Men laughed while one wrote a racial slur on a Black student’s dorm door, video shows. Rowan police say charges will not reflect a bias incident.

After walking down a dorm hallway at Rowan University in the wee hours of the morning, a trio of outsiders stopped at the door where a Black freshman lived, and one began writing a racial slur while the others watched, according to surveillance video.

Cameras near the victim’s door in the sprawling Holly Pointe Commons dorm captured the Sept. 11 incident on the outskirts of the South Jersey campus. The Inquirer obtained copies of the police report and the surveillance footage through New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act.

The narrative by Rowan Police Detective Sgt. Greg M. Farrar details the incident that has sparked concern on the campus, where Black students are 10% of the nearly 20,000 students.

The men avoided being charged with a bias crime. Police said that was because the men said they didn’t know the race of the person living at that dorm room. Two of the suspects were given trespassing warnings from Rowan, and the man who wrote the slur, Alston Willis, was charged with harassment, a disorderly offense. In fact, Willis, 19, of Wenonah, said that he identified as African American, according to the report.

Some students are demanding a zero-tolerance policy for racial incidents.

Acting Gloucester County Prosecutor Christine Hoffman has reviewed the investigation and notified Rowan that her office would not upgrade the charge, a university spokesperson said. A detective with the state Division of Criminal Justice Bias Crime Unit assisted with the Rowan investigation.

» READ MORE: The week after a racial slur was left on a Rowan freshman's door, charges aainst perpetrator are questioned

The victim, a freshman, has been afraid to leave her dorm unaccompanied, according to family members. A message on a piece of paper on her door said, “I hate [N-word],” according to the police report. The slur was also written on the door itself, police said.

“For them to come to her and say they can’t prove it’s a hate crime is a smack in the face,” said the victim’s older sister. “It’s a shame.”

Danny D’Agostino, 20, of Deptford, and Dominic Hull, 18, of Mullica Hill, told police that none of the men knew who lived in that particular dorm room, the police report said. The victim said she didn’t know them either, but she felt targeted.

None of the men responded to messages seeking comment. An attorney representing Willis did not immediately respond.

According to the report, the men entered the dorm around 3:27 a.m. with a group of female students. An identification card is needed to gain entrance to the building. None of the suspects are Rowan students.

After walking down the hallway, D’Agostino stopped and removed a marker from the victim’s door and handed it to Willis, the report said. Willis, kneeling on the floor, can be seen on the surveillance video writing on the victim’s door. D’Agostino and Hull are “standing directly around him, intently witnessing his actions, all while laughing,” according to the report.

At one point, D’Agostino spat on the carpeted floor, the report said. Willis stood up and could be seen writing up higher on the victim’s door. Hull had a shocked expression on his face and covered his mouth when he observed what Willis had written, continuing “to smile and laugh,” the report said.

After writing on the door for about two minutes, Willis was seen licking his fingers and rubbing the door, apparently trying to erase what he wrote, the report said. After Hull knocked on the victim’s door, the three fled and left the building, the report said

Police said one of the females who admitted the men to the dorm helped police later identify Willis and D’Agostino through their SnapChat names. Hull was identified a few days later.

The victim said she noticed the message around 9 a.m., police said. She noticed another slur on the door shortly after noon. Police believe both messages were written at the same time.

» READ MORE: Racial slur on Rowan University student's door leads to charges

Willis, accompanied by his parents, surrendered to Rowan police after they left a business card at his home. He was given a trespassing warning notice and issued a complaint for the harassment charge and released without giving a statement.

In a separate interview, Hull confirmed his identity on the surveillance video. In discussing the incident, Hull said about Willis that it’s “ironic that he’s Black, too. It’s funnier,” according to the report.

Black students at Rowan said the incident at the dorm illustrated a bigger problem on campus. At a recent town hall meeting attended by about 50 students, many shared their encounters with racism on campus. Several said they experienced culture shock when they enrolled in the school.

“It’s definitely deeper than that one incident,” said Za’Keria Sykes, 21 of Trenton, president of the Black Student Union.

Gabrielle Langevine, 20, of Piscataway, president of the campus chapter of the NAACP, said the personal stories “have shown us that the issues on campus are systemic and are subsequently engrained in student interaction.”

“These issues must be addressed by the administration,” said Langevine, a dance major.

Between Nov. 18, 2021, and Oct. 7, the school received 67complaints from students alleging bias or discrimination, Rowan said. Of those, at least 37 cases were closed or resolved, some with mediation or counseling, or withdrawn, eight were unsubstantiated, and 11 were pending, the school said.

Rowan spokesperson Joe Cardona said the university welcomed student concerns and would continue offering programs and services to promote diversity.

“It’s important to raise awareness,” Cardona said.