<p>A Clemson University student who was awarded $5.3 million after being falsely accused of sexual assault must continue to fight for his award money.</p>
<p>Andrew Pampu was awarded the money in April 2022 after he sued his accuser, Erin Wingo, her father, David, and her ex-boyfriend, Colin Gahagan, for defamation. But last month, South Carolina’s Court of Appeals <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/south-carolina/court-of-appeals/2025/6112.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">overturned</a> the ruling and set a dangerous precedent —that quasi-judicial campus tribunals carry the same weight as jury trials.</p>
<p>A jury unanimously agreed that Pampu had been defamed and ordered Erin to pay $700,000 in actual damages and $450,000 in punitive damages, her father to pay $230,000 in damages, and Gahagan to pay $700,000 in actual damages and $220,000 in punitive damages for defamation. Erin and Gahagan were also ordered to pay damages for civil conspiracy, with Erin ordered to pay $2 million in actual damages and Gahagan ordered to pay $1 million, Greenville News <a href="https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/2022/04/12/former-clemson-student-awarded-millions-defamation-lawsuit-appeal-filed-defendants/7225351001/">reported</a> in 2022.</p>
<p>The three appealed the ruling, even though the lawsuit kicked off after Gahagan admitted to Pampu that he had helped Wingo falsely accuse him.</p>
<p>“You’re innocent,” Gahagan wrote in a January 2017 text message, months after Pampu had been suspended from Clemson based on Wingo’s claims. “I lied in that hearing. Erin wanted to have sex that night. Get your brothers away from me and never touch your [sic] life again and I’ll come through with the truth that she lied. I deleted the texts from that night prove [sic] she was f****** crazy. You’re innocent. Just pull your f****** boys off me and never touch me again. It’s sad that you were like a brother to me and this happened[.] You’re innocent. Send this to your lawyer. Just don’t call me into the hearing and leave me alone. You’re welcome. That’s all I ask. You’re innocent bud.”</p>
<p>But the Court of Appeals overturned the unanimous jury ruling, in part by claiming the trial that led to the ruling was unnecessary because the case had already been litigated by Clemson University administrators.</p>
<p>This, despite the fact that campus tribunals provide little to no due process for accused students, including discovery or even the right to properly question their accuser and call witnesses. The Court claimed that “fundamental fairness requires the court to give preclusive effect to the administrative hearing board’s February 29, 2016, findings.”</p>
<p>One of Pampu’s attorneys, Kimberly Lau, blasted the court for its ruling.</p>
<p>“This ruling dangerously distorts the law and undermines the role of juries,” said Lau, who has been representing falsely accused students for more than a decade. “Andrew Pampu was defamed, denied due process, and suspended from Clemson based on false testimony. A jury heard all the facts and unanimously ruled in his favor. That justice has now been upended by a misapplied legal doctrine that values a flawed university proceeding over a full and fair trial.”</p>
<p>Pampu and his attorneys say they will continue to fight for justice following the disappointing ruling.</p>
<p>“After ten exhausting years, including seven spent defending myself and three more in the appellate process, I remain committed to standing up for the truth,” Pampu said. “When I received the favorable unanimous jury verdict in March 2022, I was overwhelmed with relief.”</p>
<p>“Since then, the case has continued through the courts, and while the recent appellate ruling is discouraging, I believe it raises serious questions about access to justice and the weight given to jury findings,” he added. “I will continue to stand up for what is right, not only for myself, but for anyone who finds themselves fighting to clear their name and move forward with their life.”</p>
<p>Pampu’s struggles began nearly a decade ago, in early September 2015, when Wingo pursued him for sexual activity leading up to a fraternity party where Gahagan, her on-again, off-again boyfriend, was ignoring her, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/he-was-accused-of-sexual-assault-by-a-woman-whose-boyfriend-later-admitted-lying-he-just-won-a-5-3m-settlement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Wingo propositioned Pampu and the two ended up having sex outside near a shed. Following the encounter, Wingo complained about Gahagan and ended up crying over him for the rest of the night, sending him numerous text messages.</p>
<p>The next morning, she texted Pampu to ask him not to tell Gahagan about their night together. When she admitted to Gahagan what she had done, she claimed not to remember most of the night, so Gahagan told her that if she couldn’t remember, it was rape. Even though Wingo clearly remembered the night in text messages to multiple people, she told investigators she didn’t, even deleting her text to Pampu. When Pampu showed the text to campus investigators, they ignored it.</p>
<p>Wingo didn’t report the alleged sexual assault to Clemson until two weeks after she and Pampu had engaged in sexual activity. Even though all sides were precluded from retaliation, Clemson allowed Gahagan to call Pampu a “rapist” around campus. Pampu also reported other incidents of harassment and retaliation by Gahagan and Wingo, all of which were ignored.</p>
<p>Given Clemson’s apparent bias even before the hearing, it was no surprise that Pampu was suspended. Months later, Gahagan admitted that it was all a lie. Gahagan also shared text messages between himself and a woman who knew Wingo’s father. Gahagan told the woman that Wingo had lied about being raped.</p>
<p>In addition to suing his accusers, Pampu also sued Clemson University, with whom he reached an undisclosed settlement in 2019.</p>


Clemson University Operates In Limited Capacity Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

‘Dangerous Precedent’: Court Sides With University Over Jury in False Rape Defamation Case

