2 at Rowan suspended over sex video
Rowan University will suspend two male students for violating the student code of conduct after videotape of a female student having sex at a frat party was posted online without her permission.
The punishment became final during an appeal hearing Wednesday in front of the Student Sexual Misconduct and Harassment Board, made up of five university staff members.
One of the males videotaped the sex; the second male participated in the act and posted the video.
"The board found both males in violation of the policy and both have been suspended from the university," Rowan spokesman Joe Cardona wrote in an email.
He added the university would not disclose the students' names or the length of the suspension because the information is part of their "educational record" and would violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
The incident began Sept. 18 when students notified university officials of a video posted on two websites —Yik Yak and Porn Hub — that potentially showed a female student being sexually assaulted.
University officials began an investigation and located the three students involved. The video had already been taken down and the male and female who were filmed said the sexual activity was consensual, according to Cardona.
But the female student was not aware the video was made or that it would be posted online.
Cardona said the male in the video knew he was being taped by the other male and later posted the video to the websites, only to take it down the next morning after showing the female the posting.
A criminal complaint was never filed against either male, who were both members of the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity, but they were charged with violating the Rowan Student Code of Conduct, specifically the Student Sexual Misconduct and Harassment Policy, Cardona said.
TKE's national office has disciplined the Rowan chapter. Both students also have voluntarily resigned their membership to the fraternity.
Reach Phil Dunn at (856) 486-2456 or pdunn@courierpostonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @philmdunn