For university students, Halloween Weekend – often called “Halloweekend”, is a time for costumes, parties, and celebrations. However, things took a darker turn when a violent altercation took place in Alumni Hall this past Halloween night that left one student hospitalized with a broken jaw. The incident has raised concerns about student safety, as blood was allegedly found in the hallway and in the student’s dorm.
The story originates at Paulies, the local bar in Pleasantville on Marble Avenue. According to a student who claimed to be at Paulies that night, a player sitting with his lacrosse teammates was punched by the later victim, a student on the baseball team. He then took one of their phones and taunted the team to follow him back to campus. Pace officials would not provide details about what happened after, but rumors spread quickly, including to a Pace University parents Facebook group.
Source: Facebook (Pace University Parent Page)
We spoke to Jeffrey Barnett, the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Dean for Students to get more insight on the steps the University takes in disciplinary action similar to this case.
“Conduct incidents happen all the time. The university deals with alleged violations of the guiding principles on an ongoing basis. I can’t get into too many details about the specifics because it is an ongoing investigation and the case has not yet been adjudicated.”
Not long after the incident, the students involved have since been disciplined by the University as they work on their investigation. We reached out to the victim for comment, yet did not receive a response.
The Town of Mt. Pleasant Police Department was also contacted for any possible information regarding the alleged assault. They denied a freedom of information law request for details about what happened that night, calling it an “active investigation.”
Pace University implements a point system for students who break university policy. The handbook is divided into two main sections: the student disciplinary process and the guiding principles of conduct. The student disciplinary process details how students’ issues with the school are appealed and resolved; this part also outlines the points system assessment (the greater the charge, the more points you lose). The guiding principles of conduct section explains how students are supposed to carry out their behavior and also includes rules from federal and New York State laws.
Jerry McKinstry, the Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs, released a statement about the university’s current actions and their pledge to student safety:
“The health, welfare, and safety of our community members remains our highest priority. Pace University does not tolerate any acts of violence including physical force, assault, or psychological harm, on or off campus – and we expect members of our community to adhere to our codes of conduct. We are aware of an incident involving students and working closely with the appropriate authorities on this matter.”
Barnett continues to explain the University’s process of decision-making with incidents involving threats to student livelihood.
“If the university understands that there is a threat to oneself or others or to the community, there is a process that the university can take an interim action, which is detailed in the procedures and policies section. If the university decides that barometer has been reached, we will take interim action which is a temporary sanction. Students have the opportunity to appeal that temporary interim action. That appeal is reviewed. Modifications can be made. The appeal can be rejected outright. The appeal can be totally and completely accepted, and the interim action is overturned. So those are all the possibilities for interim action. Once that’s done, whatever has been decided sits in place.”
As of right now, the University is doing what they can to deal with the incident as they continue to investigate what happened that night.
If you or someone else you know is feeling threatened or unsafe, don’t hesitate to call Pace Campus Security at (914) 773-3400.