- Increase campus security in first-year residence halls
- Expand our Inclusivity Council to include more faculty and staff and student input
- Offer monthly leadership office hours, in which the President’s Cabinet is available for students to share feedback or raise concerns directly
- Provide ongoing professional development for faculty and staff and forums for students
- Strengthen our partnerships with local organizations including the NAACP and the Anti-Defamation League
2.7.18, 4:30pm
Radnor Police Department’s investigation into the September incident remains open. While the University has offered a $5,000 reward for leads that result in an arrest and conviction, the Radnor PD has not received any such leads. Though Cabrini does not control the investigation or its timeline, we do appreciate our community’s support and patience.
As we continue to support our community, below are actions that Cabrini has taken to further foster an inclusive and transparent campus:
- Provide ongoing professional development for faculty and staff and forums for students
- Expand our Inclusivity Council to include more faculty and staff and student input
- Offer monthly leadership office hours, in which the President’s Cabinet is available for students to share feedback or raise concerns directly
- Increase outreach to local organizations including the NAACP and the Anti-Defamation League
We will continue to post to this page as new information becomes available from Radnor PD.
12.8.17, 1:17pm
The investigation into the incident on Sept. 16 remains active and ongoing. While the University has offered a $5,000 reward for leads that result in an arrest and conviction, the Radnor Police Department has not received any new information that provided enough evidence and certainty for an arrest.
10.18.17, 10:44am
Radnor Police Department has let us know that their investigation into the incident on Saturday, September 16, has provided no viable, conclusive evidence for an arrest(s). This is frustrating news, which is why Cabrini is offering a $5,000 reward for any lead that results in an arrest and conviction. All leads will be handled by Radnor Police Department, which can be reached at 610-688-0503.
We are frustrated that the evidence could not provide enough certainty for an arrest, but we are confident that the Radnor PD, with the assistance of the District Attorney’s Office, will continue its tireless investigation. As they work through any new leads, we here at Cabrini will continue to seek ways to improve dialogue around issues of inclusivity and diversity.
We are forever proud of our students, faculty, and staff who rallied together to show that Cabrini will not be defined by one person’s hate. We appreciate your participation at the town halls, student forums, and prayer services. And we are taking this opportunity to look at the ways Cabrini and our community can further address discrimination while promoting inclusivity as part of our Catholic core beliefs.
Thank you for your continued support, and thank you to the individuals who have provided leads and tips to the police. We’d also like to thank the Radnor Police Department for their work and determination to move this matter toward resolution while making our community feel safe.
10.12.17, 4:25pm
Radnor Police Department, along with the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, is continuing their investigation.
Cabrini has moved forward with initiatives to help foster dialogue on campus. We hosted our first Leadership Office Hours for students to meet directly with members of the President’s Cabinet (the next one is scheduled for early November), we held an additional student town hall last week, and our Inclusivity Council meeting next week has been opened to all members of our community.
We want to thank everyone for their patience as we ensure due process.
10.4.2017, 3:16pm
Radnor Police Department continues to follow up on leads regarding the incident investigation. Though this is an active police matter, we want to ensure that our students feel safe and supported. Radnor PD continues their increased presence on campus and Public Safety has increased their rounds in the residence halls.
Our community has been proactive and supportive before and after the incident, with student groups organizing events throughout “No Hate Week” (this week) that strive to include people from all backgrounds. We held our first Leadership Cabinet Office Hours yesterday, with the next session planned for November 7. These sessions allow students to meet with members of the leadership in an informal setting to discuss any issues, concerns, or comments they may have. Tonight, there is another students-only town hall with President Taylor, which will include information on diversity initiatives as well as capital improvements to campus and other "state of the institution" updates. In addition to this, our faculty are planning educational events around diversity and inclusion.
Thank you for your continued support and patience as we ensure due process in this matter.
9.26.2017, 4:25pm
There are no new updates on the Radnor Police Department investigation, although Radnor PD is following up on numerous leads that were provided throughout last week. From the campus community perspective, Cabrini administration is continuing to meet with students and to analyze our response protocols for improvements.
As an institution, we have had various diversity and inclusivity initiatives in place before last weekend, such as training for faculty and staff, events for students, and courses on self-awareness and introspection for first-year students. Our community has demonstrated an amazing unity and support in the face of hate, and we are grateful for that.
Even with our established efforts, we are going to do more to improve our overall sense of inclusivity on campus. As a set of first steps, here are new initiatives we are putting into place to proactively address issues.
- Cabinet Office Hours: To be held the first Tuesday of every month, starting in October, at least two President’s Cabinet members will be available for students to discuss issues or concerns—or to just talk with someone in leadership. Details will be forthcoming in an email to all students.
