Editorial Disclaimer: While the Maroon-News confirmed the identity of the accused student through video acquired from the scene, we have not included it in the story. Our omission is not intended to shield the suspect from the potential implications of their actions. Rather, we do not feel identifying the student by name serves a compelling purpose to the facts of the story or our mission as a student publication to inform the community and empower productive campus dialogue.
A Colgate student accused of unauthorized entry into another student’s place of residence and tampering with that student’s property was arrested on Sunday, Jan. 14. The student resident and victim of the crime, whose identity will remain anonymous, captured video evidence of the incident, which prompted them to notify Colgate University Campus Safety and eventually led to the arrest of the accused student.
Hamilton Police Chief Matt Janczuk of the Hamilton Police Department (PD) confirmed to the Maroon-News that the student in question was arrested at 9:49 p.m. on Jan. 14 on University property and that an investigation is underway. The police report has not been released at this time as the investigation is not yet complete.
Chief Janczuk also confirmed that there are currently three pending charges against the student, including stalking, burglary and criminal tampering. He noted that there could still be other charges added as the investigation is ongoing. Additionally, because the investigation is still underway, Chief Janczuk was unable to confirm at this time whether there were multiple incidents or victims involved.
The pending charges are defined as follows according to New York State penal code. The first pending charge, stalking, is characterized by “repeated and seeming obsessive following or communicating with another person to the extent that that person feels emotionally, mentally or physically threatened.” The second pending charge, burglary, involves “entering another person’s property unlawfully with the intention of committing an unlawful act.” The third pending charge, criminal tampering, involves “tampering with another person’s property with the intention of significantly inconveniencing that person or a third party.”
Campus Safety confirmed that they are actively working to support the Hamilton PD investigation.
“The matter remains under investigation by the Hamilton Police Department, and Colgate continues to cooperate with them as needed,” Director of Campus Safety Terri Stewart told the Maroon-News. “Additionally, there is no danger or threat to our campus community.”
In response to requests for comment, Dean for Administrative Advising and Student Conduct Kimberly Taylor wrote to the Maroon-News that “the University does not comment on ongoing investigations.” Dean Taylor verified that the suspect is no longer on the University’s campus.
The student resident and victim of the crime, who captured video evidence of the incident, spoke to the Maroon-News on the condition of anonymity. The student confirmed that the incident was captured on their Blink camera, which they set up in their doom room in an on-campus residence hall after noticing suspicious activity in their room. Activity was captured by the camera on Jan. 14, and the arrest was made on that same day. Another video was taken by the Blink camera of the accused student in the same room on Jan. 10, according to the student source. The student has shared the video evidence with the Hamilton PD and Campus Safety.
The student resident also confirmed the identity of the accused student with the Maroon-News and noted that they did not know the person.
“I’m glad [they are] off campus, and I hope it at least makes the campus community safer,” the student told the Maroon-News on Jan. 30 in response to the student’s arrest.
The student shared that there is currently a Title IX investigation underway regarding the situation. Title IX typically refers to a piece of federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in schools and other education programs that receive government funding.
According to the University’s website, the Title IX coordinator manages the implementation and processes of the related policies and responds to “complaints of sexual harassment, sexual assault, discrimination, discriminatory harassment and other violations of [the] policy.”
Colgate’s Title IX Coordinator Amy Gordon declined to comment, as “the University does not comment on potential Title IX investigations,” said Gordon via email in response to the Maroon-News’ request for comment.
Upon students’ return to campus for the start of the Spring 2024 semester, the Colgate campus community received an email from Director of Campus Safety Terri Stewart on Jan. 23 titled “Welcome Back and Important Safety and Security Reminders.” The message referenced a recent campus incident of unauthorized entry, which Director Stewart verified to the Maroon-News was connected to this situation.
“It was brought to our attention during the break that some residential rooms were left open or unlocked, and at least one instance of unauthorized entry was reported,” Director Stewart wrote.
The message continued on to remind students and faculty to keep all residential, academic and administrative spaces locked.
“As this semester gets underway, we write to remind community members to keep residential buildings and spaces locked, whether occupied or unoccupied, and to report security breaches and unsafe conditions immediately. In the same way, academic and administrative offices should be locked when the space is unattended, and valuables should never be left unsecured,” the email read.
Stewart encouraged the campus community to review the safety and security resources in place and available at Colgate, including Campus Safety’s recently updated Safety Preparedness Guide. Any on-campus emergencies regarding potentially dangerous conditions, safety hazards/risks and unusual or suspicious activity or behavior should be immediately reported to the Campus Safety Department. Campus Safety can be reached at 315-228-7333.
