Following up on the College’s April 28th message, the College provides this update about the related investigation and findings.
The College engaged an outside firm, Saul Ewing LLP, to provide an objective and thorough assessment of the evidence—including numerous video recordings, photographs, interviews, and other documents—and to prepare a detailed report and chronology. Saul Ewing has extensive experience working with colleges and universities to investigate high-profile incidents and assess campus responses. The executive summary of the investigation is available below.
The scope of this investigation was to review and summarize the facts related to the incident, including the conduct of all protestors and event staff who were directly involved. The investigators reviewed security camera and cell phone footage, statements and interviews from event staff, videos and statements from students’ public social media accounts, and other documents. Student witnesses did not respond to the investigators’ requests for information or the College’s direct solicitation of injury reports.
The evidence collected during this investigation supports the conclusion that the protest was not peaceful, and that protestors intentionally initiated physical contact with unarmed security personnel, among other findings. It further supports the conclusion that security personnel acted in defense of themselves and others inside the venue, including by attempting to identify individuals and prevent entry. The investigative report also notes the protestors’ deliberate effort to evade identification and accountability.
The College continues to support and uphold students’ rights to peacefully protest, including the right to spontaneous demonstration, as outlined in the Right to Dissent and Demonstration Policy. However, the events that occurred at Inauguration did not abide by these policies and created a risk of physical injury to all who were involved. The College will follow its usual student conduct process to hold individuals accountable. To protect individuals’ privacy, information about any conduct proceedings will not be shared with the community.
The College is also working to create additional spaces for dialogue and restorative practices for impacted students, faculty, and staff, and we continue to process these and other events in the community. Outreach to student organizations has already begun, with the hope of resuming conversations in the Fall about the facts, community members’ concerns, and how we can collectively move forward. The College also continues to offer opportunities for exposure and training in restorative practices, to more proactively build and rebuild relationships of trust and to navigate disagreements within the community.