USF seeks state permission to exhume Dozier graves
A week after a circuit court judge denied a request for USF researchers to exhume bodies from graves at the former Dozier School for Boys, USF is seeking permission from state authorities to exhume the graves.
Exhuming the graves at the Marianna reform school, which was notorious for abuse and the deaths of many boys, would “help answer these remaining questions about who is buried at the site, the burial practices and circumstances of their lives and deaths and the significant role of this institution in Florida history and heritage,” a letter signed by two professors on the research team said, according to the Associated Press.
The Florida Legislature already appropriated $200,000 toward the project, and in late May, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
expressing his support for USF’s grant application to the Department of Justice for $3 million that would support the project.
The exhumations would take approximately a year to complete, and the research is being led by Erin Kimmerle, an assistant professor of anthropology.
According to an article in the Tampa Bay Times, Circuit Court Justice William Wright, who denied the request,
stated that a medical examiner has authority over exhumations, while a state archaeologist would have that authority for remains “interred for more than 75 years.”
— Staff report
More Stories
Bomb threat at USF Cooper hall wasn’t legitimate, police say
University Police (UP) determined a reported bomb threat at Cooper Hall on Tuesday night wasn’t legitimate. After sweeping Cooper Hall, UP found “nothing of concern,” according to a universitywide email sent out at 12:39 a.m on Wednesday. The investigation is still ongoing, according to police. The USF community was first alerted to the bomb threat […]
Pro-Palestine encampment protest at USF broken up by tear gas
Law enforcement broke up a pro-Palestine encampment of around 100 protesters at the USF Tampa campus Tuesday evening using tear gas. The demonstration was the second in two days at USF where students, employees and community members urged the university to divest from companies with financial ties to Israel. Related: Several protesters at USF arrested […]
Several protestors at USF arrested during pro-Palestine encampment protest
Three protestors were arrested by University Police (UP) Monday afternoon during a pro-Palestine demonstration outside the Marshall Student Center (MSC), according to USF spokesperson Althea Johnson. Johnson said the three arrests included a student, an employee and an individual who is not associated with the university. Related: USF pro-Palestine hunger strikers removed from BOT meeting […]
The Oracle needs your help
Dear reader: Reporters for USF’s award-winning student newspaper, The Oracle, have recently navigated through a pandemic, a rapidly evolving political climate and a change in university president – all with the goal of sharing important news and stories. Though The Oracle has been an integral part in keeping the USF community informed since 1966, we […]
USF won’t install more physical protections following recent on-campus suicide
USF will not be implementing additional physical safety measures over a month after a student leapt from an upper floor inside the Interdisciplinary Sciences building, USF spokeswoman Althea Johnson said. The incident marked the third on-campus suicide since fall 2022. A week after a student fell from an upper floor of Beard Garage in 2022, […]
Meet USF’s new student body president and vice president
A new era of Student Government (SG) just arrived. In a quick five-minute ceremony, student body president-elect Suryakanth Prasad Gottipati and vice president-elect Sumit Subhash Jadhav were sworn in on Wednesday afternoon. Their term will start on May 6 and last for one year. Related: Take a look at USF’s student leaders’ swearing in ceremony […]