U. at Albany Expels 2 Students Involved in Racially Charged Bus Incident

Two University at Albany students have been expelled and another suspended for two years for violating the campus’s Student Code of Conduct when they falsely claimed to have been assaulted on a city bus in January, according to a statement by the university’s president, Robert J. Jones, that was released on Wednesday.

“I am sharing this information to reaffirm our institution’s commitment to accountability and to providing a fair, safe, and welcoming educational environment for all,” Mr. Jones wrote to the campus, part of the State University of New York system.

The three students, all black women, reported being the victims of a racially charged assault on a bus on January 30. The incident attracted widespread attention, including a tweet from Hillary Clinton that said, “There’s no excuse for racism and violence on a college campus.”

Mr. Jones, who is black, was also quick to come to the students’ defense. He released a statement shortly after the incident stating, “We are working closely with the Albany Police Department to identify the persons responsible. If those individuals are UAlbany students, we will hold them fully accountable for their behavior.”

However, the results of a police investigation, released about a month after the alleged incident, found no evidence that the female students’ story was true, according to the Albany Times Union. They now face misdemeanor assault charges after they were found to be the aggressors in the incident.

The students pleaded not guilty at their arraignments, on Wednesday morning, according to the Times Union.