University grapples with sexual-assault allegations against football players
ANTIGONISH, N.S. — The bucolic university campus is set in a small Nova Scotia town: A cluster of steeples, ivy-covered brick and stone buildings and manicured sports fields.
St. Francis Xavier University, an undergraduate-focused school with Antigonish County’s rolling hills as a backdrop, is a tight-knit community with small class sizes, a familial atmosphere and a strong spirit.
It also has a reputation as a party school, with rowdy weekends and a binge-drinking culture — one that is under scrutiny after allegations of sexual assault surfaced last week.
Two varsity football players have been charged with sexual assault. Both have been released with conditions and are set to appear in provincial court in January, police said.