Miami University students said Wednesday they want clearer answers about a weekend confrontation between members of a fraternity and an unidentified group of attackers.
Jayne Brownell, the university’s vice president of student life, said Tuesday the incident happened Saturday night at the Theta Chi fraternity house off-campus. She described multiple fraternity members as having been the victims of “appalling and senseless violence” at the hands of the perpetrators.
“I think it was probably a consequence of something, but I don’t know what that is,” said Miami senior Abe Watman.
According to police radio traffic from the night of the incident, members of the fraternity reported being attacked in the yard of their house. One officer on the scene told others that six or seven people would need to be hospitalized. (All had been released by Wednesday night.)
A letter sent to students on Tuesday cites a police report that says: “A group of students approached the Theta Chi fraternity house on N. Bishop St. and assaulted multiple residents of the house.”
The letter did not specify whether the report had come from the Miami University Police Department or Oxford Police Department. When WCPO requested records from both, neither listed victims or potential suspects by name.
Although most communications about the attack refer to the attackers as Miami students, the letter also raises the possibility they might not be: “If those responsible are identified as Miami students, they will face suspension or dismissal.”
Watman said he’s anxious to learn more about the incident, which is unlike anything else he’s experienced at school.
“I’m a senior here, and I haven’t seen or heard of anything like this before,” Watman said. “Obviously, there’s fights and whatnot, but nothing to this extent, this brutal.”
