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CreativeDominant -> RE: Colleges Advise Traveling DACA Students To Return To U.S. Before Trump's Inauguration (12/22/2016 10:02:11 PM)
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ORIGINAL: heavyblinker
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ORIGINAL: CreativeDominant
https://www.google.com/amp/www.breitbart.com/texas/2016/12/20/hate-hoax-pro-trump-students-cleared-harassment-claims/amp/?client=ms-android-verizon
Take it from Trump's own personal propagandist-- racists don't feel empowered at all.
I mean, why would he lie about such a thing?
Would you like some other cites...concerning the same incident?
The students were accused of yelling racial and homophobic slurs on Wellesley campus following Trump's election.
Two Babson students who sparked a social-media firestorm last month when they took a Donald Trump victory lap at Wellesley College were cleared of wrongdoing, according to their lawyers.
Babson College’s Honor Board found Edward Tomasso and Parker Rand-Ricciardi not responsible on counts of harassment and disorderly conduct Monday for their actions on Nov. 9.
In a hearing before the board Friday, Wellesley’s campus police were not able to present any evidence that the men were guilty of spitting at students, or yelling racial and homophobic slurs out the window, as many alleged on social media.
Wellesley College is Hillary Clinton’s alma mater.
RELATED: Babson students drive through Wellesley campus waving Trump flag
Wellesley students accused the men of antagonizing students and even spitting in the direction of one woman. Tomasso and Rand-Ricciardi were identified quickly on social media.
“The board determined that they did not engage in the acts that were so widely and unfairly reported way back at the outset of all of this,” said Brad Bailey, Tomasso's lawyer. “There was no evidence that they spat on anybody, no evidence that they made or directed racial comments toward anybody, no evidence that they disparaged anybody, and no evidence that made homophobic comments, all of which was reported.”
Lawyers for the men said following the incident both men were immediately expelled from their fraternities and from campus following the incident.
“This is a case which illustrates what most of us know: that if institutions feel they can act with complete impunity, unscrutinized and knowing that they are unscrutinized, feeling as though they cannot be challenged, the results often will not be pretty,” said Jeffrey Robbins, Rand-Ricciardi’s lawyer. “What Babson's officials did here was certainly not pretty.”
The case quickly became a campus free-speech issue as the students were punished before evidence was presented.
Babson declined to comment.
“As a matter of policy, and in accordance with Federal law, Babson College does not comment on specific student conduct matters,” college spokesman Michael Chumra said.
Bailey said for now Tomasso was just grateful to be exonerated after suffering damage to his reputation and academic semester.
“I think it’s an extremely cautionary tale about rushing judgement and forming opinions and conclusions before allegations are vetted,” he said. “It shows in particular what can happen with social media when things go viral and people post things based on hearsay and second-and third-hand information.”
http://touch.metro.us//boston/babson-students-cleared-of-wrongdoing-will-not-face-punishment/zsJplu---L4xG3R7LmCq0I/
Pro-Trump Babson students cleared in Wellesley incident
Babson College.
By Olivia Quintana and Travis Andersen
GLOBE CORRESPONDENT AND GLOBE STAFF DECEMBER 19, 2016
Babson College has cleared two students of any disciplinary violations stemming from their controversial drive through Wellesley College to celebrate Donald Trump’s victory the day after the presidential election, their lawyers said Monday.
The students, Parker Rand-Ricciardi and Edward Tomasso, faced accusations of harassment and disorderly conduct before the college’s honor board on Friday.
The Nov. 9 incident sparked a post-election uproar, fueled by accusations on social media that the men spat on a Wellesley student and yelled racial and homophobic slurs while parked in front of Harambee House, a campus gathering place for African-American students.
Rand-Riccardi and Tomasso denied the allegations, and an investigation by Babson found no evidence the men did anything other than drive through the campus waving a Trump flag out the truck window and yelling “Make America Great Again.”
They are not facing criminal charges.
Babson report raises questions
An internal Babson investigation found no evidence the two Trump backers hurled slurs or spat at Wellesley students.
Cullen: Lines blur on what’s hate, what’s not
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Jeffrey Robbins, an attorney for Rand-Ricciardi, said Monday that his client’s family is relieved the matter has come to a close.
“This has been an extremely difficult, painful five weeks for Parker and his family, one that has naturally taken a toll on them,” Robbins said in a statement. “They are grateful for the kindness and support of so many people, including both friends and complete strangers. Their hope is to spend some time decompressing and enjoying the holidays.”
A spokesman for Babson College declined to comment, citing student privacy laws. Wellesley officials could not be reached for comment.
Wellesley College, Hillary Clinton’s alma mater, held a peace walk on campus the Friday after the men’s celebratory drive.
During the walk, Wellesley senior Amber Walker, an events coordinator at Harambee House, told students she was standing in front of the building when the men drove by, and that “I have you guys here so I don’t have to go through this alone.”
On Monday, Walker said she was disappointed by the resolution of the case.
“For people that look like me, our struggle continues,” she said.
But the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which advocates for free speech rights on college campuses, welcomed the decision.
Ari Z. Cohn, director of the foundation’s individual rights defense program, said the group was pleased the men were cleared from “these baseless charges.”
“While Babson College is not bound by the First Amendment, its policies expressly recognize the importance and value of free speech,” he said.
“Once the more serious allegations were determined to be unsubstantiated, the college should have immediately dropped the matter. Babson must ensure that students are free to express their views without fear of official sanction.”
After the incident, Babson president Kerry Healey apologized to the Wellesley College community in a letter posted on her school’s website.
“We, the Babson community, were extremely upset to learn that two of our students engaged in behavior that was, at a minimum, insensitive, unacceptable, and contrary to our core values,” Healey wrote.
Both students were ousted from the fraternity they belonged to, Sigma Phi Epsilon. The fraternity’s national leadership called their alleged actions “abhorrent to our members, alumni, and staff” in a statement.
It was not clear Monday whether the students will be allowed to rejoin the fraternity or will seek reinstatement. Tomasso and Ricciardi could not be reached for comment.
Both students denied using profanity or slurs or spitting at Wellesley students, but shortly after the incident apologized for their behavior in Facebook postings.
Tomasso wrote that he “hurtfully displayed a flag that symbolizes fear for many people and my actions caused pain.”
Rand-Riccardi said his “insensitive celebration of the Trump victory was an extremely poor choice, plain and simple.”
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/12/19/pro-trump-babson-students-cleared-wellesley-victory-incident/RsIfPd27sNxqiXvnwOrhTJ/story.html
From these two reports, it sounds like one thing is as clear as it was in the cite you disdain: the students were not guilty of ANYTHING other than poor judgement.
Others were guilty, however...
Those students who lied about being spat at.
Those students who said they endured slurs.
Babson school officials who rushed to condemn their own students based on the accusations that flew over social media.
The fraternity that rushed to expel them for actions which did...not...occur
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