In the wake of two sexual assault cases involving Boston University hockey players, the university set up a task force to review the team's culture.
On Wednesday, the task force released its report on the program, and the results shine a harsh light on the Terriers hockey program run by coach Jack Parker.
"Our conclusion is that there are a number of important structures and processes that are failing to achieve the full level and quality of oversight of the men's ice hockey program that is expected and appropriate at a major university," the report states, according to the Eagle-Tribune's Mike McMahon. The task force goes on to cite "issues of institutional control and governance structure at the highest levels" and "shortcomings in leadership at the team level" as reasons for those failings.
"Our assessment has shown that a culture of sexual entitlement exists among some players on the men's ice hockey team," the report continues, "stemming in part from their elevated social status on campus."
The task force describes a culture of no-strings-attached sexual encounters involving the hockey players, noting that the behavior is "actively supported" by a small group of the BU student population.
As far as how to fix the issues surrounding the team, the task force recommends that the members of the men's hockey team undergo sexual assault prevention training and become more integrated into the rest of the university's student body, among several other larger-scale changes for the school.
The school established the task force in the wake of arrests of Corey Trivino and Max Nicastro. Trivino was sentenced to two years of probation after pleading guilty to assault and battery in August, while the charges against Nicastro were eventually dropped.
