'People are afraid': St. Francis students gather in response to alleged sexual assault near campus
Feb. 1—LORETTO, Pa. — Students at St. Francis University gathered on Tuesday to raise awareness about sexual assault and to voice concerns about how crimes against women are handled on campus.
Loretto police charged Marcel Mami, 20, of Frederick, Maryland, and Daunte White, 20, of Wharton, New Jersey, with raping a woman at a party this past February. The incident allegedly occurred in the basement of a St. Mary Street residence. They are also charged with unlawful restraint.
Both are listed as linebackers on the St. Francis University football roster. They are being held in Cambria County Prison.
After news of the alleged assault broke, students spread word throughout campus about a gathering to bring awareness to the incident and concerns about safety.
Students and staff gathered in the center of campus — not to protest, they said, but to express to the administration that some students say sexual assault is an ongoing issue that needs greater attention.
"Especially in light of the recent case that was in the news, we were wanting to kind of be out here to tell administration that we are upset with how they're handling sexual assault cases on campus," sophomore Trinity Weimer said.
Students hung posters and passed out teal awareness ribbons, doughnuts and hot chocolate.
Some students said they know of others who have been victimized, but none shared specific information about crimes against women on campus.
"We're here just to tell people that a lot of people's voices aren't really being heard on campus, I guess, because people are afraid," sophomore Autumn Baum said.
The Very Rev. Malachi Van Tassell, president of St. Francis University, said the news of the assault allegations was a chance to start conversations on campus.
"For us being in an institution of higher education, we are about education, conversation, making sure people understand what's going on," Van Tassell said. "So clearly, there's been a lot of discussion about the incidents.
"We can't talk about the legal side of things, but here on campus, we are about a virtuous environment, and we pride ourselves on student safety, and we tell parents and prospective students that this is a safe place to send your students. So this has gotten a lot of good conversation going about prevention of sexual assault, being aware of one's surroundings, making good decisions at the basic level."
Van Tassell said that later this week he will meet with leaders of student organizations and the student government.
"Obviously, this is about safety and security and this is a safe place," he said, "so we want to keep it a safe place."
Earlier this month, the university was awarded a $40,000 grant from the state's "It's on Us PA" initiative for education on sexual violence prevention, which will aid efforts that are already in place, Van Tassell said.
St. Francis received a similar state grant in 2020, for $28,500.
"I think back to three years ago, the summer of '20, when there was the Black Lives Matter and all the issues around race on our campus — and we pride ourselves on being a welcoming campus and treating others the way we want to be treated," Van Tassell said. "But those events in the summer of '20 caused us to do some soul-searching, because we want to make sure that we are who we say we are. And likewise, too, with the news that broke last week and the discussions going on on campus, you can give us an opportunity to reflect, do some soul- searching and make sure that we are who we say we are. that we're being authentic, and make those improvements where necessary.
"So obviously, we never want anything bad happening to any of our students clearly, but if you know there can be good outcomes and there can be good improvements from this, we welcome that."