- Public Safety Logs: We are working with Public Safety to publish incident logs online. We cannot give a date for when they will be released, as we still need to create a protocol that maintains confidentiality and privacy of the individuals involved. The goal, however, is to start making them available later this semester.
- Inclusivity Council Expansion: With our new Director of Diversity Initiatives, Jose Rodriguez at the helm, we are expanding the membership of the Inclusivity Council to include students and more faculty and staff.
- Organization Partnerships: We met with the local NAACP chapter last week and had a productive conversation about how they can participate in on-campus programming for our community. We are also talking with other organizations including the Anti-Defamation League this week to explore additional offerings.
- Continued Dialogue: The President’s Office will continue to meet with student leaders, not just from the Black Student Union, but from other student organizations, to provide more opportunities for feedback. We will also host another student-only town hall in the beginning of October, during our No Hate Week.
We want to thank our community, including the individuals and organizations that have reached out, for all the support and positive energy counteracting this ugly act.
9.22.2017, 5:10pm
As we head into the weekend, we will continue our increased Public Safety rounds and patrols from Radnor Police Department. We will also continue to have a Public Safety Officer stationed in the impacted residence hall.
We’ve met with the local NAACP chapter to discuss the incident, our response, and how we can partner together in the future. And we continue to see support, unity, and resilience from our students and campus community at large.
9.21.2017, 5pm
We wanted to communicate to our various community members that the Radnor Police Department is continuing their investigation of this week’s incidents, using forensic analysis of evidence and bringing in experts to help in the case. There are no additional details on the investigation at this time, but Cabrini will update the community once new information becomes available.
We want to reiterate that this incident is being taken seriously, and we have full faith in the tenacity of the Radnor PD in exploring every possible lead. If you, or someone you know, may have information that could help the investigation, please use the Radnor PD anonymous reporting system. Information can be found on their website. We are continuing the increased patrols from Public Safety and additional Radnor PD campus visits to ensure our students feel safe and supported.
Once again, we are proud of the love and support that has mobilized from all corners of our community. In particular, our students deserve a great deal of praise in their response to this week. There is a mix of anger, frustration, shock, sadness, and more running throughout our community, but our students have shown a level of honesty and support for one another that demonstrates our Catholic social teachings and Education of the Heart.
As Radnor PD continues its investigation, Cabrini will remain focused on our community and supporting a culture that is open and welcoming to all students—regardless of race, gender, orientation, faith, etc. We will continue to meet with students for feedback and open dialogue, plan more programs around inclusivity, and explore our processes and procedures to identify areas for improvement.
If any new information about the investigation becomes available, we will be sure to notify our community.
9.20.2017, 6:22pm
We wanted to let the community know that there are no new updates on the active investigation into the campus incidents. Radnor PD continues to dedicate resources in forensics analysis and criminal expertise. We continue to conduct additional Public Safety security rounds on campus, and Radnor PD added more campus visits.
As we work to identify the person(s) responsible, we want to thank our students for once again showing that our Cabrini community is stronger than one person’s hate. Our town hall last night was standing room only; we just finished another, more informal students-only meeting with school leadership; and we held a prayer service at noon today that was attended by faculty, staff, and students as a sign of solidarity.
Delta Xi Phi’s pop-up community poster project in Founder’s Hall. It contains supportive messages for all community members and was overflowing with messages by the end of the day. It was one of many posters created by groups across campus.
We will continue to update the community once we have more information. You can always check this page for updates too.
9.19.2017, 5:22pm
As we continue to investigate the racial slur written on a student’s door, we were shocked to learn that another has been found in the same area as before. Radnor Police Department was here collecting evidence as we work to identify this person(s) who so blatantly goes against everything we stand for as a diverse institution. We are holding campus-wide town halls and forums to provide updates, next steps, and answer student questions.
The Office of Public Safety has increased the number of patrol rounds to the residence halls, and we’ve asked Radnor Police to do more frequent drives onto and around campus. We are looking at new video evidence from today, and we will continue to do everything we can to identify the perpetrator(s).
This is unacceptable and is painful to experience such directed hate. We know that the Cabrini community is stronger than this. We saw our students rally this weekend and again last night, fighting hate with love and support that brought such pride and respect to this institution and the students who make us special. Our community will continue to support each other to drive out hate with love and friendship.
9.19.2017
As we continue to investigate this weekend’s hateful incident, we wanted to reaffirm our commitment to conducting a thorough investigation with the Radnor PD that follows due process.
Over the past two days, we’ve focused our attention on ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and campus community while following investigation protocol. As the investigation continues, we wanted to share with our community members the timeline of events and actions that Cabrini has taken in reaction to this unacceptable act. We are also sharing details of our ongoing activities to create an inclusive and welcoming campus for all our students.
