After Assault Claims, Benedictine Bans Alcohol in Campus Housing

Although recent reports of sexual assault on Benedictine University’s campus did not result in charges due to lack of sufficient evidence, the school has suddenly announced that as of Friday night, alcohol is forbidden in residence halls and other campus housing, CBS2 reports.

Instead of being linked to a single incident, the policy is part of “a national trend of campuses responding to alcohol abuse concerns,” Marco Masini, vice president for student life, told the Daily Herald. 

“Over the past several years there have been incidents of students harming themselves or others, damaging campus and personal property and too much alcohol abuse. We're responding to that." 

According to the Chicago Tribune, both of the 19-year-old women who reported being sexually assaulted on Sept. 14 had been attending parties at the Founders’ Woods apartment complex on campus where alcohol was being served. They reported being attacked after returning to Neuzil Hall.

“I don't want to say that [the incident] was the driving force, but certainly it brought a lot into focus,” Benedictine police Chief Michael Salatino told the paper. “If socializing gets to that point, then clearly it's our responsibility as administrators to step in and take action."

The paper also quoted a statement from Benedictine President William Carroll: “Benedictine University is grounded in the values of its founders, among which is living in community and concern for the other… Out of the utmost concern and care for our students, the university… has agreed to immediately enact an alcohol ban in campus housing areas."

Read more at CBS2, the Daily Herald and the Chicago Tribune.