EX-STUDENT Was Falsely Accused of Sex Harassment & Denied Campus Due Process
For the first time in five years, Joseph Roberts returned to Savannah, Georgia, his college town. The homecoming is hard for Roberts. In fact, he is not even sure what will happen to him if he steps on campus. “I don’t feel safe,” Roberts told ABC News’ “Nightline.” After serving in the Navy, Roberts was on track to become the first person in his family to receive a college diploma. Instead, he received an email from his school Savannah State University that derailed his dream of graduating. “An email came from the Office of Student Affairs,” Roberts recalled. “’You are hereby summarily suspended and if you step foot on campus, you get the threat of expulsion and arrest.’ A couple minutes later, there was a campus-wide email alert with — my picture was almost like a mug shot. ‘If you see me — immediately report to Public Safety.’” Roberts said the email was sent after two students filed complaints, which Roberts called false allegations, of verbal and online sexual harassment. According to documents obtained by ABC News, he was suspended the same day the first complaint was made. Roberts claimed no one reached out to him, interviewed him or asked him what happened before the email went out and that he was “immediately” found guilty. “Just off the mere accusation. Done. Done,” he said.
