I want to follow up on the recent news, and your safety on the FIT campus. What happened in March was devastating. I want to reiterate that during those most difficult of days, we took swift action towards justice and came together as a community to support the victims and their families.
As you may have seen, yesterday afternoon the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York released information on superseding indictments charging two individuals involved in the incident, neither of whom are part of the FIT community.
The updated charges reflect what a horrific tragedy this was, but also brings with it accountability and justice for those involved. We are working with our faculty, staff, and student leaders to schedule discussions to provide information and support, and opportunities for our community to come together and heal.
I wanted to make sure you heard the latest from me directly. As an institution, we strive to be as transparent as possible while balancing the health and safety of all our students and our entire community.
Because this is still an active criminal investigation and there are ongoing legal proceedings, we have been careful about what we have said publicly to protect the families involved and ensure justice is served.
On the early morning of March 18, two community members, one who later tragically lost their life—and a registered non-FIT visitor, the suspect—were involved in this incident. All FIT policies related to visitation in the residence halls were followed.
As you can read in the justice department press release, the suspect is accused of giving our students fentanyl which he claimed was cocaine. The case also says that sexual misconduct, as well as other reprehensible events, occurred in the residence hall room.
When campus security was alerted that our students were unconscious, we took immediate action. The situation was assessed, Narcan was administered, city and federal agents were called to the scene, and the suspect was arrested and has been held since that time.
Tragically, one of our students lost their life a few days later in what was determined to be a fentanyl overdose. The following week, our community held a celebration of life that was a beautiful tribute to the student and their family and friends. I am grateful for how our community came together to support them.
We are also grateful for the swift action of our residential life team and campus public safety whose actions led to immediate medical response for the victims and the detention of the suspect. We also would like to acknowledge the swift response of city and federal agencies and we will continue to coordinate with them around this and any other safety issue.
Our FIT safety protocols are strong because of the policies and resources in place. We have 24/7 security monitoring and presence in all campus buildings; our strict Visitor Policy that controls access to our residence halls and tracks any non-FIT individual that is on campus; our emergency call boxes are strategically located both internally and externally on campus. Our STOPit reporting system is available online to report any sexual misconduct, as is our sexual misconduct response policy.
After this incident we continue to review our policies. Public safety supervisors on campus are now required to carry portable Narcan at all times as part of their uniform. This protocol is in addition to the Narcan kits stationed in the lobbies of each of the residence halls along with the defibrillator units. We continue to provide education and programming to our community on healthy relationships, and awareness campaigns on misconduct, and sexual health.
We will continue to keep you informed as appropriate, but it is important to reiterate that we all must ensure that we continue to protect the safety of the victims and their families’ privacy and the sanctity of the ongoing legal proceedings.
Please direct any questions, comments or concerns that you have or that you may get from internal and external sources to [email protected]. Any press inquiries that may be received can be directed to FIT External Relations.
Sincerely,
Jason Schupbach
President
Fashion Institute of Technology
FIT Community Resources
Students: For students who need support or wish to schedule an appointment with our Counseling Center, located in the Dubinsky Student Center, Room A212B, please call (212) 217-4260 or visit fitnyc.edu/counseling. Office hours are Monday–Friday, 9 am–5 pm.
In addition, for students who may be feeling lonely, worried, or just not yourself, trained individuals are available to speak with and support you on Togetherall. Access 24/7 support, engage anonymously, and connect with others. This service is available to all FIT students free of charge.
If you have additional questions, stop by the Dean of Students office in the Business and Liberal Arts Center, Room B221, or email [email protected].
Employees: For employees needing support, please contact the Employee Assistance Program at (212) 217-5600. Their voicemail is connected 24 hours a day, and messages are retrieved daily. The office is located in the Dubinsky Student Center, Room A608D, and office hours are Mondays and Tuesdays, 9 am–5 pm; Wednesdays, 10 am–3 pm; and Thursdays, 1–5 pm (remote). All appointments and calls are held in the strictest confidence. Find more details at fitnyc.edu/eap.