WESTFIELD- Westfield State University officials are investigating an incident involving a male student after leaked screenshots depicting text messages from the student allegedly attempting to intimidate a woman went viral on social media.
The text messages show a conversation between the student and a woman he apparently matched with on the dating app Tinder. The two appeared to have been arguing about current events concerning police in the United States. The male student responded to the woman by saying that “cops are the reason [you’re] not raped every day.”
When the woman responded saying that he did not make any sense, he sent a reply that was interpreted by some as threatening.
“Who’s to stop someone like me from raping [you] without the cops,” said the student, “You? What would you do if I were to metaphorically rape you?” he wrote.
Westfield State University released a statement in response to the messages:
“Westfield State University was recently made aware of disturbing social media matters. We take these matters seriously, and the University’s Office of Human Resources, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity is assessing and addressing them under appropriate policies and procedures. It is important to note that the University is prohibited from discussing or disclosing information on individual student matters in adherence with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).”
The Westfield News received several messages from students and others who expressed outrage at the situation.
