The investigation into the event that sparked last May's anti-hate rally is closed -- without a resolution.
Then-junior Riyadh Mohammed claimed to have been assaulted outside of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity on April 30 after an argument that involved racial slurs.
Hundreds of students and faculty members responded to the allegation by rallying in front of Tisch Library on May 3, but no official information was released at the time.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Dean of Students Office said the investigation was cut short. The alleged perpetrator, then-freshman William Toner, has since withdrawn from the University.
"We cannot force a non-student to participate in an investigation," Dean of Students Bruce Reitman said. The Dean of Students Office would not confirm either Mohammed or Toner's name, though they have been reported before.
The investigation stalled even before Toner left the school. "We could not get anywhere because everyone was refusing to talk -- everyone," Reitman said.
Because Toner left the school, Mohammed also withdrew from the investigation. "We still don't know exactly what happened," Reitman said. "One student withdrawing isn't a confession of wrongdoing."
The rally, which included speeches by professors, took place without any official police statement on the incident. "There are a lot of conflicting stories," Reitman said. "The rally responded to one point of view."
Sophomore Victor John questioned the level of response without the specifics of the incident. "I understand why the community was so upset," he said. "But I think they should have waited for more concrete facts before reacting so harshly."
Another student said the rally provided an opportunity to discuss issues of discrimination on campus. "I think it would be worse and reflect badly on the school if the incident happened and nobody did anything about it," sophomore Laura Uwakwe said.
The Dean of Students Office, the Bias Intervention Program, and the Bias Response Team are trying to maintain the momentum of the rally to focus attention on discrimination.
"The dialogue needs to continue to let people know that incidents do happen on campus," Reitman said. The Bias Intervention Program hosted a "Mocktails" discussion with peer educators Tuesday night.
Other ways to address intolerance are also being explored. Reitman said a faculty vote recommended a change to the core curriculum to require courses on a wider range of racial backgrounds.
The Language and Foreign Culture requirement was changed to the Language and Culture requirement. "The term has become somewhat either meaningless or hurtful," Reitman said.
The Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) would not comment on the incident, which happened during the Spring Fling weekend, but TUPD Captain Mark Keith said security on campus is heightened at certain times of the year.
"Typically during the first several weeks of the academic year, and again in the later four weeks of the academic year, we do increase the number of officers on the street during weekends," he said. "Not for that particular incident, but in general, during times of increased activity."