Clemson University

College

false accusations

Sexual Harassment

<p>Former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> attended a hot-ticket college football game in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/south-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Carolina</a>, an early-voting state home to GOP rival <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nikki-haley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nikki Haley</a>, during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.</p>
<p>Joined by Palmetto State allies including Haley&#8217;s successor as South Carolina governor, Henry McMaster, Trump witnessed the Clemson Tigers take on the University of South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday at their Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.</p>
<p>The Post and Courier, a South Carolina newspaper, <a href="https://www.postandcourier.com/news/trump-earns-enthusiastic-reaction-during-usc-clemson-appearance/article_b9cd2a46-8bc8-11ee-9e4f-3b80603979ef.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Trump fist-pumped and handed boxes of popcorn to fans as he made his way to a luxury box to watch the game. At halftime, he and McMaster walked onto the field <a href="https://twitter.com/olivialarinaldi/status/1728615284347379727" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and waved to a loud chorus</a> of cheers and some boos.</p>
<p>Haley, a Clemson alumna and <a href="https://news.clemson.edu/haley-selected-to-clemson-board-of-trustees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trustee</a>, did not attend the game. But her Tigers did emerge victorious in a 16-7 win that earned them back the Palmetto Bowl trophy.</p>
<p>South Carolina&#8217;s Republican primary election is slated to take place <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-primary-elections/calendar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on February 24</a>, following the GOP caucuses in Iowa, primary in New Hampshire, and caucuses in Nevada and the Virgin Islands.</p>
<p>Trump has generally dominated Republican national and state polls, though Haley — who served as Trump&#8217;s U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during his first term — has gained momentum over the past several weeks.</p>
<p>In South Carolina, the RealClearPolitics average of polls spanning from mid-September to mid-November <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2024/president/sc/2024_south_carolina_republican_presidential_primary-8124.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shows</a> Trump with 49.3% support and Haley with 18.8% support. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis comes in third place with 10.5%.</p>
<p>Trump won South Carolina&#8217;s first-in-the-South primary in 2016, a victory which <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/20/donald-trump-wins-south-carolina-primary-results-election-2016" target="_blank" rel="noopener">helped propel</a> him toward the GOP nomination and resulted in former Florida Governor Jeb Bush dropping out of the race. During the 2020 and 2024 general elections, Trump handily defeated Hillary Clinton and then now-President Joe Biden in the state.</p>
<p><b><a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a></b></p>
<p>In the 2024 cycle, national Democrats are hedging their bets on South Carolina by selecting it as the first presidential nominating state on their calendar as part of a push for more diversity atop the early voting process.</p>
<p>The shakeup led to a scheduling clash with states that traditionally led the calendar, resulting in New Hampshire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-hampshire-spurns-dnc-refuses-to-give-up-first-in-the-nation-primary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defying the Democratic National Committee</a> by scheduling its Democratic primary for January 23 ahead of South Carolina&#8217;s Democratic primary set for February 3.</p>


Clemson v South Carolina

Trump Attends Big College Football Game On Haley’s Home Turf

Trump Attends Big College Football Game On Haley's Home Turf

2024 Election

College Football

Donald Trump

Elections

Nikki Haley

Politics

South Carolina

Sports

<p>Former NFL defensive lineman Adrian Dingle died earlier this week. He was 45 years old.</p>
<p>The only information that was available about his death was that it occurred on November 8. No cause of death has been released and there have not been any statements made by his family.</p>
<p>Dingle&#8217;s alma-mater, Clemson University, revealed that the former All-ACC defensive end died in a post on the school&#8217;s website.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Clemson Football mourns the passing of former defensive end Adrian Dingle.<a href="https://t.co/30hCcbEQPP">https://t.co/30hCcbEQPP</a> <a href="https://t.co/pKrr54M5uD">pic.twitter.com/pKrr54M5uD</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClemsonFB/status/1590714673875165185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Clemson highlighted his background and athletic achievements in their statement, noting that he went to Roberts High School in Holly Hill, South Carolina, where he was defensive MVP of the 1994 North-South High School All-Star game.</p>
<p>&#8220;Dingle lettered at Clemson in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998 and served as a starting defensive end in each of his last three seasons. He helped the Tigers to three bowl games over his career,&#8221; the school said. &#8220;Overall, Dingle played in 46 games for the Tigers, including 34 games as a starter. He started all 12 games in 1996 as a sophomore when he had a career-high 68 tackles and 14 tackles for loss, six of which were sacks. In 1997, he missed a game due to injury but finished with 48 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;As a senior in 1998, he posted 10.5 sacks, a Clemson single-season record at the time. He recorded 15 tackles for loss and 47 total tackles that year and was named second-team All-ACC. He also recorded a team-best 27 quarterback pressures,&#8221; the statement added. &#8220;He finished his Clemson career with 180 career tackles, 45 tackles for loss and 23 sacks. The tackle for loss total is still 11th in Clemson history and the sack total ranks sixth.&#8221;</p>
<p>Dingle was drafted in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers where he played in 70 games through the 2004 season.</p>
<p>&#8220;RIP to my teammate @AdrianDingle,&#8221; former NFL defensive lineman Marcellus Wiley tweeted. &#8220;We were just hanging, laughing, swapping war stories, and talking family. Rest easy big dog!&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">RIP to my teammate <a href="https://twitter.com/AdrianDingle?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AdrianDingle</a> <br />We were just hanging, laughing, swapping war stories, and talking family. Rest easy big dog! 🙏🏿❤️ <a href="https://t.co/XC4FsxFOao">pic.twitter.com/XC4FsxFOao</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Marcellus Wiley (@marcelluswiley) <a href="https://twitter.com/marcelluswiley/status/1590736565143482368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Former <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nfl">NFL</a> cornerback Antonio Dennard <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-nfl-cornerback-antonio-dennard-dead-at-32">died</a> late last month in Pennsylvania after being shot and killed outside a bar in Pennsylvania. He was 32 years old.</p>
<p>Officials <a href="https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/berks/former-nfl-player-dies-after-shooting-at-berks-bar/article_d9781e4c-4e33-11ed-a2f4-5fee39f05f0e.html">said</a> that Dennard died at a nearby hospital at 3:15 a.m. on Sunday. His death was ruled a homicide.</p>
<p>The shooting happened outside a bar in the parking lot in Berks County which is several miles northwest of Philadelphia.</p>
<p>The Jacksonville Jaguars picked up Dennard as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and he ended up being on the team’s practice squad, according to a <a href="https://jaguarswire.usatoday.com/2022/10/17/antonio-dennard-shot-killed-jaguars/">report</a> from Jaguars Wire.</p>
<p>He later had stints on practice teams with the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers.</p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sudden-death-the-surge-of-nfl-tragedies-and-whats-behind-it">Sudden Death: The Surge Of NFL Tragedies, And What’s Behind It</a></strong></p>


