Statement by

Furman University President David E. Shi

April 8, 2008

On March 9, a female student at Furman University reported that she had been sexually assaulted by a male Furman student.  Sexual assault is one of the most serious issues that any residential campus can experience, and the university has exercised extreme care and diligence in investigating this case.  The student who filed the complaint asked that the matter be handled by the university rather than the police.  As a consequence, a panel of faculty and students randomly selected in September from the pool of Discipline Committee members heard the case and determined that a sexual assault had indeed occurred.  The Committee concluded that expulsion was the appropriate sanction.

The accused student then filed an appeal with the president.  I have since examined all of the testimony and evidence.  In addition, I have interviewed faculty, staff members, and students associated with the hearing, including the accused and the accuser.  I have also benefited from the input of an ad hoc group of two professors and two students who did not participate in the original Disciplinary Committee proceedings.  They, too, thoroughly examined the evidence and testimony in the presence of the University’s attorney, and they too endorsed the findings of the Disciplinary Committee.  All of these sources of information confirm for me that the Disciplinary Committee followed appropriate policies and procedures and arrived at a reasonable verdict and sanction.  As a consequence, I have denied the appeal of the accused student.  The findings of the Disciplinary Committee are therefore upheld, including the sanction of the student’s expulsion from the university.