I-Team: Bentley University student says he was victim of vile incident by fraternity pledge
WALTHAM - A first-year Black student at Bentley University, has come forward to the I-Team claiming he was the victim of a troubling hazing incident, allegedly by his roommate.
The 19-year-old, described as a straight-A math student, achieved his dream of attending Bentley University. However, weeks after moving into his campus dorm, he found himself subjected to an unsettling fraternity pledge. Due to the sensitive nature of the incident, the I-Team is not identifying the victim or his family.
The student's biggest fear is that everyone on campus might be aware of what transpired, leaving him feeling embarrassed and anxious.
The incident occurred last Thursday in his Bentley University dorm room. The victim was watching a video on his bed, when he says his White roommate returned home in the middle of the night. The victim says he believes his roommate thought he was asleep, and started urinating in the room, claiming that it was part of a fraternity pledge.
"I turned around, and my roommate is peeing, no pants, no shirt on. He's peeing on my side of the room under the bed," the victim explained. "So I get up, and I ask him what he's doing, he says it's for a pledge... test. I'm not sure what that means. He still continues and finishes. He gets water and paper towels, wipes up a little of it, and goes back to bed. He peed on everything below my bed and also it splashed on me when I jumped off the bed."
The victim reported the incident to campus police and called his mother. His mom went to pick up her son and was shocked to find the smell of urine still lingering in the room, with no one having cleaned it up.
Within hours of the incident, nearly 1,000 students posted about what had happened on a social media platform used by the student body.
The following day, the roommate sent the victim a text message, claiming he was drunk and that it was a mistake. He expressed remorse and stated that no one had forced him to commit the act.
The victim's family hired Attorney Peter Marano, who characterizes the incident as criminal. Marano asserts that the university's response has fallen short of acceptable standards and should have zero tolerance for such behavior. He highlights potential state and federal crimes, Title IX issues, and hazing concerns.
The student's mother reached out to the university president, demanding answers, and criticizing the school's inadequate support for her son. The roommate has been issued a no-contact order and was removed from the dorm room, but his belongings remain in the shared space.
In a statement Bentley University told the I-Team, "We are aware of the alleged incident and have taken immediate interim steps to offer support and ensure the safety and wellbeing of the students involved. Due to the ongoing investigation, we will have no further comment at this time."
The victim tells us, "I feel like if it was the other way around, if I had done what he did, I would have been kicked out of the school and probably arrested."
The family's attorney intends to take the case to the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office.
