By Brian Carlson
Army ROTC officials claimed they were asked to help with crowd control at the BYU-Utah game on Nov. 17.
However, University Police are denying any connection with the events that transpired that evening between fans and the ROTC.
Students who were assaulted are seeking compensation for injuries and damages by filing reports with University Police.
University Police Lt. Greg Barber said the ROTC is its own entity.
“They don”t report to us, we don”t supervise them,” he said. “We have no responsibility for them.”
In a public apology issued by the ROTC on Nov. 19, Major Gregory A. Weisler, assistant professor of military science, said his cadets were asked to assist in crowd control.
However, Barber said the only affiliation the ROTC has with the police is in assisting the safe escort of referees off the field.
“It”s possible an individual officer may have asked the ROTC to help with crowd control, but we haven”t heard anything like that,” Barber said.
Barber suggests liability lies within the University.
Carri Jenkins, BYU assistant to the president for university communications, said the University needs more information before it can take a position on the incident.
She said it needs first-hand reports of assaults to students.
Jenkins said until the University receives those reports it has no official standpoint on the Nov. 17 incident.
Three BYU students assaulted by BYU ROTC cadets verbally reported their experience to University Police this past week and will submit written forms today.
Jeremy Litster, 24, a graduate student from Boise, Idaho, studying accounting, said he wasn”t satisfied with how police and BYU have handled the situation so far.
“When we realized people weren”t going to take responsibility for what happened, we decided to file a report,” Litster said.
In the ROTC public apology, Weisler expressed regret for the actions of his cadets.
“I apologize for the overenthusiastic actions taken by the Army ROTC cadets,” Weisler said in the apology. “We have reviewed our actions and will establish policies to restrict our involvement in like situations.”
Litster said he felt the apology was insincere and is seeking for the ROTC to take greater responsibility.
“Overenthusiastic is a nice way to disguise their brutality against normal citizens, people who are also cougar fans,” Litster said.
After everything had calmed down Litster said he overheard one cadet say to another, he just got caught up in the heat of the battle.
“I personally don”t want to ever to see ROTC people on the field again,” Litster said.
Litster”s roommate Bryan Hall, 23, a senior from Boise, Idaho, majoring in English, communicated with police on Wednesday
Hall said he was slammed to the ground and placed in a headlock by an ROTC cadet.
Hall later that night was taken to the hospital where a CAT scan revealed he had suffered a concussion.
“I”ll do whatever it takes to get my medical bills paid for,” Hall said.
Aaron Call, 22, a junior from Sandy, Salt Lake County, majoring in finance, is also seeking compensation for damages.
He said cadets ripped his sweatshirt and threw off his hat, ruining over a total of $100 of Call”s clothing.
“Their actions are totally uncalled for,” Call said.
Barber said the police have two working days before they must make Litster, Hall and Call”s records available to be reviewed.
It is then, Barber said, the police will be able to determine what type of action should be taken.