San Diego Chargers 2005 Headshots

Former NFL Defensive Lineman Adrian Dingle Dead At 45

Celebrities

U.S.

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My boss has a pretty famous saying: “Facts don’t care about your feelings.” And when it comes to college football, that couldn’t be more true.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Most of us want parity; we really want to believe our team has a chance to win the whole thing. Unfortunately, outside of four fanbases right now, that is just a mirage. After week one of college football, it is pretty easy to see that there are two teams that stand out from the field. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They stand out physically and mentally. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They stand out because they have the best, most disciplined players in all three phases of the game. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Those two teams are the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia. Ohio State and Clemson are the next closest to the top, but Alabama and Georgia have reached a level where they have a distinct advantage. They have the speed, the talent, the knowledge and the will to do whatever it takes for the longest.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alabama appears to have one of the best team’s Saban has ever put together; the offensive line will continue to improve, and the mixture of Young, Gibbs, Holden and the rest of the &#8216;Monstars&#8217; seems to be more in sync than Justin Timberlake. Meanwhile, Kirby is building ’Bama-worthy strength in Athens. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Georgia’s absolute soul-crushing defeat of Oregon looked very familiar to what Saban’s teams have been doing to brand-name opponents in season openers since his crystal chariot stopped in T-town. Take one look at the Georgia players getting off the bus and you’ll think you’re watching a WWE promo. Stetson is playing loose because he is already a hero, and Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken has finally opened up the offense, going from the Stone Age to the Renaissance in a split second.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We always say on Crain &amp; Co. that a team’s ability to not only win the big one but to also stay on top in college football is defined by three pillars: recruiting, development and culture. If you don’t have  the top talent, you can’t make it; if you don’t develop that talent, you waste it; and if you don’t have a strong locker room culture, there is no way to maintain it. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alabama has been doing those three things beautifully for a long while now. Kirby took the blueprint from Saban and 3D-printed it at Georgia. The Bulldogs are now a machine that swallows up the top-tier high school recruits and puts them in a system that maximizes their abilities. The highest goal of a coach is to get the most out of each player on the roster, from star quarterback to walk-on.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dabo Swinney has followed that same model at Clemson, which is one of the main reasons why they can actually win when they go up against Goliath. The best way to take down Goliath isn’t with a slingshot—it is with size, speed and execution. Ryan Day and Ohio State are also right there when it comes to achieving the perfect mix and having a team capable of knocking down the door. They looked a little slow out of the gate, but there is plenty of time and Day has a way of fixing problems throughout the season.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The top two teams both have added motivations — ’Bama wants to avenge last year and smell the crisp college football mountaintop air, while Georgia wants to prove they weren’t a one-hit wonder. The season is young and a lot can happen, but it seems like we are heading for another ’Bama-UGA collision, unless one of the teams on the periphery with capable athletes can make a big jump quickly. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We are off to a great start to the college football season and I don’t want to put a governor on the excitement, but it seems like it may be Groundhog Day &#8211; again.</span></p>
<p><em>Jake Crain is co-host of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/crain-and-company">&#8220;Crain &amp; Company.&#8221;</a> the Daily Wire&#8217;s sports show hosted by former athletes and coaches Jake Crain, Blain Crain, and David Cone.</em></p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire. </em></p>


