Tuesday statement credits university, student support
A statement released Tuesday by the family of CU freshman Michael Knorps indicate that he will remain at CU, despite being a victim of a campus stabbing on Aug. 27, the first day of class.
Here is the full statement.
One week ago, our son, Michael Knorps, was thrust headlong into the media spotlight because he was the victim of an assault on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder. This inexplicable act of violence has, since that time, brought our close family even closer together, tested Michael’s youthful character in ways he and we never imagined, and presented us with a traumatic moment in the life of our family.
Because of the outpouring of support from Michael’s fellow CU-Boulder students, from the administration of CU-Boulder Chancellor G.P. “Bud” Peterson, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Ron Stump, Athletic Director Mike Bohn, CU Head Football Coach Dan Hawkins, Special Assistant to the Athletic Director Tom McGrath, Director of Football Operations Robert Tucker, the entire CU football team and the CU-Boulder faculty, Michael has elected to remain a student at the University of Colorado. This is a decision we support. We have been touched by the humanity shown us during this difficult time, from the “get well” card initiated by fellow student Jessica Lilly and signed by over a thousand CU students, to the cards and balloons, to the experience of being on the sidelines and sharing in the excitement of the Colorado football team’s first win of the season. Michael has been met with concern and care by all at CU, and we are deeply grateful for this response by the campus community.
But the time has arrived for Michael to take his rightful place in his class, within the larger student body of CU-Boulder, without the burden on himself, his classmates and indeed, the larger university, of accommodating public curiosity and incessant media scrutiny. With this in mind, we are making an urgent, personal appeal to the local and national media to let Michael do this without it becoming a story. More directly, we are asking you not to personally contact our son, or members of our family who live here in Boulder, hoping to get pictures, interviews and “the inside story” of what happened to Michael.
In truth, there is no “inside story.” Michael was the victim of a violent crime that injured him and traumatized his family. There is no greater drama here, no deeper story, no larger meaning. The “news” – and it is not news to people who know Michael personally – is that this remarkable young man has recovered from this attack physically and will, with the support of his family and friends, recover emotionally and spiritually over time. But that is a private, not a public, process.
We make this appeal both as parents and as people of goodwill. We know the media have a job to do, and we are willing to accommodate your questions (on a limited basis) … We will not respond to any questions related to the legal or criminal aspects of this incident. In the meantime, we ask again that Michael be permitted to have, starting this week, the experience he was denied last week: being just another college student, ready to start a new chapter of his life. We believe he has earned that right. We ask you to respect it.
Thank you.
The George Knorps family, on behalf of Michael Knorps.
