[View the story "Dartmouth faces backlash over sexual assault policies" on Storify ]Dartmouth faces backlash over sexual assault policies Thousands sign petition urging college to take stronger action. Storified by AJAMStream · Fri, Mar 14 2014 13:45:28
The campaign also notes:
Disturbingly, this also isn't the first time that Dartmouth has found itself in a very public controversy over its handling of campus rape cases. Students are outraged and have staged major campus protests over the school's failure to act--a recent demonstration drew hundreds of attendees.act.weareultraviolet.org
Weeks prior to the alleged assault, the female student's name was published in a "rape guide" blog post on
Bored@Baker , a
controversial website not affiliated with the university, but requires a Dartmouth email address for access. The anonymous post used explicit language giving tips on how to rape a student: "Increase how much alcohol you give her each time, maybe flirt with her slightly. Then one such day, go for it… Start kissing her. She might be reluctant. Just tell her to relax… Does this sound rapey? It really isn’t, trust me. She just likes playing hard to get…"
Some tweeted their reaction to the incident:
I am pretty ragey after reading about a girl who was assaulted at #Dartmouth after another student posted a guide on how to rape herKourtney Foley
Blessed to have never experienced this in undergrad, but college rape culture is very real: http://t.co/oAqsqexq89 #dartmouthGrace Hayes
@Dartmouth student featured in 'rape guide' assaulted; #Dartmouth typically sets the bar high but needs 2 step up NOW http://t.co/c6M63chPXpMonet Euan
The author of the anonymous Bored@Baker post has been identified, removed from the college and faces punishment under Dartmouth's disciplinary system. However, according to another post by the alleged victim of sexual assault, who did not report her incident to authorities, the college did little to respond to her complaints prior to the alleged assault, which happened at a fraternity party.
jezebel.com
The Stream reached out to Justin Anderson, Assistant Vice President for Media Relations at Dartmouth, who replied via email: "I would like to stress that weinvestigate every instance of sexual assault reported to us and offer multiplelevels of support and resources to every survivor. In this particular case, noreport of sexual assault was made to the College by the individual. We continueto remain in contact with her to ensure she is getting all of the support wecan provide."
Prior to receiving Anderson's email, the university also denied UltraViolet's claims and responded with an official
statement on March 11.
It is important to note the anonymous author of the post on a privately hosted website referred to in the petition was identified and faces Dartmouth's disciplinary process. Further, we investigate every instance of sexual assault that is brought to our attention and offer multiple levels of support and resources to every survivor. Every day we work to make our community better and safer.dartmouth.edu
In addition the college's recent blowback, Dartmouth is faces a federal investigation potentially violating
Title IX , a law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. According to the the U.S. Department of Education's
Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis , Dartmouth has had 35 cases of "forcible sex offenses' between 2010 and 2012. During that same time period, 26 off-campus incidents occurred.
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