Odd.
Initial reports of the ecstasy lab found at Vista Del Sol were reported as occurring on ASU’s Tempe campus, now it is nearly impossible to find a link to the original story on ANY of the major media outlets. On abc15.com (where we pulled the original link from), the news story isn’t on the site AT ALL. The links are still live, and you can still search them from google, but when you are navigating news stories on the site, it is nowhere to be found. (You can read about Tempe news from a week or more earlier, but this story is missing).
Other media outlets that have since updated the story, such as CBS 5, have referred to the dorm where the drug lab was found (Vista Del Sol) as an “apartment in Tempe” near “Apache and Rural Roads”. The title itself even refers to the drug lab as being “near ASU’s campus”. Last time we checked, Vista is a privately managed dorm LOCATED ON ASU’S TEMPE CAMPUS, NOT NEAR IT OR ACROSS THE STREET FROM IT. If that were the case, why does ASUPD respond to Vista calls, NOT Tempe PD?
ASU’s spokeperson Julie Newberg makes it seem like the university cares by stating that violations to the Student Code of Conduct could result in punishment up to/including expulsion from ASU. She also throws in a tidbit about how “the apartment complex is housing for juniors and senior at ASU”, as if to assuage any parents reading the article.
This is a pretty obvious and blatant attempt to minimize the damage done to ASU and also the PD. In reality, ASU has NO concept of the crime problem directly under their noses because they’re too concerned about minimizing bad press so the university won’t lose any revenue generating students due to a poor reputation. If the parent populous KNEW how unsafe their children were at ASU, they wouldn’t be spending the big out of state money to send them here. Disgusting and sad.
Everyone knows this is somewhat less than truthful, so lying about it just erodes the credibility of the source. Vista Del Sol is exclusively used by ASU students for a dormitory, it always has been, and the only shred of truth here is that it is managed by a private company that works very closely with the university. Tempe Police don’t respond for service here, ASUPD does.
This is a bold faced lie. The first concern ASU has when these stories break are how they can minimize it in the press. How about telling the truth. How about having a police department fighting crime that isn’t bike thefts for a change? Another losing battle.
I have seen more than my share of spin stories and outright lies during my tenure here, but this one is extra special due to it’s publicity and audacity. I laughed when I first read the report about this not being on campus.
If Vista Del Sol is not on the ASU campus then neither is Old Main and Sparky isn’t a devil, he’s a red bunny with pointy ears. DPS made us look like a bunch of asses by making a bust this big right under our noses. This bust could have been ours if our department realized it’s potential.
It brings a heap of shame on everyone at the university when our public relations people tell obvious lies to divert attention. Do they really thing the public and the 76,000 of students who go there, their families, friends, don’t know Vista Del Sol is a very large part of ASU on campus housing? Shame on them, don’t be afraid to tell the truth everyone knows about.
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