President Kapoor’s Press Release Concerning Events of 10/13/12
First and foremost I would like to express my condolences and sorrow to the victim and her family. No one should ever have to experience what this young lady experienced.
Incidents such as the one that just occurred on campus can shake us to our core. Every person in our community is entitled to a safe environment in which they can grow, prosper, and normally lead their life. These four individuals took that right away from this young lady and for that they have violated every fiber of what the UMass and the greater Amherst community hold to be true
We are all committed to maintaining a safe community and campus. We cannot let outsiders come into our community commit these outrageous actions, and leave unscathed. I want to commend the UMass Police Department for pursuing this case so diligently and working hard to bring these individuals to justice as soon as possible. The Student Body appreciates the joint effort and tireless work done to ensure the situation was handled as swiftly and professionally as possible.
Incidents such as these do not define the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Nor can we let them. This is not who we are, and we need to work to prevent this type of thing from happening. My heart goes out to the survivor and those who have been hurt by this tragedy. It is something that no one should ever have to experience and go through. And I want to say to the survivor that you do not have to go through this alone, as I would like to speak for every student this afternoon and say that we stand by you and your courageous action to come forward and report this to the authorities. But I would also request all of [the press] to please protect the privacy of this victim and therefore help her lead her life and recover.
This tragedy has shocked our community and I want to state that neither the Student Body nor the University will stand by and let these actions go unnoticed. We are committed to providing a safe environment to all students and community members and will work tirelessly to ensure that we maintain this environment.
I would like to further encourage the use of the wide array of resources available on campus, including Counseling, for any students who may be impacted by this tragedy
Please direct any specific question to the University of Massachusetts Amherst News and Media Relations Office
Akshay Kapoor
President
Student Government Association