An Albion College student was left with a broken nose after an assault at Burns Street Apartments on Sept. 25.
Albion Public Safety (APS) officers were dispatched to the Burns Street Apartments in the early morning of Sunday, Sept. 25, in response to reports of a large fight. Police documents show that one student was sent to a hospital in Jackson with broken bones from the assault. The victim is a member of the Albion College basketball team, while witnesses say the assailant is an alumnus of Albion College and a former member of Sigma Chi fraternity.
Ken Snyder, director of Campus Safety, said an investigation of the incident is ongoing.
“We are trying to sort out what happened, what college policies were violated, and who we can hold responsible for that,” Snyder said. “The people that were involved will be held accountable for violating college policy through our judicial process.”
Snyder said that an argument, which began at Albion College’s fraternity area, eventually escalated to the point where an assault occurred at the Burns Street Apartments. He estimated that between 15-20 persons may have been involved in the incident.
“There was a dispute between at least one member of Sig Chi fraternity and one guy who happened to be on the basketball team, that resulted in a number of people going to Burns Street and a fight ensued,” Snyder said. “All parties say they didn’t want to fight, but a big fight happened.”
APS documents indicate that alcohol may played a role in the altercation. Injuries resulting from the fight were not limited to those mentioned in the APS police report. Snyder said that besides one student who suffered a broken nose, a second individual was left with a concussion, while a third was knocked unconscious. Snyder said that it was the non-student that had committed the most severe assault.
“The information that we have now is that there was a non-student involved who committed the most serious assault,” Snyder said.
Meanwhile, the APS report includes witness statements that also suggest an unnamed Albion College alumni was the primary assailant. Furthermore they also suggest that the aforementioned alumni is a former member of Sigma Chi fraternity.
The report indicates that the argument may have began after a dispute over a teeter-totter belonging to the fraternity. The teeter-totter is a part of Derby Days, a national philanthropy event held annually by Sigma Chi chapters across the nation. Witness statements allege that another member of the basketball team may have damaged the teeter-totter, prompting the dispute.
Jody May, Albion College men’s basketball coach, said he will wait until campus safety concludes its investigation before deciding if any disciplinary action is necessary. He said that the team would handle disciplinary measures internally.
“I feel pretty confident whatever happened will come out,” May said. “As of right now we are just waiting to see what happens with the (investigative) process.”
Snyder said that once the investigation has concluded, students involved in the incident could face disciplinary action from Albion College. However, Snyder said that it’s unlikely any Albion College students will face criminal charges from APS.
It’s so disappointing that people get upset over inanimate objects…I can understand it has a meaning and purpose for the fraternity, but it only makes people look like idiots when they start fights and injure people over it. Shame on that alumni and all of the other participates for giving a bad reputation to both the college and their fraternity house 🙁