A female University of Wisconsin student said administration is not doing enough after she was injured while intervening in an altercation last weekend.
The student, Elizabeth Olguin, was injured while intervening in an apparent act of partner violence March 11. She is calling on the university to issue a stronger response against Joseph McDonald-Hardy, the UW cross-country runner who was charged with a misdemeanor.
During the incident, two UW students, Elizabeth Olguin and Elias Banks, attempted to break up a dispute between McDonald-Hardy and his girlfriend outside 45 N. Randall Street, Olguin said.
Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said during the incident, McDonald-Hardy had been drinking, then entered the house and came back out with a knife in hand.
Banks managed to put McDonald-Hardy in a headlock while Olguin said she grabbed the knife from McDonald-Hardy. DeSpain said this led her to receive scratches on her fingers on both hands.
DeSpain said McDonald-Hardy was cooperative after the brawl.
According to emails obtained by The Badger Herald, Assistant Dean of Students Ervin Cox reached out to Olguin on March 12, the day after the incident. In the correspondence, Cox offered any university assistance she might need.
Olguin has sought to avoid all contact with McDonald-Hardy, but said she has encountered him on campus multiple times, leading to a lot of anxiety.
Olguin wrote to Cox March 14 requesting that McDonald-Hardy use an alternate entrance to a building they both have class in. The request was honored, but Olguin said she has continued to encounter him.
Olguin has met with Cox, but felt he was dismissive of her mental wellbeing. Cox told her McDonald-Hardy would “have some punishment.”
Assistant Dean of Students Tonya Schmidt will meet with Olguin and Banks Friday morning.
But Olguin still alleges that UW has not done enough — she wants McDonald-Hardy expelled for her mental wellbeing.
UW spokesperson Meredith McGlone said Olguin’s claims that the university ignored her are not accurate.
“Cox and Tonya Schmidt have not ignored it,” McGlone said. “They have responded to everybody involved more than once.”
McGlone said due to privacy laws, she can’t comment on specific actions being taken against McDonald-Hardy. UW Athletics did not respond to request for comment.
This post has been updated.