2022 CFP National Championship – Georgia v Alabama

It’s Another College Football Groundhog Day

Georgia

Ohio State University

Readers Pass

University of Alabama

<p>A jury verdict resulted in what must be one of the largest – if not the largest – monetary award a falsely accused college student has ever received in such a case.</p>
<p>In early September 2015, a Clemson University student named Erin Wingo kissed fellow student Andrew Pampu, according to a lawsuit later filed by Pampu. He alleged that Wingo “became preoccupied” with him after they first met and he gave her a ride back to her apartment on his moped. They kissed and the next morning she sent him a text message saying she felt guilty because she had a boyfriend, Colin Gahagan, who was a pledge at Pampu’s fraternity.</p>
<p>For the next month and a half, however, Wingo continued to pursue Pampu, the lawsuit alleged, including “repeatedly initiat[ing] contact.” During this time, Wingo also kept an “open relationship” with Gahagan, court documents state.</p>
<p>On October 24, 2015, Wingo and her friends attended a birthday party for Pampu at his fraternity house even though they hadn’t been invited. Prior to arriving at the party, Wingo drank alcohol, later claiming she “consumed an implausible 9 shots,” according to Pampu’s lawsuit. She reportedly took that many shots but was able to walk to the off-campus fraternity house without issues. During this time, Wingo also apparently told multiple friends that she wanted to give Pampu a birthday kiss.</p>
<p>Wingo found Gahagan at the party but he dismissed her, telling her to “find someone else” and “go have a good time,” according to the lawsuit. Wingo then sought out Pampu, even asking people at the party where he was. When Wingo finally found Pampu, she gave him a kiss on the lips in front of witnesses. Wingo also reportedly told Pampu that “if you don’t kiss me now, you won’t have sex with me tonight.”</p>
<p>Pampu’s inhibitions were lowered due to the alcohol he consumed, and said in his lawsuit that he usually avoids public displays of affection, but gave in to Wingo’s advances that night. The two eventually left the party to find a private place for their sexual encounter. As Pampu said in his lawsuit, Wingo walked unassisted and showed no signs of intoxication. She didn’t stumble, or slur her words, and was able to hold an intelligible conversation with Pampu.</p>
<p>The two found a secluded area near a shed and the encounter escalated, with Wingo removing her own clothes, according to Pampu’s lawsuit. Pampu thought that Wingo was only going to provide him with oral sex so he asked why she was removing her pants, to which she reportedly responded “so we can have sex.”</p>
<p>Pampu said in his lawsuit that he repeatedly asked for Wingo’s consent even though she was initiating all the contact. His lawsuit stated that Wingo kept saying she knew what she was doing and consenting “both verbally and non-verbally.”</p>
<p>On the way back to the party, Wingo reportedly complained to Pampu about past boyfriends, including Gahagan. Back at the house, when Wingo met up with her friends again, she started to cry and asked them why Gahagan didn’t want to be with her. She also texted him. When Wingo returned to her dorm, she couldn’t find her key and remembered she might have left it with Pampu (an important note because she would later say she didn’t remember anything that night). At the time, the resident assistant (RA) provided a temporary key to let Wingo and her friends into her room. At that time, the RA did note any concerns regarding Wingo’s level of intoxication, later telling campus investigators that Wingo didn’t slur her words but was crying about Gahagan. At the time, Wingo didn’t mention anything about being sexually assaulted. Even though the RA was sober at the time this occurred, Clemson would later give Wingo’s “drunk” claims more credibility.</p>
<p>Before falling asleep, Wingo “exchanged numerous hostile text messages” with Gahagan, which she later deleted before eventually retrieving.</p>
<p>The next morning, Wingo sent Pampu a text message at 10:45 a.m. pleading with him to not tell Gahagan about “what happened.” Her text made no mention of sexual assault and was focused on making sure Gahagan didn’t find out Wingo had sex with Pampu. Later, after accusing Pampu of sexual assault, Wingo would tell campus investigators that she woke up at 11 a.m. to hide the fact that she sent the text.</p>
<p>When Wingo accused Pampu of sexual assault, she left out the fact that she texted Pampu the morning after their encounter to ask him not to tell Gahagan and to see if he had her key. Instead, she told investigators that she didn’t remember anything that night and thus could not have consented. Pampu showed the text messages to campus investigators, who ignored them.</p>
<p>Before she made the sexual assault accusation, Wingo told several friends about her encounter with Pampu, but did not say it was nonconsensual and only said she was concerned Gahagan would find out.</p>
<p>A friend of Pampu’s copied and pasted a message from Pampu about having sex with a girl on his birthday and sent it to a group chat that included other fraternity members, including Gahagan – without Pampu’s knowledge. Gahagan figured out that the text was referring to Wingo based on her actions the night of the party.</p>
<p>Gahagan confronted Wingo that day and asked if she remembered the sexual encounter with Pampu. Wingo claimed she didn’t, even though she had clearly demonstrated previously that she did. Just seven hours after Wingo asked Pampu not to tell Gahagan about their encounter, she started saying she didn’t remember the night at all. Gahagan then told her “it is rape” if she couldn’t remember and helped her accuse Pampu of sexual assault.</p>
<p>According to Pampu’s lawsuit, even as Wingo told Gahagan that she didn’t remember her night with Pampu, she texted a friend saying that Gahagan had found out about her night with Pampu.</p>
<p>Gahagan sent Pampu a text saying “whether it was your birthday or not. Not too proud of you for taking advantage of Erin like you did last night. The poor girl doesn’t even remember it.”</p>
<p>Pampu was shocked by the allegations and reached out to Wingo to say as much. Suddenly Wingo claimed she couldn’t remember the encounter even though her text messages earlier that day indicated otherwise. “Colin’s right, I don’t remember it. I’m sorry. Not all of it at least,” Wingo texted Pampu. Pampu’s lawsuit suggests Gahagan was with Wingo when she sent the texts and may have influenced what she said.</p>
<p>Two days after the encounter, Wingo’s roommate – who didn’t witness the encounter and only learned about it from Wingo afterward – told a friend of a friend’s RA that Wingo had been sexually assaulted. The roommate didn’t even tell her own RA, instead going to someone who had no personal knowledge of the incident.</p>
<p>Four days after their sexual encounter, Wingo told a Clemson counselor that Pampu sexually assaulted her. Gahagan was apparently present at these meetings.</p>
