AUSTIN (KXAN) — A University of Texas at Austin student has been suspended after he was arrested on Feb. 20, along with another man, for allegedly throwing bottlesand yelling racial epithets at another UT student.
The incident happened in the 2500 block of Leon St. in West Campus. In a letter to the campus community Thursday, UT President Greg Fenves said the suspended student will not be able to return to UT Austin until 2017.
The victim told police that the three men threw the bottles while yelling “F— you, n—–!” He also said the three came down to fight after he told them he was calling police.
Fenves said he has spoken with the victim and heard from others in the community. “I continue to gain a deeper understanding of the concerns raised by those who do not feel fully welcome at UT, and I have seen the need for changes that can reinforce our university’s values of openness and inclusion.”
The university’s president announced in March he was giving the dean of students additional authority to expedite the investigative process into allegations of violence and to impose interim suspensions on accused students.
In an effort to boost transparency, Fenves also said he will update the university’s policies to be able to publicly release information about the disciplinary actions taken against students who have committed criminal acts.
“This has been a difficult semester for us as a community,” he said. “And we must remain resolute in our efforts to support one another, to work quickly to respond to intolerable behavior and to strive to make UT a campus where all are safe to learn and thrive.”
Police charged Lucas Henderson and Tucker Sauer for public intoxication and deadly conduct after the Feb. 20 incident. While President Fenves did not name Sauer as the suspended student, he was the only one of the two arrested found in the UT student registry.
At the time of the incident, the responding officer noted that both suspects were swaying while they stood and both had a strong odor of alcohol on their breaths, as well as slurring their speech. Both told police that they had been “partying all day.”
A third person accused of throwing bottles, “Danny,” was never identified by police.
