PC students say racial comments made towards them at off-campus party

February 3, 2016 11:38 am

By Bianca Buono

bbuono@abc6.com

@BBuonoABC6

Providence College says they are investigating a reported incident from this past weekend in which five female minority students say they were targeted by a group after being denied access to a party Saturday night.

What started as a typical Saturday night for five Providence College sophomores took a turn for the worst.

"Our friends came to our room and it was like, ‘Guys let’s go someone just invited us they’re having a party," said Providence College sophomore Adrianna Ateh.

One of their friends made it inside the door of the party at a house on Eaton Street but the rest were turned away.

"’Not a chance you people are coming in. I’m not letting you guys in.’ I said, ‘Okay, that’s fine. Let me get my friend.’ He said, ‘You know what? You should remove your foot before it gets broken,’” described Providence College sophomore Tatianna Medina.

And they say it escalated from there.

"Right when I turned my back, that’s when a bottle brushed by my head. A beer bottle brushed right by my head,” Medina explained.

"Luckily, we were not underneath the balcony. But a big grey storage bin was filled up with water and was thrown over directly towards us, once again, to send harm and to convey their message of, ‘Go home!’" said sophomore Ivy Barclay.

President Rev. Brain J. Shanley sent a letter to the campus community Wednesday morning saying the incident is being investigated.

In the letter, it was reported that the female students were trying to attend an off-campus party when they were denied entry. The students say as they were leaving, they noticed white students being allowed into the party and when they raised questions as to why they weren’t let in they say, "water and beer bottles were thrown in their direction from the balcony."

Shanley also says the students claimed that the behavior "was accompanied by comments that made the targeted students–women of color–feel fearful, devalued, angry, and humiliated."

The students reported the incident the Providence Police and Providence College Office of Campus Safety and Security.

ABC6 has learned that a meeting was held at the Slavin Center Tuesday night with around 100 people in attendance. Students at the meeting claimed the comments made towards the five females were racially charged. They say the incident happened at a party on Eaton Street.

A spokesperson for Providence College says the investigation is ongoing and the college will have no other comment at this time.

The letter to the campus community states, in full:

"Dear Members of the Providence College Community:

I regret to inform you that the College received the following report regarding an incident that occurred off-campus. Late last Saturday night/early Sunday morning, a group of five female PC students of color walked to a nearby off-campus residence of some PC students to join their friends at a party. Upon arriving, they were informed that the house was full and no other people were being allowed in. As they began to leave, the students said they noticed that other students – white students – were being allowed into the party. After raising questions as to why they were turned away, they reported that water and beer bottles were thrown in their direction from a balcony. This behavior was accompanied by comments that made the targeted students – women of color – feel fearful, devalued, angry, and humiliated.

The incident was reported to both the Providence Police Department and the PC Office of Campus Safety and Security, and investigations are ongoing.

While I am deeply saddened by this incident, I applaud the courage of these students to bring their report forward. As President, I want to assure you that this incident is being investigated thoroughly and fairly, consistent with our core value that all members of the College community be treated with dignity and respect at all times. We know from our experience at PC, and that of colleges and universities across the country, that the impact of such incidents is not limited to the students who experience them; they bring pain to our entire community. We will continue to work collaboratively with all members of the College community toward creating and sustaining an environment in which all students feel welcome, safe and supported.

Sincerely,

Brian J. Shanley, O.P.
President"

But some faculty and students aren’t satisfied with that response.

"We’ve been in conversation about these emails for quite a bit of time now, and they continue to be vague. They continue to have not any kind of definitive understanding around action around race and racism on campus, which then leaves us in this quandary of, ‘What’s going on?’" said Providence College professor and Director of Black Studies Julia Jordan-Zachery.

ABC6 knocked on the door of the Eaton Street home hoping to speak with the tenants but nobody answered the door.