<p>Despite claiming she had been sexually assaulted and needed counseling, Wingo attended more events at the same house where Pampu’s birthday party took place.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Gahagan stopped pledging his and Pampu’s fraternity. Text messages later showed that some fraternity brothers were glad he was not a member of the pledge class, which appears to have made him even angrier toward Pampu.</p>
<p>On November 11, two weeks after her encounter with Pampu, Wingo filed a Title IX complaint against him alleging sexual assault. Gahagan was interviewed a month later and reportedly called Pampu a “rapist” around campus, according to Pampu’s lawsuit.</p>
<p>Months later, Pampu tried to file an incident report against Gahagan for violating the school’s policies against retaliation and breaking confidentiality. He had been told that everyone interviewed during the process must abide by those rules, but Gahagan broke them by calling Pampu a “rapist” on campus. Pampu also tried to file a complaint against Wingo claiming that <em>she</em> had sexually assaulted him and engaged in a harassment and retaliation campaign against him. He was told by a school official that if he filed the complaint he would immediately be expelled for retaliation.</p>
<p>Pampu also reported several other incidents of harassment and retaliation by Wingo and Gahagan. At a fraternity event, Gahagan mocked about 60 members, including Pampu, by saying “it is too bad you are all down one person now.” He then cussed and shouted at Pampu in front of the other members. The next day, when Pampu left the library, Wingo and Gahagan stared at him, glaring. None of the issues were addressed.</p>
<p>Pampu was found responsible for sexually assaulting Wingo and suspended for one semester along with other sanctions. He was also told not to have contact with Gahagan or Wingo during his time at Clemson. For months, Gahagan would go to the gym when Pampu was working out in an apparent effort to bait him into starting a conflict. Wingo also tried to bait Pampu, sitting four rows ahead of him at a karaoke event despite numerous open seats and continuing to make eye contact and glare at him.</p>
<p>Pampu and Wingo both appealed the sanctions against him, for different reasons. In campus Title IX hearings, accusers can also appeal sanctions. While the appeals were pending, Pampu was informed that he was suspended from the fraternity and had been recommended for expulsion. The decision came after the fraternity received a confidential “pending” disciplinary decision letter. It later turned out that Wingo’s father sent the pending letter, in violation of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.</p>
<p>Clemson eventually sided with Wingo’s appeal, increasing Pampu’s suspension by one year, meaning he would be suspended until August 1, 2017.</p>
<p>After the sanctions, Wingo gave a presentation on sexual assault to a Clemson-sponsored event, continuing to insist she had been sexually assaulted. She then profited off her allegations when she was given a cash prize for her presentation. The presentation was also posted online.</p>
<p>Months after Pampu was suspended, in January 2017, Gahagan sent him a text message admitting that he had helped Wingo make a false allegation against him.</p>
<p>“You’re innocent,” Gahagan wrote. “I lied in that hearing. Erin wanted to have sex that night. Get your brothers away from me and never touch your life again and I’ll come through with the truth that she lied. I deleted the texts from that night prove she was f****** crazy. You’re innocent. Just pull your f****** boys off me and never touch me again. It’s sad that you were like a brother to me and this happened[.] You’re innocent. Send this to your lawyer. Just don’t call me into the hearing and leave me alone. You’re welcome. That’s all I ask. You’re innocent bud.”</p>
<p>Gahagan also shared screenshots of text messages between himself and a woman sharing data with Wingo’s father. The exchange showed Gahagan told the woman that Wingo lied about being raped, writing: “She destroyed my life. She deserves, Everything [sic] she gets. She lied about to [sic] everything. She don’t [sic] get raped. The sex with Andrew was consensual.”</p>
<p>Gahagan further told the woman that she should tell Wingo’s father that he would destroy the father’s life and that his “daughter is a slut.” He also reiterated that Pampu was innocent.</p>
<p>On March 25, 2022, more than six years after Wingo’s false allegations, a unanimous jury verdict resulted in a $5.3 million award for Pampu. A week-long trial regarding Pampu’s defamation and civil conspiracy claims against Wingo, Gahagan, and her father included 10 witnesses that testified that Wingo was not too drunk to consent on the night of the encounter, along with evidence showing exactly how the defendants conspired to falsely accuse Pampu.</p>
<p>“The jury verdict represents more than an exoneration for my client who has endured reputational harm, educational barriers, and the deprivation of hard-earned career opportunities due to defendants’ defamatory statements,” Pampu&#8217;s attorney, <a href="https://www.wbny.com/Kimberly-Lau">Kimberly Lau</a>, said in a statement provided to The Daily Wire. “The jury sent a message to others that our society does not condone spreading harmful lies about someone else to ruin someone’s reputation and deprive him of future opportunities. Not only does this kind of behavior cause irreparable damage to the wrongfully accused, it represents a setback for true rape victims to come forward and be believed in the future.”</p>
<p>Pampu also provided a statement:</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>When I received the verdict, I was overwhelmed with emotion and incredibly relieved. For seven long years, I carried a burden of accountability that was not mine to bear. Consequently, my family battled through the process with me every step of the way. By the Grace of God and with the support of my loving family and counsel, I was somehow able to persevere throughout the adversity and fight for the truth. I feel incredibly thankful for all members of the jury in Pickens, South Carolina who chose to end this nightmare for me. I hope that the favorable verdict gives hope to many other young men who are in a position similar to mine.</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Prior to this verdict, Lau finalized a settlement for Pampu in 2019 with Clemson University over the school’s Title IX and due process violations involved in their investigation into Wingo’s allegations. The details of that settlement were not made public, but Pampu received a monetary sum and had the disciplinary notation removed from his official transcript.</p>
<p><em>This article has been updated to make clear Pampu’s monetary award came from a verdict, not a settlement. It has also been updated to include statements from Pampu and his attorney.</em></p>


