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9/16/16 statement from American University concerning recent incident

We understand that members of our community feel hurt by an incident that happened in a residence hall and separate allegations of racially biased behavior.

We’re working with student leaders and others in the community concerned about this. At 1:00 pm today, we are holding a Town Hall in Butler Board Room to listen to student groups and the community at large about the climate, discuss the facts as we know them, and provide an update on the incident. The entire AU community is invited to participate.

Regarding the known facts, on September 8, an incident that was not characterized as bias related occurred in a residence hall and was reported to Residence Life staff. The Dean of Students office reached out to the affected party and to the perpetrators. Based on the accounts provided, the DOS filed conduct charges, which are currently being adjudicated through the Student Conduct process. The Department of Public Safety was notified and conducted its own investigation.

Actions can and do have impact beyond their intent and that was the case here. The University condemns discrimination and discriminatory harassment and all violations are handled through the Student Conduct process.

Regarding allegations of other incidents, the Dean of Students and Department of Public Safety are continuing their investigations. We want to find out more and hope students can be helpful in providing additional details that will help us understand what has happened. If you have information, please contact the Dean of Students at DOS@american.edu or 202-885-3300 or the Department of Public Safety at 202-885-2527.

We will continue to update the community on our conversations and actions about how we can work to ensure AU has a healthy, safe and supportive environment.