U Of A Suspends Two Students Accused Of Assaulting Black Student

TUCSON – Attorneys for University of Arizona students Matthew Rawlings, 19, and Matthew Frazier, 20, told the Arizona Daily Star on Monday that the two young men were suspended by the university. Rawlings and Frazier are accused of assaulting an African-American student Sept. 10 not far from the university’s Arbol de la Vida dorm. The suspension confirmations followed Rawlings’ and Frazier’s criminal Pima County Justice Court arraignments Monday. Rawlings’ attorney classified his client’s suspension as “interim."

Rawlings and Frazier were arrested Sept. 13, accused of kicking on the ground and punching a black student. They are also accused of calling the black man the N-word eight to ten times, U of A campus police reported.

The victim received minor scrapes on his elbow, knees and hand and intended to go to the U of A health center to get examined for a possible concussion, police reported. The assault was deemed a misdemeanor, as a felony assault would have resulted in “serious physical injury, temporary but substantial disfigurement, temporary but substantial loss or impairment of any body organ or part, or a fracture of any body part,” police said.

The University of Arizona’s Black Student Union organized a protest on campus shortly after the incident, attended by approximately 300 individuals who picketed and chanted “Black Lives Matter” and “We Want Justice.” The BSU demanded Rawlings’ and Frazier’s expulsion, but the two students’ names currently still appear in the U of A’s student directory. Federal education privacy laws prevented a university spokesperson from responding to the Arizona Daily Star’s inquiry as to whether Frazier and Rawlings are still enrolled at the U of A.

Frazier has said he was not present at the alleged assault incident, though police found blood on his shirt. Meanwhile, Rawlings reported that a black student shouted at him, then the fight occurred. Rawlings admitted to alcohol consumption before the incident, according to previous news reports.

Rawlings has received permission to go back to California and reside with his parents, while his lawyer, Louis Fidel, told the Arizona Daily Star, “There have been a lot of statements made without having access to all of the facts. We’re going to review all of those facts and we’ll show Matt is not guilty.”

Frazier’s attorney, Dan Cooper, declined to comment beyond confirming the suspension.

Rawlings and Frazier are scheduled to appear in court next on Nov. 12.

Read the full story at the Arizona Daily Star.