Rear View Of Man Sitting On Bed

He Was Accused Of Sexual Assault By A Woman Whose Boyfriend Later Admitted Lying. A Jury Just Awarded Him $5.3M.

Lawsuit

Sexual Assault

Title IX

<p>Bart Knijnenburg is an assistant professor at Clemson University who teaches <a href="http://informationsystems.umbc.edu/home/graduate-programs/master-of-science-programs/master-of-science-in-human-centered-computing-hcc/">human-centered computing</a>. And he has declared that every single Republican is &#8220;racist scum&#8221; and that we should use &#8220;any means necessary&#8221; to eradicate racism, &#8220;violent or non-violent.&#8221;</p>
<p>In a Facebook post which came to the attention of <a href="https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=9626">Campus Reform</a>, Knijenberg declares that everyone who supports President Trump and is a registered Republican is &#8220;racist scum.&#8221; He proceeded to go a step further in the comments section, writing that all Republicans need to &#8220;denounce your affiliation, or admit you&#8217;re a racist.&#8221;</p>
<p>Naturally, the professor faced pushback in the comments section, but he refused to retract his statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;I haven&#8217;t seen any of them [Republicans] renounce their political affiliation yet,&#8221; Knijenberg wrote. &#8220;In fact, all of them fell in line with Trump once he became president. They selectively criticize him when it is politically convenient to do so, but they don&#8217;t take any actual, sustained actions.&#8221;</p>
<p>When Knijenberg continued to face pushback, he replied, &#8220;You should come live in the south for a while. It&#8217;s exhausting.&#8221;</p>
<p>Knijenberg then claimed that his minority students faced backlash from conservatives.</p>
<p>&#8220;The republican ideology of &#8216;everyone is equal and nobody deserves a handout&#8217; is naive at best, covertly racist at worst,&#8221; Knijenberg said. &#8220;I truly believe that turning a blind eye makes you complicit in what is happening now.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>Campus Reform </em>dug up other posts from the assistant professor, including one where he calls for people to stand up to white supremacy in a manner that is either &#8220;violent or non-violent&#8221; followed by a &#8220;#PunchNazis&#8221; hashtag. In another post, he lumped in Trump supporters, Republicans and Steve Bannon with the alt-right, Ku Klux Klan and Nazis, branding them all as &#8220;racists.&#8221; He also posted an image of Piglet from <em>Winnie the Pooh</em> stating, &#8220;It&#8217;s the day we burn this motherf*cker to the ground&#8221;; Knijenberg wrote in his caption, &#8220;It is time to eradicate racism by any means necessary.&#8221;</p>
<p>Knijenberg&#8217;s Facebook is now private, so those posts are no longer accessible to the public, but <em>Campus Reform</em> has enshrined them in screenshots for everyone to see.</p>
<p>These Facebook comments from Knijenberg highlight the argument made by <a href="http://jewishjournal.com/opinion/ben-shapiro/223554/antifa-nazism-opportunistic-politics-divide-us/">Ben Shapiro in his recent <em>Jewish Journal</em> column</a>: the overwhelming majority of Americans agree that Nazis and white supremacists are evil and deserve to be denounced, yet the country is divided because the Left has blanketed everyone right of center &#8220;as neo-Nazi sympathizers&#8221; and continually rationalizes the violent tactics used by the likes of Antifa against Nazis.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is appalling stuff unless the Nazis are actually getting violent,&#8221; writes Shapiro. &#8220;Words aren&#8217;t violence.&#8221;</p>
<p>Knijenberg is a perfect example of this: he&#8217;s claiming that all Trump supporters and Republicans are racists and seems to be fine with the use of violence against white supremacists and Nazis. And he&#8217;s an assistant professor at Clemson University.</p>
<p>No wonder America is divided.</p>
<p><a href="http://dailycaller.com/2017/08/23/clemson-professor-claims-all-republicans-are-racist-scum/">H/T:</a> <em>Daily Caller</em></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/bandlersbanter"><em>Follow Aaron Bandler on Twitter.</em></a></p>


This Clemson Professor Claims That ‘Republicans Are Racist Scum’

Education

Leftism

Republican Party

<p>According to diversity training materials being disseminated at publicly-funded Clemson University, expecting people from other cultures to show up on time is racist. </p>
<p>Yup, <em>racist.</em></p>
<p>The university spent nearly $27,000 on diversity training materials from a company called Workplace Answers. Those materials were graciously intended for employees of the school in order to indoctrinate them.</p>
<p>I mean, for them to learn from. </p>
<p>One of the online slides depicted two groups, which included foreign professors and students, showing up to a scheduled event at 9 a.m.; one group came 15 minutes early and the other came 10 minutes late. The slide made the assertion that it would not be the inclusive thing to do to chastise the group that was late, since people must &#8220;recognize cultural differences that may impact the meeting and adjust accordingly.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>The Daily Caller</em> <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2017/04/12/public-universitys-diversity-training-expecting-people-to-show-up-on-time-is-racist/">reports</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>One slide features a guy named Alejandro who plans a meeting between two groups. Each group contains foreign professors and students. One group shows up 15 minutes early. The second group shows up 10 minutes late.</em></p>
<p><em>A question-and-answer section then instructs Clemson&#8217;s professors that Alejandro would be insufficiently &#8220;inclusive&#8221; if he were to &#8220;politely ask the second group to apologize.&#8221; Alejandro would also be wrong to advise the straggling, late people who aren&#8217;t respecting everyone else&#8217;s time that &#8220;in our country, 9:00 a.m. means 9:00 a.m.&#8221;</em></p>
<p><em>The &#8220;inclusive&#8221; thing for Alejandro to do, the taxpayer-funded diversity materials instruct Clemson professors, is to &#8220;recognize cultural differences that may impact the meeting and adjust accordingly.&#8221; Alejandro must understand &#8220;that his cultural perspective regarding time is neither more nor less valid than any other.&#8221;</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>In other words, some foreigners are incapable of being on time and Americans need to shut up and accept it in the name of diversity, or something. Of course, such low expectations of those from other cultures is truly infantilizing stuff, but this is how the Left views any minority group. </p>
<p>These ingenuous and expensive slides were reportedly approved by Clemson Chief Diversity Officer Lee Gill. It&#8217;s unclear what a &#8220;chief diversity officer&#8221; actually does, but Gill apparently gets paid big bucks for the position, raking in over $185,000 in tax-payer funds annually.</p>
<p>The training materials are not mandatory by definition, but Clemson President James Clements said last year that &#8220;all employees will participate in diversity education and training,&#8221; <a href="https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=9034">notes </a><em>Campus Reform. </em></p>
<p>One such employee, a professor who skirted sufficient indoctrination, leaked the insane diversity slides to <em>Campus Reform. </em></p></p>


