The University of Utah announced this week that it will pay a $5 million settlement to the parents of an international student from China who was killed last year.
Zhifan Dong, 19, died in what police say was a domestic violence homicide in a Salt Lake City motel room on Feb. 11, 2022. Her then-boyfriend and fellow student, Haoyu Wang, has been charged with her death. An internal review the university published in July showed that school housing staff members failed multiple times to recognize Dong was in danger in the weeks leading up to her death.
“While we continue to mourn Zhifan’s death, we are grateful to take this important step toward justice for our daughter,” Dong’s father, Mingsheng Dong, and her mother, Junfang Shen, said in a statement Tuesday about the agreement. “It is our hope that Zhifan will be remembered and that her memory will inspire others to help prevent intimate partner violence and save lives on campus and in all our communities.”
Wang, 26, has been charged with murder and is incarcerated. He has been declared incompetent to stand trial and has pleaded not guilty through his attorney, Joseph C. Alamilla.
In the settlement, the school recognized its failure to protect Dong.
“The university acknowledges shortcomings in its response of its housing and residential education team to the complex situation that resulted in Zhifan Dong’s death and acknowledges the terrible loss that the Dong Family has suffered,” the school said.
University President Taylor Randall said the agreement demonstrates the school’s “seriousness in honoring Zhifan Dong” and “commitment to the ongoing work of addressing all aspects of student safety.”
Dong’s “murder is a reminder that intimate partner violence is a societal problem that transcends borders and cultures, and manifests in many ways,” Randall said in a statement. “No one should have to endure the loss of a child to violence and our university will remain diligent, continue…
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