Student speaks out on alleged bullying by roommate
Chennel Rowe, a freshman at the University of Hartford, says she was the target of bullying on campus by her roommate.
A Connecticut college student was charged Wednesday with smearing body fluids on her roommate's belongings in a form of extreme bullying that police called a bias crime.
Brianna Brochu, 18, was initially charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief and breach of peace, but West Hartford Police told FOX 61 they asked the judge to add a felony bigotry charge.
Brochu admitted she put her body fluids on her roommate's backpack and licked her roommate's plate, fork and spoon because she was frustrated with her roommate's rude behavior, police said.
University of Hartford President Greg Woodward said in a statement Wednesday that Brochu's conduct was "reprehensible" and she is no longer a student at the school.
This booking photo released Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017, by the West Hartford Police Department shows University of Hartford student Brianna Brochu, charged with smearing body fluids on her roommate's belongings in West Hartford, Conn. (West Hartford Police Department)
"She will not be returning to the institution," Woodward said.
"It is clear there is work to be done at our University to ensure that all students feel safe, respected, and valued," he added. "The conversations that began with student groups, faculty, and staff yesterday are going to continue and involve our full community."
“She got me out of the room after a month of spitting in my coconut oil, putting my toothbrush in places the sun doesn’t shine, putting moldy clam dip in my lotion,"
The student, who said she was the target of the bullying, told FOX 61 she was informed of the disturbing incident when a resident assistants (RA) told her of taunting pictures posted on Instagram, allegedly by her roommate after she informed her she was moving out.
“Rubbing bloody tampons on my things, so like she posted pictures of my Steve Madden bag that I had been sleeping next to the whole time on my bed with blood stains on it,” Chennel Rowe said.
The freshman said since meeting, her roommate barely acknowledged her presence and was "giving off vibes."
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Among the videos she was informed of by her RA included her then-roommate opening up her coconut oil.
“She got me out of the room after a month of spitting in my coconut oil, putting my toothbrush in places the sun doesn’t shine, putting moldy clam dip in my lotion,” Rowe told FOX 61.
The freshman said she notified school officials on Oct. 17, and the West Hartford police eventually got involved. School officials said a "no-contact order" was put into place, and the case turned over to local authorities.
Due to her frustrations over how the incident was being handled, Rowe said she took her story on Facebook Live on Monday, where it was shared thousands of times.
The freshman told FOX 61 she believes the incident may have played out differently because of her race.
“I probably would’ve been locked up," she said. "A whole of a bunch of stuff would’ve been done quickly,” Rowe said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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