Title IX Report Filed Against New UPD Chief Sean Forde

By Nolan Locke and Summer Tyler

In a brief email announcement sent to the campus community Friday afternoon, Purchase College administration announced that the University Police Department (UPD) will now be supervised by Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Patricia Bice and Inspector Cindy Markus, effective immediately.

Official statement released by the Office of the President (Photo via Purchase College Office of the President)

Earlier this week, freshman Riley Buckley filed a Title IX report regarding an inappropriate comment he alleges was made last month by UPD Chief Sean Forde.

Buckley, a film major, was at Southside inventorying props and backline equipment for his show with the Purchase Thespian Society on the night of Sept. 18. Buckley and four other members of the Thespian Society were moving equipment from Southside to Humanities when they ran into Chief Forde and another officer, trying to lock up Southside for the night.

Buckley described the encounter:

"They were like, ‘Hey, what’s up? We need to lock Southside; we saw you still had stuff here, so we’re waiting a second.’ We were like, ‘Okay, cool. We’re just finishing cleaning up.’ The two officers left. Ten to 15 minutes later, they came back in, and we were like, ‘We’re almost done.’ Chief Forde said something like, ‘No problem. There’s a Stood party going on; we have to be in the area anyway.’’

According to Buckley, Connor Topper, another student who was present at Southside and who verified this exchange with Phoenix reporters, asked Chief Forde, “Does the party suck?”

According to the students present, Forde replied, "Yeah, it sucks, but there’s a lot of good eye candy over there if you guys wanna go take a look.”

A photo captured of the UPD building. (Photo by Nolan Locke)

Buckley continued, “We walked outside, and we were like, ‘That’s kind of weird, cause you're like a grown man, and there are 17-year-olds at the Stood. So what are you on about right now?’

“We didn’t report him because I didn’t know how. I brought it up at a [PSGA] senate meeting a couple of days ago, and Jess Bullock [director of student engagement and involvement] was there, and she explained everything to me, and then I reported him that night.”

As of press time, Bullock has not responded to questions from a Phoenix reporter.

Buckley said he filled out the Title IX report, listing everyone who was a witness there and gave a brief description of the incident. Buckley said he received an email the next morning from Shannon Woolard, the civil rights compliance investigator and assistant affirmative action officer. He also met with an HR representative around noon that same day, according to Buckley.

When asked if he thought the administration was taking this matter seriously, he said, “With everything going on right now with Cornell, they were very, very serious about it. They brought in HR; Shannon [Woolard] was very upset by everything. So, it seemed to me like they were taking it like a very serious issue.”

In an email statement to the Phoenix, Vice President Bice wrote, “As of Friday, October 2, Inspector Cindy Markus and I have been entrusted with the administration of the University Police Department. Additional leadership announcements will be forthcoming.” However, Bice refused to provide any further elaboration on either her qualifications to head a university police department or the status of Chief Forde by press time.

Elijah Lulla, a playwriting and screenwriting junior who was also present at Southside on Sept. 18, recounted the moment Chief Forde made his remarks.

“He said, ‘Cool. If you guys aren’t doing anything later, you might wanna head over to the Stood, there’s some nice eye candy.’ Which is just like, first off, you don’t fucking say that.”

All five members of the Thespian Society who were present at Southside that night told the Phoenix that they heard Chief Forde’s remarks and were involved in making the report to Title IX.

“We were all interviewed by someone looking into it. So we’ve all given our testimonies,” said Lulla.

The back entrance of the Southside building. (Photo by Nolan Locke)

Ryan Daniels, a senior studio composition major, also recounted the moment Chief Forde made his remarks at Southside.

“I was like, ‘Damn, that’s gross, bro.’ Because first of all, it doesn't matter if they're like 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. That’s not your purpose at the Stood as UPD Chief. You're there to keep people safe…Meanwhile, he’s there ogling all these girls and talking about how they’re eye candy.”

Daniels also recalled Chief Forde not being in uniform or having a visible badge at the time of the encounter.

“He was, I think, doing a tagalong kind of thing. He was saying at the town hall how he’s just trying to observe and see how the Stood works. He was not wearing a vest, he wasn't wearing a duty belt, he wasn't wearing a badge.”

President Michael Steiper promised the Phoenix a statement by 5 p.m. but had not delivered as of press time. Efforts to reach Chief Forde as well as Cindy Markus at UPD were unsuccessful as well.

Chief Forde at work at his desk in his office. (Photo by Summer Tyler)

(Additional Reporting by Tia Porter and Julia Wojcik)