Georgetown Director Of XC, Track Resigns In Wake Of Investigation

Georgetown Director Of XC, Track Resigns In Wake Of Investigation

Aug 1, 2015 by Lincoln Shryack
Georgetown Director Of XC, Track Resigns In Wake Of Investigation

The director of the Georgetown men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams has resigned as the university continues to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct and racial bias within the team. 
 
The university announced Pat Henner’s resignation yesterday amid the investigation, which has already found that members of the men’s team violated student conduct policies by participating in unofficial events which were lewd and offensive in nature. The school found no wrongdoing on the part of Henner, who had led the program for the last eight years, stating that he and the other coaches had no previous knowledge of misconduct within the team. 
 
In a statement to the university, Henner said “I have always demanded the highest athletic and personal standards for my coaches and student-athletes. I regret that some students engaged in behavior that fell short of these expectations.”
 
An investigation of the team made by Georgetown’s Office of Institutional Diversity Equity and Affirmative found no evidence of racial bias on the team, however the school did announce that the men’s track team has cancelled seven upcoming meets as a part of sanctions levied by the university due to the sexual misconduct violations. Team members will participate in mandatory sensitivity training going forward. 

Stefanie Kurgatt, a former distance runner at Georgetown, alleged that she was unfairly mistreated and pressured to quit the team by the coaching staff, as well as isolated by the team because of her race. Kurgatt detailed her experience in her blog, in which she claims fellow teammates asked her if she spoke ebonics, among other experiences. READ

Kurgatt does not mention any sexual misconduct in her blog, and the two issues appear to be separate. 
 
The allegations of sexual misconduct against the team were made by former athletes, which detailed a series of offensive acts as a part of a team “Scavenger Hunt”, as well as participation in the so-called “Hoya Snaxa Awards”, where members of the team earned points by performing offensive sexual acts. 
 
The investigation was prompted back in April when a student allegedly e-mailed a video trailer for the upcoming “Hoya Snaxa Awards” which showed athletes engaging in sexual acts with each other. 

A long list of disturbing acts as a part of the team "Scavenger Hunt" were posted last month by a former athlete on social media, which included the names of specific athletes on the team. Those participating in the event earned points by performing the listed activities.
 
We’ll have more on this story as it continues to develop.