Apparently It’s Now Racist To Expect People To Show Up On Time

Diversity

Race

Racism

<p>Apparently word has been passed to leftists that Daily Wire Editor-In Chief Ben Shapiro will be speaking at Clemson University tonight.</p>
<div class="media_embed">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p>&#8220;Ben Shapiro Is A Pig&#8221; was chalked in a Clemson classroom this morning. Looks like the SJWs are very excited to hear <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro">@benshapiro</a> tonight! <a href="https://t.co/hkd3YgIwMn">pic.twitter.com/hkd3YgIwMn</a></p>
<p>&#8212; Caleb Ecarma (@calebecarma) <a href="https://twitter.com/calebecarma/status/793465301723652096">November 1, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
</div>
<p>There has been no explanation as to who decorated the chalkboard, nor whether the culprit wanted to issue a more eloquent denunciation of Shapiro but was hindered by the limits of his/her vocabulary, thus being restricted to words of three letters or less.</p>
<p>Shapiro&#8217;s usual denunciation of political correctness is likely the reason for the gratuitous insult; in October 2015, Clemson was plagued by PC when a few students protested Clemson Dining&#8217;s &#8220;Maximum Mexican&#8221; night, tweeting their displeasure with such a &#8220;#CUlturallyInsensitive&#8221; event. Clemson senior Austin Pendergist told <em><a href="http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=6873">Campus Reform</a> </em>the post-event uproar was &#8220;ridiculous &#8230; This is something that Clemson Dining has done for years without any sort of backlash. People love the cultural nights in the dining halls. What&#8217;s next? Are they going to take away all potato based food as to not offend students from Irish decent? Remove the stir fry station so Asian-American students don&#8217;t feel as if they are being misrepresented? When does it end?&#8221;</p>
<p>But the administration wound up apologizing for the event; Dr. Doug Hallenbeck, Clemson University&#8217;s Senior Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, said the event displayed a &#8220;flattened cultural view of Mexican culture &#8230; It is the mission of University Housing &amp; Dining to create supportive and challenging environments that enrich and nourish lives. We failed to live out our mission yesterday, and we sincerely apologize,&#8221; adding that the university &#8220;will continue to work closely with [its] food service provider to create dining programs that align with Clemson University&#8217;s core values.&#8221;</p>
<p>The administration also apologized on the Clemson Dining Services <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClemsonDining/posts/1211776255514587"><strong>Facebook</strong></a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ClemsonDining/status/652199199044452353"><strong>Twitter</strong></a> pages.</p>
<p>Pendergist said the event had only featured &#8220;a couple balloons, sombreros, and some tacos,&#8221; adding, &#8220;For as long as I&#8217;ve been here, and probably for much longer, Clemson dining has put on certain culinary theme nights, where they decorate the dining halls and serve whatever kind of food. They have Italian night, Mexican night, seafood night, midnight breakfast, all kinds of events.&#8221;</p></p>


Clemson University Student’s Welcome: ‘Ben Shapiro Is A Pig’

