University of Toledo community responds to student assault

The University of Toledo community is still experiencing the impacts of the off-campus student assault that took place on Jan. 24, with sharply divided opinions arising in its wake.

Kaye Patten Wallace, senior vice president for student affairs, gave an update on the situation at a Jan. 28 forum on campus-wide diversity. Wallace said Mary Martinez, a student conduct officer, is in charge of overseeing the student code of conduct investigation, which will likely take at least two weeks.

“What we’re asking the university community to do is let the process, which is underway … unfold and to wait till the determination is done,” Wallace said.

Wallace also commented on the status of Pi Kappa Phi and clarified the meaning of their suspension without prejudice, saying the investigation “assumes from the very beginning impartiality … we have not assumed that they are guilty or that they are not guilty. This is just part of the process.”

Rayshawn Watkins, the student who was assaulted, has given his account to several news outlets. However, viewpoints representing Pi Kappa Phi’s version of the story are notably absent from most news articles.

When contacted for comment over Facebook, a Pi Kappa Phi member said the local chapter had been instructed not to speak to the press, and that the national organization’s statement was all they could provide on the subject.

Accounts of the night differing from the ones contained in Watkin’s statements and the police report have circulated on Twitter since the night of the incident, although none could be verified directly. One tweet by Abby Shirley, a Twitter user who claimed to have been at the party, said Watkins was thrown out for intruding on a private party.

“Ray trespassed on private property, destroyed property and assaulted a brother,” Shirley wrote in one tweet on Jan. 24. Shirley’s other tweets also said the altercation had nothing to do with race.

Ryan Aridi, vice president of philanthropy at the fraternity, told The Blade that Watkins intruded on a private party and started a fight after damaging Christmas lights and being asked to leave.

“This had nothing to do with race whatsoever,” he told the Toledo newspaper.

However, several members of Pi Kappa Phi have taken to social media and posted statements of support for their fraternity, although none of them directly referenced the events of that night.

Zach Lepla, a member of Pi Kappa Phi, made a post to his Facebook page expressing frustration with the way people were responding to the situation. Lepla asked that those not involved in the situation refrain from making assumptions, and mentioned several past acts of charity that Pi Kappa Phi has performed for the community.

“It is not difficult for today’s society to believe this incident could occur, and for those without stake in the outcome it may be easy to cast blame, but I urge you to step back and look deeper,” Lepla said.

Lepla’s status received an outpouring of support on Facebook, including 165 shares and 284 likes. Other similar statuses on Twitter included statements of support, like Pi Kappa Phi member Abe Elkhatib proclaiming his pride in being part of “this diverse and caring brotherhood,” and Pi Kappa Phi member Jeremiah Popov tweeting that he was “damn proud to be a Pikapp.”

Pi Kappa Phi has received some negative backlash following the incident via social media, including implicit threats made toward the organization.

Shirley compiled some of these tweets while suggesting that they should possibly be shown to the police. One tweet she screenshotted included twitter user Tae!, who suggested going to the fraternity house and “letting them have it.”

UT President Sharon Gaber addressed the issue of threats in the email she sent to campus on Jan. 26, where she said that the UT police were investigating several of these threats.

“Everyone has the right to express their opinions, however implicit or explicit threats expressed on social media or elsewhere will not be tolerated,” Gaber wrote.