.
Earlier, Baylor University President Robert Sloan said he would not comment on any pending legal matters, but he did tell me whether or not he had any plans to step down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT SLOAN, PRESIDENT, BAYLOR UNIVERSITY: Running away from problems is not the answer to any solution. I did note that one or two faculty senators have suggested that they may file a motion with the senate, but I was really very gratified yesterday. We had a university-wide faculty meeting, and I felt the sustained support of the faculty who were there. It was really a university-wide meeting.
And then, I was told also and saw a news clip that there had been a press conference called by about 100 faculty members, and they very strongly support the direction of the university.
So, these certainly are challenging days for us, but I'm really encouraged about the future of the university.
O'BRIEN: The last time you and I spoke, you said you were going to thoroughly investigate the allegations of wrongdoing and NCAA violations. This was before these tapes were made public, tapes that appear to have Coach Bliss on them encouraging students to lie. I want to first listen to a portion of one of these tapes.
(BEGIN AUDIO TAPE)
DAVID BLISS, FORMER BAYLOR UNVERSITY BASKETBALL COACH: You tell the story, tell your own stories, and then at the end of it, just add the fact that, you know, in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) these guys would call, you know, and knock on the door and come over and go in the back room and do all that stuff.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: You've obviously heard much more of those tapes than probably we've heard, and certainly more than that little clip that we're just playing there. What was your first reaction when you heard about the existence of the tapes and when you heard what was on the tapes? SLOAN: We were absolutely stunned to learn of the existence of the tapes and certainly the contents of the tapes. It's shocking. It's terrible. I suppose if there is any good news at all, it is in the fact that actually a week prior to the discovery of those tapes on the part of our investigative committee, that we already had the resignation of Coach Bliss, we already had confirmed that major infractions had incurred, and the university had already self-imposed sanctions.
So, as disgusting and as wrong as those tapes are, the fact is the cover-up didn't work, and we're very glad for that.
O'BRIEN: Coach Bliss has quit. Your athletic director has quit. How do you bring the university back around? How do you wipe, frankly, the tarnish off of Baylor University at this stage now?
SLOAN: We're an institution that's 158 years old. We're very strong. We have a historic mission. We have a commitment to an outstanding academic experience for our students within the framework of a very distinctive place in Christian higher education. So, I'm confident that we'll go forward. We're a people of hope, we're a people of discipline, of accountability, of grace. So, I'm confident about the direction of Baylor.
Our students began to move in yesterday, and there is excitement on our campus. So, we're looking to the future. We'll emerge from this with a lot of strength.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: And that was Baylor University President Dr. Robert Sloan talking with us a little bit earlier this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired August 22, 2003 - 07:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The father of Patrick Dennehy reportedly plans to sue Baylor University. The suit is expected to be filed today, according to "The Dallas Morning News." The report says the suit will accuse the school of creating an unsafe atmosphere and covering up information about his son's killing.
Earlier, Baylor University President Robert Sloan said he would not comment on any pending legal matters, but he did tell me whether or not he had any plans to step down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT SLOAN, PRESIDENT, BAYLOR UNIVERSITY: Running away from problems is not the answer to any solution. I did note that one or two faculty senators have suggested that they may file a motion with the senate, but I was really very gratified yesterday. We had a university-wide faculty meeting, and I felt the sustained support of the faculty who were there. It was really a university-wide meeting.
And then, I was told also and saw a news clip that there had been a press conference called by about 100 faculty members, and they very strongly support the direction of the university.
So, these certainly are challenging days for us, but I'm really encouraged about the future of the university.
O'BRIEN: The last time you and I spoke, you said you were going to thoroughly investigate the allegations of wrongdoing and NCAA violations. This was before these tapes were made public, tapes that appear to have Coach Bliss on them encouraging students to lie. I want to first listen to a portion of one of these tapes.
(BEGIN AUDIO TAPE)
DAVID BLISS, FORMER BAYLOR UNVERSITY BASKETBALL COACH: You tell the story, tell your own stories, and then at the end of it, just add the fact that, you know, in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) these guys would call, you know, and knock on the door and come over and go in the back room and do all that stuff.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: You've obviously heard much more of those tapes than probably we've heard, and certainly more than that little clip that we're just playing there. What was your first reaction when you heard about the existence of the tapes and when you heard what was on the tapes? SLOAN: We were absolutely stunned to learn of the existence of the tapes and certainly the contents of the tapes. It's shocking. It's terrible. I suppose if there is any good news at all, it is in the fact that actually a week prior to the discovery of those tapes on the part of our investigative committee, that we already had the resignation of Coach Bliss, we already had confirmed that major infractions had incurred, and the university had already self-imposed sanctions.
So, as disgusting and as wrong as those tapes are, the fact is the cover-up didn't work, and we're very glad for that.
O'BRIEN: Coach Bliss has quit. Your athletic director has quit. How do you bring the university back around? How do you wipe, frankly, the tarnish off of Baylor University at this stage now?
SLOAN: We're an institution that's 158 years old. We're very strong. We have a historic mission. We have a commitment to an outstanding academic experience for our students within the framework of a very distinctive place in Christian higher education. So, I'm confident that we'll go forward. We're a people of hope, we're a people of discipline, of accountability, of grace. So, I'm confident about the direction of Baylor.
Our students began to move in yesterday, and there is excitement on our campus. So, we're looking to the future. We'll emerge from this with a lot of strength.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: And that was Baylor University President Dr. Robert Sloan talking with us a little bit earlier this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
