A graduation controversy at Villanova University nearly three years after a student was sexually assaulted in a dorm room. Delaware County court records show that a student pleaded guilty to sexual assault while he’s no longer a student at the university; it’s another man on campus who has some current students feeling frustrated with school leaders. NBC10’s Frances Wang has the story.
Amid a petition and planned protests, a Villanova University student accused of filming another student being sexually assaulted by a man in a dorm room nearly three years ago will not attend the school’s upcoming graduation ceremony, according to his attorney.
The controversy stemmed from a 2022 incident in which a Villanova student was sexually assaulted by a male student inside a dorm room. Court records from Delaware County, Pennsylvania, show the man – later identified as Elijah Katzenell -- pleaded guilty to sexual assault and is no longer a student at the school.
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WATCH HEREResources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.
The survivor – who is set to graduate in a few weeks – filed a civil complaint against Villanova University and the three male students who were allegedly involved. The complaint -- which references the affidavit of probable cause filed in support of Katzenell’s arrest – accuses one of the men of witnessing and filming the assault. The complaint also accuses that man of helping to carry the survivor’s unconscious body out of the room.
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SIGN UP NBC10 is not naming the male student who allegedly filmed the assault since he has not been charged with any crime. However, there was outrage from the Villanova community after they learned he would still be walking in the graduation ceremony alongside the survivor.
“As we got closer to graduation, it really started to eat her up,” the woman’s lawyer, Jay Edelstein, told NBC10. “Almost as if she was going to be assaulted again by having to go through this whole thing and hearing his name and walking.”
A Change.org petition created by an anonymous person demands that Villanova stop the male student from walking at graduation. Anil Dadhich, a sophomore at the school, was one of the tens of thousands of people who signed it.
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“Mortified,” Dadhich told NBC10. “It was unacceptable. And to learn the administration wasn’t taking action broke my heart.”
Other students told NBC10 they want the survivor to know she has their support.
“We’re here for her. And that we will stand up for her when the school didn’t,” Ava O’Brien, a Villanova freshman, told NBC10. “We’re going to be there for her and make sure that this is a moment. She deserves to be heard.”
The male student’s lawyer later told NBC10 that his client will not attend the graduation ceremony because he doesn’t want to take away the attention from the class of 2025. Some students said there will likely still be protests during the commencement ceremonies on May 16 and May 17 due to the university’s handling of the controversy, however.
Meanwhile, the survivor’s lawsuit is still playing out in federal court. Attorneys for Villanova University asked a judge to dismiss the case. Edelstein said they’re now waiting for a ruling. He also says his client feels the support from the Villanova community.
“She’s bolstered. She feels really, really good about the support,” Edelstein said. “She’s a remarkable young woman who has finished her education, put her head down, and just moved forward.”
NBC10 reached out to Villanova University for comment. A spokesperson directed us to a letter that campus leaders sent to the community on Tuesday.
"We hear the concerns surrounding the harm done to the survivor and the wider community," Kathleen Byrnes, Villanova's Vice President for Student Life, wrote to faculty, students and staff. "We are actively working to address the situation at hand relating to Commencement and are seeking an outcome that will offer care and respect for the survivor and ensure that the survivor can participate fully in Commencement."
