In the wake of last month's alleged assault of a Princeton University student, Penn administrators say they are both upset and shocked, and will take allegations against the students involved very seriously.
"My reaction was the same as everyone else's," said Leslie Delauter, director of College Houses and Academic Services. "I am quite shocked and surprised that Penn students would commit this sort of violent act."
Last month, five Penn students were arrested for assaulting John Brantl, who was visiting the University for a debate tournament. The students allegedly poured motor oil over Brantl and threw a lit cigarette at him.
College freshmen David Hochfelder and Philip Balderston, College sophomore Thomas Bispham Jr., Wharton sophomore Tavraj Banga and College senior Steven Stolk will appear at a preliminary hearing at the Criminal Justice Center on Dec. 17, facing a number of charges, including aggravated assault.
The Penn students -- who are all affiliated with the underground Owl Society -- are also awaiting charges to be filed by the University's Office of Student Conduct, according to Director Michele Goldfarb.
Goldfarb added that in this type of case, expulsion is among the punishments that the OSC considers.
"Expulsion is one of the sanctions that might be available after an investigation takes place," she said.
"The students won't be charged until all facts are known," Goldfarb continued. "And if the facts show that the students have different levels of involvement, that will be reflected in the charges."
The University's investigation into the alleged assault is being conducted completely independently of the criminal proceedings, according to University President Judith Rodin.
Rodin, like other administrators, said she was both shocked and upset by the alleged assault, and stressed that University officials have been taking all necessary actions to address the situation.
Directly following the incident, Rodin called Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman to express her concern and sympathy for the Princeton students involved and to assure her that the University would take the allegations against the Penn students very seriously.
Rodin said that the alleged behavior is unacceptable for Penn students and stressed that the University should be a place where students from other colleges and universities can come and feel welcome.
Princeton spokeswoman Lauren Robinson-Brown commended Penn's response to the incident.
"We appreciate that the University is conducting the investigation and it has progressed," she said. "It's a very unfortunate situation."
Robinson-Brown declined to comment on what punishment she thinks would be appropriate should the University's investigation find the students guilty.
Delauter echoed Rodin's concern that Penn be a safe, welcoming environment for visiting students.
"We have taken a lot of precautions to make sure our Penn students are safe," Delauter said. "I never dreamed that we would have to keep our visitors safe from Penn students."
Delauter said it is unlikely that CHAS will change its current policy regarding college house visitors to make it more restrictive.
"We don't want to punish Penn students for the actions of a few people," she said.
Cornell University spokeswoman Linda Grace-Kobas said that although she cannot recall an incident at Cornell similar to the alleged assault at Penn, the university has clearly established procedures for such cases.
"I can't think of anything as seemingly planned out as this one," Kobas said. "If there is an assault, our primary response is a police response."
At Cornell, assault incidents are handled as police cases, but the university takes immediate action as well.
If the students "are determined to be a danger... and if it is a serious assault, they are immediately suspended," she said.
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