Villanova U. ends probe into report of post election incident
Villanova University has ended its probe into a report of a black female student who allegedly was knocked down by young white males yelling "Trump" because the student does not want to pursue the matter, according to the university.
Villanova University has ended its probe into a report of a black female student who allegedly was knocked down by young white males yelling "Trump" because the student does not want to pursue the matter, according to the university.
Radnor Township police last month announced they had closed their investigation into the matter for the same reason. Villanova spokesman Jonathan Gust said at the time that the university would continue its probe and hold accountable any individuals responsible for wrongdoing at the university level.
Gust, however, said Friday: "It was hard to move forward, being that the student did not want to pursue the matter."
He declined to say why the student did not want to cooperate or whether the university knows the identities of the males allegedly involved in the incident.
Gust also would not comment on what the university's probe into the matter uncovered.
"We're not going to speculate on what occurred," he said.
The incident was alleged to have occurred in a SEPTA tunnel on campus the evening of Nov. 10, two days after the presidential election. Lt. Andy Block of Radnor Township police said that police believe the men were running through the tunnel yelling "Trump" and that the woman got knocked down, but police don't know whether it was intentional or what the motive was.
The closure of the investigation "does not diminish the concerns and discussions that have taken place on campus, as they have in many places throughout the country, and that have led to some important dialogue on campus," Gust said.
The investigation at Villanova came amid reports of racist incidents in communities around the country after Donald Trump was elected president. At the University of Pennsylvania, some black freshmen received racist messages when they were joined to a GroupMe account against their wishes. Authorities have not said whether anyone will be charged in that case. The FBI is investigating and has questioned college students in Oklahoma.
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