Villanova University investigates race-related assault
Villanova University's Public Safety Department is investigating a reported incident in which a black female student was assaulted by white males as they ran toward her yelling, "Trump, Trump, Trump!"
Villanova University's Department of Public Safety is investigating a reported incident in which a black female student was assaulted by white males as they ran toward her yelling, "Trump, Trump, Trump!"
According to a university source with knowledge of the event, it occurred Thursday night as the female student, who has not been identified, was walking through a SEPTA tunnel on campus.
There, she encountered multiple white males who allegedly ran toward her, shouting the name of the new president-elect. One male forcefully knocked her to the ground, causing her to hit her head, the source said.
According to police, the woman was not seriously injured but remains shaken by the incident. The males involved in the incident have not been named.
In an email to the university community, the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, Villanova's president, said he was "deeply disturbed by several reports of members of our community using our nation's political process as a justification for behaviors and language aimed to intimidate or humiliate other people."
In a separate statement, the university said it "finds this conduct deplorable and considers this racist behavior that runs completely counter to our values." Those found responsible, according to the statement, will face serious consequences.
The incident is being investigated by Radnor Police and Villanova's Public Safety Department.
It joins a string of hate crimes, assaults and racist messages that have occurred across the nation and region this week in the wake of Donald Trump's shocking victory over Hillary Clinton.
On Friday, black freshmen students at the University of Pennsylvania were targets of racist hate messages delivered via a text-messaging app under the group name "N- Lynching." The messages came from a person using the name "Daddy Trump," since identified as a University of Oklahoma student who has been suspended.
At Council Rock North High School in Bucks County, the schools superintendent Thursday sent an email to the community about swastikas, an anti-gay slur and references to Donald Trump found scrawled in three school bathrooms.
In Philadelphia, police said earlier this week a woman in Bella Vista found "Trump 2016" and "Black Bitch" spray-painted on her car.
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