Timelines of Events:
- Late Saturday (9.16.17) night, the incident was reported and the impacted student decided to leave campus for the night. With the student out of harm’s way and Radnor PD alerted, Sunday morning became the start of the formal investigation.
- Sunday morning (9.17.17), phone calls began between Cabrini administrators to assess the situation, and the investigation was underway with video footage pulled for review and a residence hall meeting set-up for the afternoon.
- Sunday early afternoon, the Dean of Students was in direct contact and arranged a meeting with the impacted student.
- Sunday early afternoon, the President reached out to the leaders of the Black Student Union to offer our support and schedule a meeting for Monday.
- Sunday afternoon, a message from the President was sent to the entire campus community alerting them to the incident and reiterating that hate speech on campus violated the code of conduct and would not be tolerated. Students were encouraged to talk to faculty and staff if they were struggling with the incident.
- Sunday afternoon, various student clubs came together to create signs of love and support, which were then posted all around the student’s room and hallway. These students also visited the room, offering cookies and emotional support. We want to say that we are incredibly proud of our students fighting hate with love, in the true spirit of our Education of the Heart.
- Sunday afternoon, the President’s Office notified the Cabrini Board of Trustees about the incident.
- Sunday late afternoon, local media picked up the story.
- Sunday evening, the Dean of Students met with the group of students from the residence hall, including the affected student, asking for information and making sure they were ok.
- Monday early morning (9.18.17), the Cabrini leadership team met to debrief the situation in person and identify next steps.
- Monday mid-morning, the Dean of Students met with the impacted student and family.
- Monday late morning, a message with available details is posted to the cabrini.edu homepage.
- Monday late morning, the President personally reached out to the affected student to offer support and schedule a meeting.
- Monday afternoon, the local media visited campus.
- Monday afternoon, the President met with the leaders of the Black Student Union.
- Monday afternoon, the Inclusivity Council, a group of faculty and staff dedicated to promoting an inclusive campus, met to discuss the issue and how they can help. Members decided to reach out to student groups to offer their support and participation in any upcoming events.
- Monday afternoon, a message went out to all undergraduate students inviting them to two special forums with the President and key University leaders.
- Monday evening, a student-run prayer service for unity and solidarity was held in the cafeteria.
As of Tuesday, 9.19.17, the investigation is still active, including continued interviews, and Public Safety added more residence hall rounds for its officers. It is important to note here that the above actions are not the only efforts being initiated on campus to foster inclusivity. Cabrini has ongoing activities to combat hate and intolerance for all students, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, orientation, etc. Below is a list of sample ongoing/already planned actions for this semester.
- The annual President’s Dinner for student diversity club leaders.
- The Inclusivity Council will be inviting student members from various organizations to lend a student voice to the ongoing discussion on inclusivity.
- Ongoing inclusivity training for faculty and staff.
- No Hate Week activities the first week of October.
- LEADStrong workshops around diversity, inclusivity, and social justice.
These are examples of our efforts over only one semester. Our hope in sharing the information in this message, is to create a level of transparency without interfering in the due process of the incident investigation.
If you are struggling with the recent incident on campus and would like to talk to someone, please reach out to our Counseling and Psychological Services group, a faculty or staff member, or anyone on the Inclusivity Council. You are not alone! And if you have experienced or witnessed intolerance or bullying, we encourage you to report it to the Dean of Students.
9.18.2017
This weekend, a Cabrini student came home to her residence hall to find a racial slur hand-written on her door. This hateful comment is under investigation by both Cabrini personnel and the Radnor Police Department.
As we ensure a thorough investigation into the incident, we want to remind everyone that hate has no home on our campus—hate speech of any kind goes against who we are as an institution and as a diverse community of learners.
The administration sent out a campus-wide message, met with students from the affected residence hall, and reached out to work with the Black Student Union. Perhaps most notable, photos of student messages of support emerged on social media (pictured to the right). Our students have demonstrated an amazing amount of love in the face of hate, and they are living our Education of the Heart philosophy to the fullest.
Cabrini’s administration will continue with its ongoing efforts to foster an inclusive community that aligns with our Catholic social teachings. These efforts include the annual president’s dinner with student diversity club leaders, the revitalization of the Inclusivity Council, and the regular inclusivity training offered to faculty and staff. In an effort to give students a chance to process and discuss the incident, student forums with the president have also been scheduled.
These actions are only examples of the work we are doing as a campus to make sure that all feel welcome. We encourage students to reach out to faculty and staff if they have any concerns or are struggling with issues of intolerance. Counseling and Psychological Services are also available on campus.