Quinnipiac continues investigation surrounding Tom Ellett’s apartment damage
October 3, 2021
Shock and confusion were two of the many words that could describe the reactions resonating within the Quinnipiac University student body after Tom Ellett’s apartment inside The Commons residence hall was vandalized and damaged last weekend.
The information was confirmed in an email sent by Chief of Public Safety Tony Reyes stating there was “a rock thrown through a window and a note with inflammatory language posted on the front door.”
On Sunday, Sept. 26, President Judy Olian sent an email to the community, addressing the incident saying the “behavior won’t be tolerated.”
“This type of behavior is deplorable, and I am appalled that a member of our community would choose to target another person and express themselves in this way,” Olian said.
The university has not released the names of the students involved. Additionally, no cause has been given behind the students’ actions, but students like second-year student Michael Pinero believe students were trying to make a statement.
“I think whoever did it was trying to send a message of some sort,” Pinero said. “I don’t think it was just like, oh let’s just be funny and cool I think they were trying to say something.”
Others think these acts stemmed from bitter feelings.
“I feel like it just has to be out of pure frustration and anger,” TJ Mabardy, a third-year student, said. “I don’t really see any other explanation for it.”
In the same email — Reyes said, “all three students have been issued an interim suspension from the university.” Some students feel the university disciplined the three students correctly.
“I think they did a good job handling this one,” Jillian Henriques, a fourth-year student, said. “They were able to figure out who did it and issue punishments, I think it would have been worse if they either couldn’t figure it out or just didn’t really do anything about it.”
Students say that communication is key to preventing this from happening again in the future.
“We need to talk about these situations,” Primavera said. “We need to talk about the consequences as well, and that would really prevent kids from doing things like this.”
Reyes also added that the school will continue to work with local police to learn more about the situation.
