Nine students were expelled from a small private college in Massachusetts after they were seen in a viral internet video that showed a student assaulting a fellow student in a dispute over shoes. Even students who observed the beating were dismissed.
The video, posted to several websites Dec. 2, shows students at Dean College in Franklin, Mass., following a student down a sidewalk until he is approached and punched repeatedly.
The victim, woozy and bloodied after a flurry of blows to the face, then has his shoes ripped off his feet. The perpetrator beats the victim over the head with the shoes, then walks away while others laugh and cheer.
Read more about viral video in higher education…
Professor’s ‘yawn’ rant offers a lesson in viral video
Social media fuels Occupy Colleges movement
The incident happened outside a Dean College administrative building. The victim received medical attention and was released.
The perpetrator was expelled from the college immediately, and after campus officials examined the video and identified others who did not help the victim, they were dismissed too, Dean College President Paula Rooney said in a statement.
“Dean College has a zero tolerance policy for conduct that is detrimental to the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff,” Rooney said. “The actions we have taken underscore the seriousness with which we view this responsibility.”
A handful of students spoke directly to the camera used to film the on-campus fight after the perpetrator walks away with the stolen shoes, which he believes to be his. The person who posted the video to the web said the attacker had been missing a pair of shoes for two weeks.
- Research: Social media has negative impact on academic performance - April 2, 2020
- Number 1: Social media has negative impact on academic performance - December 31, 2014
- 6 reasons campus networks must change - September 30, 2014
Comments are closed.