Farrell Investigation Continues

The unthinkable happened at Rowan University.

A little after 9 p.m. on Saturday, October 27, 2007, during a Homecoming Weekend filled with festivities, Donald "Donnie" Farrell, a sophomore business major from Boonton, Morris County, was attacked while walking with five friends.

They had just left Beau Rivage, an off-campus townhouse complex on normally bustling Rt. 322, crossed Bowe Boulevard, and were yards away from the XPress Food Mart, a convenience store near the Triad Apartments, when a handful of men approached them, asking for directions to a party.

Mr. Farrell replied. And what should have been one guy helping out another quickly developed into something else. Unprovoked, one or two men in the second group attacked Mr. Farrell, punching and kicking him, knocking him to the ground, stealing his wallet. They fled before Mr. Farrell's companions and nearby witnesses could react.

Someone called 911, and Rowan Public Safety officers — out in force for Homecoming — arrived on the scene within 90 seconds. Rowan's student-operated Emergency Medical Services transported Mr. Farrell to Cooper Trauma Center, in Camden. On their way to the hospital, the EMS squad revived him twice. Mr. Farrell was put on life support shortly after arriving at Cooper. He died the next day.

Mr. Farrell leaves behind his parents, a brother, two sisters and other loved ones. He also leaves behind a Rowan community that mourns his death and awaits the arrest of his killer or killers.

On Campus

The attack stunned the Rowan family. Initial reactions among students, faculty and staff included grief, anger and confusion. But in many ways the campus, even with concerns and questions, immediately came together after the killing. Among the ways in which the Rowan campus and others responded to the death of Donnie Farrell were:

• The administration held an all-University meeting in Esby Gym on Monday, October 29, 2007, to update students, faculty and staff about the crime and about safety on campus. (Video available.)
• The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office held a press conference during which the prosecutor distributed an artist's rendering of a "person on interest" on October 29, 2007. (Video available.)
• The president unveiled 14 public safety initiatives on October 30, 2007. (Visit the Public Safety Website for updates.)
• The University updated students on the expanded Safe Walk & Ride program on October 31, 2007.
• The Prosecutor's Office on October 31, 2007 announced a $50,000 reward leading to the apprehension of persons involved in the Donnie Farrell attack. (Later raised to $100,000.)
• Counselors met with individuals and groups to help them manage their grief.
• Rowan posted online information on November 1, 2007 on how the community could make memorial contributions to honor the life of Donnie Farrell.
• The University transported students to Donnie Farrell's visitation and funeral in North Jersey on November 2 and 3, 2007.
• The Prosecutor's Office announced an update on the case on November 2, 2007.
• Rowan produced an online Family newsletter on November 2, 2007 to update families of our students about Donnie Farrell's death and about campus initiatives and issued a print version the following week.
• The campus held a vigil at the site of the beating on November 3, 2007.
• The Student Government Association staged a Rowan Rally on November 5, 2007.

All Stories Described Above

The Investigation Continues

The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office is heading the investigation of the attack in conjunction with Rowan's Department of Public Safety and the Glassboro Police Department. Dalton said police do not believe the incident was a gang-related or bias attack, but rather one motivated by robbery. Dalton called it an "extremely swift attack" and said it was unprovoked and ended before Mr. Farrell's companions could intercede.

The Prosecutor's Office has set up a tipline for information on the attack. (Call the 24-hour tipline at 856/307-7180 or write to the confidential email, mcu@co.gloucester.nj.us.)

Moving Forward

A number of people expressed concerns about crime at Rowan after the death of Donnie Farrell. That's understandable. Rumors to the contrary, Rowan actually has seen a decrease in crimes in the last three years, and two of those years that decrease topped 23 percent.

Dr. Farish, however, said that while the reality is that crimes against a person are rare on campus, students' perceptions that they are occurring more frequently need to be addressed.

He said in a Tuesday, October 30, 2007, email to the entire Rowan community and other interested parties: "Anyone at the all-campus meeting yesterday saw a range of emotions from our students: fear, anger, a sense of being violated, and a genuine concern for their safety. Although we believe that our campus is safe, we recognize also that perception is often reality, and if our students believe they are not safe, then that is a reality to which we need to react."

To view the 14 steps he outlined to address campus safety, visit the Public Safety Website.

To learn more about public safety at Rowan and view crimes statistics, go to www.rowan.edu/safety.

For more information, contact:

President's Office: (856) 256-4100

Public Safety Office: (856) 256-4922

Counseling & Psychological Services: (856) 256-4222