Most students are just now finding out about the violent assault on 18-year-old Jacob Showalter, who was beaten and allegedly had his head stomped on Sept. 7.

Many students said they first heard news of the incident when they picked up Monday’s edition of Central Michigan Life.

Rochester Hills senior Megan Walklet said she was upset to read the paper Monday morning and read the news for the first time.

“I was kind of upset about that, because you’d think that with such a serious assault, (police) would be out asking questions and you’d heard it on the news,” she said. “I was very upset that someone could be so severely beaten and that there were witnesses and they didn’t do anything to stop this.”

Jillian LaLonde, Mecosta junior, said Sigma Chi President Martin Markaj Markaj should have been more sympathetic toward Showalter, instead of just denying the fraternity’s involvement and saying “some guy got his ass beat.”

“Even if they didn’t have anything to do with it, they could have been more sensitive,” she said.

“I’m shocked more people didn’t get involved and try to stop the fight,” Iron Mountain senior Maria Santi said.

Rochester Hills junior Justin Brown said more serious action should be taken.

“I think the fraternity should be kicked off campus, and I’ll definitely keep my eyes open a little more now,” he said.

Lake Odessa freshman Ryan King said he thinks Showalter was asking for a fight if he made racial slurs.

“He deserved something for insulting the guy like that, although what they did was a bit extreme,” King said.

Student Life Director Tony Voisin said the university has not received a finalized police report and does not know for sure if students are involved in the assault.

“At this point, until we have official charges, all I know is what’s been in the paper,” he said.

Sterling Heights junior Greg Hopkins also said he knows only what was in the newspaper.

“That was the first time I heard of that,” he said. “It’s crazy ... some of the things that go on up here. I’m wondering why this is the first time it’s coming up now, instead of when it first happened and he got his jaw broken.”

Hopkins said in the past two years he has been at CMU, he has not heard about anything of this nature happening.

“Not anything like kicking anybody’s jaw in like that,” he said. “They have to look in to that to see if it was racially motivated.”

Hopkins said he has friends in Sigma Chi and has gone to parties there before.

“They’re just the usual parties,” he said.

Walklet said she expects to see fights at parties and she doesn’t feel threatened going to one.

“It’s a rare occurrence, but it happens,” she said. “I feel safe overall.”

Walklet said she thinks the police are doing a good job regulating parties around campus.

“I think the cops here at Central are a little more lenient with the whole party situation,” she said. “I think they’re doing fine. They’re just doing their job.”

Walklet said she’s disappointed that one bad incident has the potential to bring down the spirits of everyone.

“I found it kind of disappointing that campus seems so upbeat and happy that people are getting along and then you hear some things like this that bring the whole campus down because of one event.”