Spinnaker met with Darryl Boyer and asked him to tell his story, elaborate on the Snapchat messages we received, and address the topic as a whole. He also addressed an email that he sent out to multiple University officials regarding bullying within Student Government. 

“Out of respect for the individual that I was going to invite here tonight, who was the individual that sent those messages on my Snapchat, I think it’s best to not focus on this, that’s what people want,” Boyer responded. “They want a rise out of us to focus on this, right now it’s just not important. This issue was handled months ago and I think out of respect for the student body in this upcoming election, I think it’s just respectful to focus on the parties and the tickets.”

At 8:44 p.m. on March 7, Boyer sent an email stating that he has recently been getting bullied in Student Government (SG), and expressed his concerns with the University. The email was shared with many officials including UNF President Szymanski and UNF Dean Andrea-Adams Manning. 

“I came to UNF because I felt a sense of belonging and prosperity. My thoughts have recently been challenged. A few members of the Student Government have been trying everything possible to diminish my character and reputation here at UNF.” 

Boyer says he is not the only student that has and or is currently being bullied in Student Government. He stated that a member from SG submitted private messages to Spinnaker to blackball him. 

In the interview, Boyer explains how one individual was forced to resign and that there are still people in SG currently being bullied. He also mentioned that a separate personal event happened outside of Student Government that made people want to “get rid” of him.

He says that it has become so bad that he has recently been cyber-bullied and has submitted a police report with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) regarding similar issues. 

According to Boyer, he filed the police report on Feb. 26, the same day as the anti-Charge Instagram account was created. 

“These many concerns have been brought to the attention of the SG Director and my advisor at the time,” Boyer explained. “Nothing was ever handled. I have been bullied in the past and I have tried to remain optimistic, but it has got to the point where I can no longer ignore it.”

Boyer also stated that if Spinnaker encourages the bullying by submitting defamatory private messages from his Snapchat, he would be pursuing legal action. 

“I advise this potential article to NOT be submitted,” says Boyer

Boyer is currently running for student body Vice-President and says that a current Student Government member submitted these screenshots to Spinnaker to allegedly facilitate a “smear campaign.” He elaborates by stating that these screenshots and claims have already been disproven and discussed. 

Boyer asks all included in his email to address these concerns to ensure this never happens to another Osprey, stating “If you are interested in further discussion on multiple instances of bullying in SG, I would be happy to arrange a meeting to share the stories many Ospreys have experienced. I look forward to seeing these issues resolved immediately.”

In a previous Spinnaker article we stated that “Darryl Boyer is from Palm Coast, was adopted by an interracial family, and was the former Elections Commissioner at UNF.” Boyer mentioned how coming from a family that is loving and accepting truly defines his character.

“To see things like this bring somebody down, you’re not just bringing me down, you’re bringing down thousands of Ospreys that are on our campus that are just like me and come from the same walk of life. And it’s unacceptable, it’s heartbreaking. I’ve never in my life seen anything like this — to cyberbully someone. I get threats on my messages, people that want to threaten to come to my home, because of my voter registration, and that’s just not acceptable.”

“When I have more information, and when I can provide you all with more information, I will.” 

When asked why he decided to address the recent bullying after previously choosing to ignore it in the past, Boyer said that he can’t do this anymore and that he is a student with a job, running elections, and he doesn’t have time to deal with cyberbullying.

Regarding the Snapchat messages, Boyer said that he believes the facts on them will be presented in the future. As of now, he says that he does not want to focus his energy on the messages because they are not what matter and that he is focused on serving the students.

“There’s a lot of things behind the scenes things that people don’t know, and now it’s turned around as if I sent those messages. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the messages say, ‘This is not Daryll speaking.’” (Boyer points out how in one of the Screenshots, a message says “This isnt Daryll.”)

Boyer says that one day these behind the scenes that will “come to light” and that he will share them when he’s ready. 

Spinnaker asked Boyer if he would say that the Snapchat messages are not real or have been fabricated. He replied, “You’ll see.”

When asked if Boyer knew who might be allegedly blackballing him, he said, “Honestly, I hope I don’t know these people. Every person that I know, I am kind to. Honestly, I think that it is probably someone who is close to me, which is heartbreaking to know…we’ll see.”

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For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact editor@unfspinnaker.com.