Listen Here
By Abbey Nickel
Two student athletes at the University of Findlay have been expelled following a sexual assault investigation that took place last week.
University officials have confirmed that Alphonso Baity, a junior basketball player, and Justin Browning, a sophomore football player, were dismissed from campus on Oct. 3. The incident was reported on Oct. 1 and the incident occurred in an on-campus house, according to Dave Emsweller, vice president for student affairs.
No criminal charges have been filed in the case, and the victim has not reported the incident to law enforcement. Emsweller says that the victim made the decision to report the incident to a University health center employee as she was receiving medical treatment. The alleged assault took place late Sept. 20 and early Sept. 21, according to Emsweller.
“This is devastating for everyone involved. We want students who are impacted by this to fully utilize all resources available,” said Emsweller.
Emsweller said that shortly after 1 p.m. today, both Baity and Browning appealed their dismissal.
Emsweller said that an investigation team at the University investigated the incident immediately after it was reported, and made the decision based on a “preponderance of evidence.” Now that the two students have appealed the decision, Emsweller will now review the appeal and will make a decision by Friday based on the statements and information that the students provide.
“The Clery Act requires institutions to be very expedient with incidents like this, and that’s exactly what we will do now that they have appealed,” said Emsweller.
Emsweller says he believes alcohol was a factor in the incident.
Protecting the identity of the victim is a major priority according to Emsweller, and he wants to encourage the student body to help keep her identity protected, regardless of rumors or any other information they might hear.
“It’s so important for students to report things that happen and things that they see so we can try and provide that help. We need to make sure that we help victims as quickly and thoroughly possible,” said Emsweller.
I love how “timely” our notifications are. This happened on the first and we just heard of it today, 5 days later. If alcohol was involved, could it not have happened at another party that same weekend? They didn’t have to release names at the time, but it would have at least made people more aware of their surroundings and to be more careful when going out.