According to an email from Trinity College officials, a number of its students were assaulted by more than a dozen teenagers who crashed a fraternity event over the weekend. The fight left three students with concussions and a fourth student with a fractured bone.
Trinity College officials say that a group of about 20 to 25 teenagers gained “unauthorized access” to the event at St. Anthony Hall’s chapter house in Hartford on the night of Saturday, April 29. The incident happened around 10:45 P.M.
Officials say that when the Trinity College students asked the uninvited group to leave, some of them were assaulted, however, no one was seriously hurt.
Trinity College says that while a Hartford police officer responded to the area, the teens were not caught. Officials say they have put in several additional security measures, and that an investigation is underway.
Joe DiChristina, the Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Campus Life and Brian Heaven, the Director of Campus Safety, released a statement to the university regarding the incident:
To the Trinity College Community:
As reported in an e-mail to the student body early Sunday morning, a group of approximately 20 to 25 teenaged, non-Trinity students gained unauthorized access to a registered outdoor social gathering at St. Anthony Hall on Saturday, April 29, at approximately 10:45 p.m. When Trinity students at the event asked the group to leave, a number of Trinity students were assaulted by members of the group. Students were injured but no one was hospitalized.
A Hartford Police Department (HPD) officer who had been hired by the College for campus patrols, along with other campus personnel, responded to the area at the time of the incident. The teens fled and were not apprehended. For the remainder of Saturday night/Sunday morning, officers from Campus Safety, Securitas (which has contracted personnel who are regularly on patrol duty from 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.), and HPD were posted in the area and along Vernon Street. The group of teens did not return.
Director of Campus Safety Brian Heavren has been working with HPD to investigate the incident. Video footage of the assault will be shared with HPD to attempt to identify members of the group.
As this semester concludes, we will be especially vigilant regarding campus safety and have put in place the following additional security:
1. A Securitas officer (contracted security personnel) will remain in the area of Vernon and Summit Streets throughout the evening and early morning hours.
2. A Campus Safety officer has been assigned to work specifically in the area where the assault took place. The officer will make frequent walk-throughs of Ogilby Hall (the residence hall adjacent to St. Anthony Hall) to verify that doors are secure and students are safe.
3. Two additional Securitas personnel will be hired for the remainder of the semester and will increase patrols of campus and around the perimeter of campus.
4. Trinity will continue to contract with HPD to have an officer work Friday and Saturday evenings. Throughout the week, HPD will increase patrols of the area.
On Wednesday May 3rd from 12noon-1pm, we will host an open forum for students, staff, and faculty to discuss safety matters on campus. We will be in the Rittenberg Lounge.
As a general reminder, please contact Campus Safety if you observe any suspicious behavior. Please alert Campus Safety immediately if you are the victim or a witness of a crime; note the location of yellow emergency phones throughout campus and use them to be connected immediately with Campus Safety. You may also call the Campus Safety emergency line at (860) 297-2222.
For those in need of support, please do not hesitate to reach out to us in the Dean of Students Office or the Trinity College Counseling Center.
Students are being encouraged to call the Campus Safety emergency line at (860) 297-2222.
Trinity College, a private liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut, is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University.
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