Following a disturbing accusation of gang rape at a fraternity house, the University of Virginia decides to take action.
A Rolling Stone article titled “ A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault and Struggle for Justice at UVA,” has shed light on the growing rape epidemic on college campuses and how difficult it is for students to bring their assailants to justice. Rolling Stone interviewed a UVA student who claimed an upperclassmen invited her over to the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house, where allegedly seven members of the fraternity gang-raped her for several hours. The student, identified in the article as ‘Jackie’, didn’t report the rape to authorities, but brought it to the attention of the school’s Sexual Misconduct Board. Jackie became discouraged when she learned other students who were also raped reported the crimes with little to no action taken. The article stated “ At UVA, rapes are kept quiet, both by students — who brush off sexual assaults as regrettable but inevitable casualties of their cherished party culture — and by an administration that critics say is less concerned with protecting students than it is with protecting its own reputation from scandal.” Other student’s have come forward to Rolling Stone stating that they too have been raped at UVA. Rolling Stone wrote a second article “Rape at UVA: Readers Say Jackie Wasn’t Alone”.
Since the article, the school has suspend all fraternities and associated social activities until January 9th. The school will host a news conference on Monday to obtain the students perspective on the recent events. UVA also plans to hire a lawyer to investigate the rape allegations. UVA’s school president Teresa A. Sullivan addressed the allegations in a statement to the university community, stating: ”The wrongs described in Rolling Stone are appalling and have caused all of us to re-examine our responsibility to this community. Rape is an abhorrent crime that has no place in the world, let alone on the campuses and grounds of our nation’s colleges and universities.”
Phi Kappa Psi has also addressed the allegations and stated “ to our knowledge there have been no criminal investigations or charges of sexual assault brought against any member of the chapter.” The fraternity has vowed to cooperate with the University in identifying and eradicating all proven misconduct.
-Alexandria Tribble (@Y_iOuwta)
