About 100 members of the Ohio Wesleyan University community gathered outside the R.W. Corns Building the evening of Nov. 5 to raise awareness of what organizers say are "social injustices" happening on campus and in the community.

The "March on Delaware: United for Social Injustice" was organized by VIVA, a Latino-Latina awareness group on campus, and The Student Union on Black Awareness.

The incident that prompted the march occurred on Sept. 16, said Shade Fakunle, president of the latter group.

Juan Armandos Rojas, a professor of modern foreign languages, was working in his office when campus police called the Delaware Police Department to investigate what they thought was an intruder at about 11:30 p.m.

Rojas was listening to music and did not immediately hear police yelling outside the door, or their dog barking.

When he opened the door, he was confronted by police with drawn guns. They ordered him to get on his knees and handcuffed him.

A campus security officer then recognized him as a member of the faculty and he was released, Fakunle said.

That incident came on the heels of two recent break-ins during which campus officers encountered suspects and received minor injuries, said OWU spokesperson Cole Hatcher. Arrests were made in both cases, July 8 at the student observatory and Aug. 27 at Edwards Gym.

Campus police are not commissioned police officers and do not carry weapons, Hatcher said. "For that reason, we rely on the Delaware Police Department for emergency situations and are very appreciative of their help."

Thursday's vigil "was a very positive call for unity, for dialogue, and for continued involvement to support, nurture, and educate the OWU campus and Delaware community about cultural diversity," Hatcher said.

Following the Sept. 16 incident, OWU president Rock Jones formed a group to study safety issues on campus.

The results of that study were released Nov. 3 and included several recommendations designed to open lines of communication among faculty and staff, students, administrators, and safety officials, as well as to develop notification procedures people using campus buildings and offices after hours.