Stephen F. Austin State University students grow anxious about falling behind as school reels from cyberattack last week
The East Texas university says the FBI is investigating the cyberattack, which drew the school to a halt about 10 days ago, shutting down the internet and disrupting summer classes.
KPRC 2 Senior Scholarship: Northside HS senior Zamoria Ellison overcame childhood trauma to accomplish remarkable academic achievements
KPRC 2 and American Furniture Warehouse are surprising 20 deserving high school seniors with scholarships in 2022. All students selected for scholarships have been nominated by their high schools.
How four Texas university systems are pitching themselves as the best new home for Stephen F. Austin State University
The SFA Board of Regents is expected to decide whether to join a system before the end of the semester. The Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech and University of Texas systems have all expressed interest in adding the Nacogdoches school to their folds.
Student whose dorm room was stormed by SFA police files lawsuit
HOUSTON โ A Houston student whose dorm room at Stephen F. Austin State University was stormed last year has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the school and her former roommates. Investigators said officers barged into Christin Evansโ dorm room on Sept. 14, 2020, after campus police received a call from the community advisor at the dorm, saying a student was threatening to stab another student with scissors and may have been experiencing a manic episode. Police said officers responded accordingly but changed their posture once they realized Evans was asleep in her room when they entered. In the lawsuit filed Monday, Evans accused the school and others of violating her right to due process and equal protection, negligence and gross negligence. Watch the full news conference below:Here is the full lawsuit filed by Evans:
Settlement reached in lawsuit over SFA police incident
NACOGDOCHES, Texas โ Six students who have been accused of filing a false police report that led to officers storming a Houston studentโs dorm room at Stephen F. Austin State University last month have reached a settlement in the lawsuit against the school. The lawsuit accused the university of violating the rights of the six students by denying them due process. Police said officers responded accordingly but changed their posture once they realized Evans was asleep in her room when they entered. Evans, who is Black, said she believes the incident was orchestrated by her white roommates and motivated by her race. Investigators have said there is no evidence to support that the incident was motivated by Evans' race.
6 students involved in SFA police incident file lawsuit against university
NACOGDOCHES, Texas โ Six students involved in an incident where police stormed another studentโs room have filed a lawsuit against Steven F. Austin University accusing the school of violating their Fourteenth Amendment right to due process. Evans, who is Black, said she believes the incident was orchestrated by her white roommates and motivated by her race. However, SFA police Chief John Fields said there were multiple ladies involved in the incident and the โevidence doesnโt lead to any racism. โEven worse, SFA has acknowledged numerous falsehoods related to how the incident is being portrayed to and reported in the media, yet SFA continues to rush to punish these students for something they did not do,โ the lawsuit reads. A temporary restraining order has been granted to the students, preventing the university from taking any further action and requiring the school to preserve any evidence concerning the incident.
SFA hands over investigation to DAโs office while asking Evansโ family to agree to release the bodycam video of incident
SFA also claimed that they are awaiting permission from Evans' family to release body camera video that they said will show police acted โprofessional." According to Harris, the SFA officers' guns were not drawn or pointed, and that the room was dark. Harris said the university cannot release the video without the permission of Evans and her family. โ(We) call on the Evans' family to join us by agreeing to release the bodycam video of the incident,โ she said. However, Evans' attorney Randall Kallinen said SFA has not allowed Evans, the family or himself to view the video while simultaneously seeking to release the video for the public and media.
Officials: Evidence supports SFA police incident wasnโt racially motivated
NACOGDOCHES, Texas โ Investigators at Stephen F. Austin State University said Wednesday they do not believe an incident involving police entering a studentโs room earlier this month was racially motivated. Evans, who is Black, said she believed the incident was orchestrated by her white roommates and that she believes the incident was motivated by her race. SFA police Chief John Fields said there are up to 11 females involved in the incident. The chief said officers responded to the incident as if a studentโs life was in danger. Gordon also said that he was concerned about the fact that he had to learn about the incident from Evans' family.
โSomething wrong was doneโ: Civil rights experts, lawyer explain racial implications of SFA incident
Evans' family called the incident a racist set-up based on lies made to police by white students. SFA police chief John Fields said there are 11 females involved: seven is white, three is Black and one is Hispanic. Itโs more students doing stuff they shouldnโt be doing,โ he said. โMy heart goes out to the innocent young lady the victim, in this case, this case of false reporting,โ said SFA President Scott Gordon. This is a very serious matter and those students need to be expelled,โ SFA President Kallinen said.
SFA campus police storm Black studentโs dorm with guns drawn after Houston family says white students made false claims
It has made me really paranoid,โ said 17-year-old Christin Evans. Kallinen says the teenโs three white roommates, along with as many as seven other girls, initiated the โswattingโ by telling their resident assistant that Evans was trying to attack them. โThe university is investigating a racially diverse group of students in an incident involving a false report to the university police department. Christin Evans' parents said the majority of the students involved in the incident are white. โI was looking forward to making friends and having a good time on the cheer team, but since this has happened, itโs made it really, really hard,โ she said, holding back tears.