Freshman Steven Mitchell was arrested for battery Sunday morning for instigating a fight on the third floor of Eigenmann Hall, according to the IU Police Department.\nIUPD Sgt. Tim Lewis said witnesses said Mitchell was in another room when he saw a female student writing on his dry-erase board. He told her to stop writing on the board, but she continued. Mitchell, who was intoxicated at the time, began to verbally abuse the student. He then walked across the room, grabbed her and pushed her to the ground. \nAnother person pulled Mitchell off the victim. The two continued to fight in the hallway until people separated them. \nThe investigation is basically closed, Lewis said. \n"There was enough evidence to arrest him at the scene," Lewis said. He said the victims still want to pursue charges.\nMitchell will have to face a court appearance and a trial date with final charges being left to the prosecutors' discretion.\nStudents living near Mitchell heard yelling but didn't understand why. "I heard shouting, went out, thought it was over and went back into my room," junior Chad Larimore said. "Not even a minute later, I heard scuffling on the floor, paper tearing. When I got out there, three guys were holding this guy (Mitchell) down."\nAccording to Mitchell's neighbor senior Shane Knapp, Mitchell was talking in a normal tone when all of sudden his mood shifted and he began yelling.\nSince all the students on the third floor are 21 or older, drinking is allowed. \nKnapp and Larimore agreed that the third floor is generally a quiet environment. "Even on weekends, it's not loud. There's no party atmosphere," Larimore said.\nAlthough Larimore felt uneasy at the time, he doesn't think the fight carried any long-term effects. "I don't fear for my life," Larimore said. "I was talking to some guys after it happened. We were just joking about it, couldn't believe it happened." \nAll three of the people involved in the altercation had injuries, but no one was sent to the hospital. Mitchell had a broken bone in his hand and cuts on his chin and lips. One victim had red marks on her shoulders, as if from being grabbed. The other person had a bump on the side of his head. \nAlthough Mitchell was charged with a misdemeanor, his fate on campus remains undecided.\nDean of Students Richard McKaig said he was unaware of the scuffle. He meets with campus police every Wednesday and is informed of any arrests made the previous week. \nMcKaig said he is not allowed to discuss individual student's disciplinary behavior because of federal law, but he said as a general rule, students arrested on campus will face charges for violating the student conduct laws. \n"You can't violate state law on campus," McKaig said. \nBob Weith, Director of Residential Programs and Services said his staff is still attempting to gather information about the incident.\n"Once we have the information, I'm sure there will be judicial proceedings," Weith said.\nAccording to Lewis, since Jan. 1, IUPD has made 18 assault arrests on campus.\n"It's usually a disturbance that turns into a fight," Lewis said. "Can't say it's (the ) the worst case, can't say it's not."\nKnapp said he hasn't seen Mitchell since the day of the fight. As of Monday night, Mitchell was still in the Monroe County Jail.
Campus editor Emily Hendricks contributed to this report.