Ben Shapiro

<div>Clemson University isn&#8217;t laughing at your Harambe memes.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>In fact, Clemson thinks they are so unfunny that the university <a href="https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=8173">banned</a> all &#8220;Harambe-related&#8221; memes from being displayed publicly, claiming they promote &#8220;rape culture&#8221; and can add to &#8220;racism&#8221; on campus.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>This is not an Onion article.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>On Friday, a Clemson administrator sent an email to resident sssistants instructing them to have freshmen remove all Harambe references from areas where they could be publicly viewed. The ban was mainly directed toward students with door or window decorations using the gorilla&#8217;s image or referencing the icon&#8217;s legacy.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The administrator justified this demand by claiming Harambe&#8217;s death has been used to &#8220;add to rape culture&#8221; and can be a &#8220;form of racism.&#8221;</div>
<div> </div>
<div><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt class="media-element file-default" data-fid="12150" data-media-element="1" height="1024" src="https://dw-wp-dev.imgix.net/2019/09/email-1-722x1024.jpg" width="722" /></div>
<div> </div>
<div>The administrator wrote, &#8220;we are no longer allowing any reference to Harambe (or any other spelling) to be displayed on doors, halls, billboards, or windows.&#8221; The instructions state, &#8220;Harambe should not be displayed in a public place or a place that is viewed by the public.&#8221; </div>
<div> </div>
<div>A student even leaked a screenshot to the <a href="http://thetigertownobserver.com/clemson-housing-bans-harambe-references-says-they-add-to-the-rape-culture-on-campus-and-are-a-form-of-racism-zach-talley/"><em>Tiger Town Observer</em></a> of an RA stating that students who disobey this directive will be &#8220;in trouble.&#8221; </div>
<div> </div>
<div><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt class="media-element file-default" data-fid="12149" data-media-element="1" height="960" src="https://dw-wp-dev.imgix.net/2019/09/email-2.jpg" width="764" /></div>
<div>Clemson student Matthew Philips was one of the individuals who received the news regarding the Harambe-ban. In an interview with <em>The Daily Wire</em>, Philips claimed students simply wanted to honor the gorilla&#8217;s legacy, not use his name in mean-spirited way. &#8220;Harambe already gave his life for our memes, so the ban is sad because the least we can do is honor his name,&#8221; said Philips.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Philips went on to say that Harambe suffered enough, and expressed frustration toward the university for banning his image.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>&#8220;Clemson his killing Harambe again and sacrificing him in the name of social justice,&#8221; concluded Philips.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Brooks Artis, a Clemson University Graduate Community Director, further threatened Harambe-loving students with Title IX administrative action if they do not adhere to the anti-Harambe order, stating, &#8220;my hopes are that you are being inclusive in your words, whichever you choose to say, so that you are not reported to OCES or Title IX for using bias language against someone.&#8221;</div>
<div> </div>
<div>But don&#8217;t worry; Artis claims freshmen can still at least say the name &#8220;Harambe&#8221; without administrative punishment. &#8220;While we are not banning the word, I want to encourage you to think about what you are saying and how someone who may be a different gender, race, culture, or sexuality than you may take the comment,&#8221; Artis wrote.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>In her email, Artis decided the ban policy is necessary in light of an undisclosed, especially sinister Harambe meme displayed on campus.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Interestingly, this isn&#8217;t the first time university administrators have felt the need to ban Harambe references. A few weeks ago, the University of Massachusettes Amherst banned Harambe jokes, claiming they are a form of sexual harassment and racism.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>In terms of the legal validity of this policy change and its implementation, Artis cites Clemson University&#8217;s <a href="http://www.clemson.edu/campus-life/campus-services/access/non-discrimination-policy.html">discriminatory language policies</a>. However, these policies do not allow an RA or university administrator permission to make a blanket speech-code due to the actions of one student.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>While the university has since claimed there was never a ban, it is clear that the Harambe-ban was in place, and if students had not gone to the press with this information, the meme prohibition would likely have been upheld.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Can the reference of a gorilla, no matter how malicious, be so provocative that it requires administrative punishments against students?</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<p>&#8220;We are no longer allowing any reference to Harambe (or any other spelling) to be displayed on doors, halls, billboards, or windows.&#8221;</p>
<p>Administrator at Clemson University</p>
</blockquote>
<p>One freshmen had a &#8220;Balls out for Bantu&#8221; sign outside of his window; does that require administrative action as well? Should a Title IX lawsuit be used against that student?</p>
</div>
<div>What about a Cecil the Lion poster? Let me guess, referencing the African lion&#8217;s death is promoting imperialism?</div>
<div> </div>
<div>In an age where being offended makes you morally superior, it&#8217;s no surprise that the Left will even claim jokes about a gorilla promote rape culture and racism.</div>


email-1-722×1024

Clemson University Bans Harambe Memes For Promoting ‘Rape Culture,’ and ‘Racism’

Harambe

Political Correctness

<p>An administrator at Clemson University forced a man to stop praying because he was not in a designated &#8220;free speech area&#8221; and was therefore &#8220;soliciting&#8221; by praying there.</p>
<p>Identifying himself as Shawn Jones, Clemson&#8217;s assistant director for client services told the man to leave the area where he was praying, at approximately 3:15 p.m. Thursday, and that he would need to file paperwork with the university in order to request to pray in that area. </p>
<p>&#8220;We have designated areas on campus. With him not being a student, or faculty or staff, he has to through the proper procedures,&#8221; Jones told student and Young Americans for Freedom member Kyra Palange, in a video obtained by the Young America&#8217;s Foundation (YAF). </p>
<div class="media_embed"><iframe loading="lazy" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZOzUhkk6ygI" width="560px"></iframe></div>
<p>Jones urged Palange to &#8220;take a look&#8221; at the school&#8217;s policy regarding &#8216;free speech areas, confirming, &#8220;this is not a designated free speech area.&#8221; He further affirmed the entire Clemson University campus is not a free speech area. </p>
<p>Palange told YAF she had been praying with the man for a few minutes until he was told to leave.</p>
<p>&#8220;I was walking across the grassy area near Fort Hill after class at about 3:15 when I saw someone sitting in a folding chair,&#8221; she recounted. &#8220;Next to him was another folding chair with an 8×10 sign that said PRAYER. I approached him and we sat down to pray for a few minutes. When we finished, a man from the university approached us and said he could not be praying there because it was not a &#8216;designated free speech area&#8217; and presented the person who was praying with a form for the procedures for applying for &#8216;solicitation&#8217; on campus. He told him he had to leave.&#8221;</p>
<p>Clemson spokesman Mark Land defended, &#8220;the community member in this situation was not asked to leave campus nor was his prayer with one of our students interrupted&#8221;; rather, he was simply directed to &#8220;an appropriate location, such as one of the university&#8217;s designated free speech zones.&#8221;</p>
<p>In a statement to <em>The College Fix</em>, Land criticized the &#8220;community member&#8221; for &#8220;inviting people to pray with him constituting, in the university&#8217;s view, a solicitation to join a gathering.&#8221; Land praised Jones for &#8220;politely inform[ing] the individual of the process for obtaining approval to hold such a gathering.&#8221;</p>
<p>YAF spokeswoman Emily Jashinsky <a href="http://www.yaf.org/news/video-clemson-admin-bans-prayer-in-free-speech-zone/">wrote</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Attention Clemson: The entire United States of America is a free speech zone. If an American wants to exercise their religion, they should be able to do it regardless of whether or not they are in a &#8220;designated free speech area.&#8221; And silently offering prayer to anyone who wants to take part is not &#8220;solicitation.&#8221;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Jashinsky told <em>The Daily Wire</em> the university has not directly responded to YAF or Clemson YAF regarding the incident. </p>
<p><em>Follow Pardes Seleh on <a href="https://twitter.com/PardesSeleh">Twitter</a>.</em></p>


Man Stopped From Praying on Campus: ‘This Isn’t A Free Speech Area’

Free Speech

Religion

Menu