Villanova University’s PR nightmare continues.
The man who recorded a student’s sexual assault on his phone won’t be walking at their shared graduation on May 16. He’s staying away.
“[Juan] Eguiguren does not wish for his presence to detract attention from the deserved recognition and celebration of the Class of 2025 at Villanova University’s Commencement Ceremony. Therefore he will not be in attendance,” reads a statement by Eguiguren’s attorney to The Villanovan, the campus newsletter.
Despite Eguiguren’s decision – apparently made by the student and not forced by the university – students plan a protest on campus this Saturday.
The timing couldn’t be much worse. Saturday is Accepted Students Day when hundreds of families will be visiting the campus to evaluate Villanova.
In just two days, more than 24,000 students and community members have signed a Change.org petition demanding Eguiguren be barred from graduation ceremonies.
A screenshot of the Change.org petition that amassed thousands of new signatures this week.
A quick recap if you missed the disturbing story that ignited the firestorm:
In August of 2022, a sophomore, who had blacked out from drinking after attending an off-campus party at “The Courts,” was sexually assaulted in a dorm room at Sheehan Hall.
Her attacker was someone she knew: Elijah Katzenell. He never went to jail. In exchange for a guilty plea, he was sentenced to seven years of probation and is now a registered sex offender for life.
Katzenell left Villanova but Eguiguren, a friend of Katzenell’s who recorded the assault and helped dump the unconscious victim in a dorm bathroom afterward, was not charged by police and has remained on campus. Police viewed Eguigurn’s video before bringing charges.
The victim has since filed a federal lawsuit against the University, Katzenell, Eguiguren and a third student who witnessed the assault.
This week, Philly Mag reported that the victim was also demanding Egiguren be prohibited from graduation. The story prompted online outrage and thousands of new signatures to the petition.
“Predictably our client has suffered from persistent psychological and emotional trauma knowing that the individual who video-recorded her being raped while she was unconscious is still happily enrolled at Villanova, freely roaming the campus as if nothing happened,” wrote the victim’s attorney Jay Edelstein.
Meanwhile through her attorney, the victim has issued a statement, per Philly Mag;
“I want to thank every single person who stood by me during this incredibly difficult journey. The student who recorded the attack will not walk at graduation. But let me be clear, this decision was not made by Villanova University – it was made by the student himself … after seeing the outrage of the public. The university did not prevent him. That distinction matters … Villanova must be held accountable. – not just in this moment but always.”
[…] university bar Eguigueron from his May 16 graduation garnered 24,000 signatures a few weeks ago, he quietly left campus and released a statement through his attorney saying he would not walk at gra… so as not to be a […]