Christian Hill’s disqualification from the position of Student Government Association president-elect and removal from the position of SGA vice president of student services was due to a March 15 altercation between himself and another Phi Beta Sigma fraternity brother, according to records obtained by The Signal.
In the incident, Hill allegedly pulled fraternity brother Darrell Bazemore from the passenger seat of an SUV near Patton Hall, causing Bazemore to fall to the ground and dislocate his shoulder, which he later popped back into place, according to the official police report filed three days after the incident on March 18.
The altercation was preceded by around 10 minutes of back and forth arguing between Bazemore and Hill, who apparently said “folks think I’m playing with them” just before repeatedly grabbing Bazemore’s arms and legs and pulling him out of the car on to the ground.
Though the victim never pressed charges, the incident was referred to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action via the Student Code of Conduct.
The description of the incident in the police report matches what is seen in a university video that recorded it, according to sources within the police department.
Bazemore could not be reached for comment as of press time.
A letter from the Office of the Dean of Students dated April 2, a day after the polls were open for voting, revealed Hill was placed on disciplinary probation until April 28. Though Hill initially admitted responsibility for pulling the alleged victim from the car, he has appealed the case to President Mark Becker.
During the Dean of Students’ investigation and sentencing, Hill continued to actively campaign without disclosing any details about the case.
No mention was made of the incident during the first debate on March 28, nor on the second debate on April 1.
The reason for Hill’s disqualification was also never announced by the Election Committee, though the results of the election, posted on April 9, showed his name missing from the winning ballot.
Ashley Epperson, Hill’s former running mate for the office of executive vice president, submitted a petition April 8 to the Election Commission to take over as president-elect after Hill’s disqualification, according to SGA Adviser Darryl Holloman.
She refused to comment on when she found out Hill had been disqualified.
According to the sanctions outlined in the letter from the Dean of Students, Hill must complete 20 hours of community service by May 10, after which he will have 10 business days to complete a reflective essay.
SGA President and Pi Alpha brother, Marcus Kernizan declined to comment on the details of Hill’s disqualification and said he felt the “Election Commission, or whoever, handled the situation appropriately.”
A statement was released earlier today by the Pi Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Sigma said, “we are not defending the actions that took place on March 15th, we are simply saying that in a real family, situations happen. We do regret that this situation happened, but immediately following it we were able to come together as brothers and talk about it.”
Hill has not responded to multiple attempts to contact him across different social media platforms and email throughout the week and could not be reached for comment as of press time.
