Arizona State University has settled with a rape survivor for $850,000.
The young woman was raped in her dorm room by a student who had been previously kicked out of school after accusations of rape, inappropriate sexual comments and touching, and exposing himself to female students and staff. The Arizona Republic reports that he "was allowed to return to campus in August 2003 and to rejoin the football team, but he received no counseling."
"Historically, universities have downplayed rapes," said Joanne Belknap, a sociology professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and researcher in violence against women. "In general, they don't want people to know about it because people won't want to send their daughters there and women won't want to come."This is the first settlement to require a statewide system of universities to change the way it responds to complaints of sexual harassment and violence, and it sends a warning to all universities and colleges, Belknap said.
For more information on sexual assault on college campuses and ways to get involved, check out SAFER.
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This is great! It's personally very exciting to me, because I'm at an Arizona state college myself. Thank god! We need some accountability.
Accountability is right! Partially grew up in Arizona and one thing I got SOOOOO tired of was they mentality that it's all good so long as they can play football well(in HS and colleges there.)
i'm at arizona state (both teaching and attending), and i'm pleased to say that the mood here is very positive. yes, sports are big here, but in general, the people i've talked to are very pleased and thankful that this female student fought back in this way.
That is fantastic. I hope the survivor continues to fight, she's a hero for many of us whose universities and other public or private institutions fail to protect us.
on top of the settlement being great news, Joanne Belknap is the greatest professor EVER.
True story. Violence Against Women and Girls was one of the greatest classes I took at CU
I looked on SAFER, but I was wondering if there was a list of the safest and most dangerous colleges in the US regarding sexual assault.
I don't think there would be--a lot of the time colleges work really hard to suppress these things. I remember reading about some official reports that judge colleges based on safety, and how they can't be trusted because college police will "deal" with the rapists on their own, and not report it, and pressure the victims not to report either. So we're left with a lot of anecdotal evidence, which is telling and worthwhile, but can't really be used for any kind of a scale.
That's messed up. Someone should start a movement to get this information out in the open.
I hope this pressures my university. I am at the University of Iowa. Last year, a woman was raped by 2 football players. Football is a big deal so some speculation has been going around about what the administration is doing. The courts are slow as hell, of course.
Plus, this year 2 women came forward about 2 separate professors harassing them sexually. One was accused of bribing female students and the other made an unsafe environment. Both subsequently killed themselves though. The charges were dropped on the first (even though many women corroborate that story, but everyone just looooved him sooo much! It would tarnish his memory. (ugh)) but at least they're following through with the second. The second woman is suing the school too for not taking her complaints seriously.
I hope this pressures my university. I am at the University of Iowa. Last year, a woman was raped by 2 football players. Football is a big deal so some speculation has been going around about what the administration is doing. The courts are slow as hell, of course.
Plus, this year 2 women came forward about 2 separate professors harassing them sexually. One was accused of bribing female students and the other made an unsafe environment. Both subsequently killed themselves though. The charges were dropped on the first (even though many women corroborate that story, but everyone just looooved him sooo much! It would tarnish his memory. (ugh)) but at least they're following through with the second. The second woman is suing the school too for not taking her complaints seriously.
I hope this pressures my university. I am at the University of Iowa. Last year, a woman was raped by 2 football players. Football is a big deal so some speculation has been going around about what the administration is doing. The courts are slow as hell, of course.
Plus, this year 2 women came forward about 2 separate professors harassing them sexually. One was accused of bribing female students and the other made an unsafe environment. Both subsequently killed themselves though. The charges were dropped on the first (even though many women corroborate that story, but everyone just looooved him sooo much! It would tarnish his memory. (ugh)) but at least they're following through with the second. The second woman is suing the school too for not taking her complaints seriously.
That is a reminder to women to not EVER let campus police handle criminal matters instead of real law enforcement. Ever. To do so is only in the best interest of the school.
Oops, sorry for the double post! Stupid computer glitch..
Making the campus seem safer for female students is not the only reason colleges downplay rapes. Note that the rapist in this case is a football player. As long as colleges are allowed to draw significant income from college sports, they will never take sexual assaults or any other crimes committed by athletes seriously.
"Real Men Do Not Let Men Rape"
Real women do not let men rape
Real women do not let women rape
Real men do not let women rape.
Any of these statements sound unreasonable? Unfair? Offensive? "Real Men Do Not Let Men Rape" holds all "real" men accountable for the actions of autonomous individuals. By saying they're accountable it says their responsible. It is blaming INNOCENT men for rape. THAT IS OFFENSIVE! We do not live in a world where the big tough men are in charge of and responsible for the poor, weak, incapable women.
Do you want to go back to that way of life.....
No? Me neither.
So do not attempt to put on men a responsiblility you re unwilling to put on women.
My appologies. I intended for this post to be in the post directly below. I agree completly that the outcome is both good and exciting.
I’ll tell you what? When a good portion of your friends have been raped or sexually assaulted…when you are afraid to walk out of your home at night alone…when you get blamed for a man raping you because you dared to be drunk in a his presence (or wearing a skimpy outfit or flirting or possess a vagina)…when you walk by a group of men and have to listen to disgusting, filthy, sometimes threatening things being said about you and your body while they “innocent” male friends do nothing or snicker along...when you have to listen to a man get “offended” because simply because you are asking him to do his part to end a culture of violence surrounding half of the population…then we will talk equal, asshat.
No one is asking you to take care of all women and you damn well know it. We are, however, demanding that you and all other men be decent god damn human beings and do your part to stop the culture of sexual violence and rape that surround women’s lives from birth to death. If you are already doing that, great, this sign doesn’t pertain to you. If you are you are part of the problem. Oh, and you can blow your "offense" out your ass.
i f you are you are part of the problem.
Should say: if you aren’t, then you are part of the problem.
your rage has gotten in the way of seeing the point. you can't paint all men with the same brush or hold them accountable for the acts of all men, even if your experience is as you chronicled.
um, i'm sorry but if WOMEN are often responsible for taking self-defense classes, intervening in friends' troubled situations with men, and taking microaggression bullshit from men everyday... then MEN are responsible for policing one another's actions. there is not enough of an intervention mentality. shelbywoo's point is a valid one, and she is talking about her experiences with many, NOT ALL, men not standing up. don't dismiss her "this doesn't apply to you if..." statement.
i stand with you, shelbywoo!
So, you're constantly respectful of women, and get mad at your male friends/colleagues/family members when they aren't? Because that's what we're asking for. Not that you take responsibility for the actions of others, but that every man stops allowing the culture of rape and female objectification to continue unquestioned. But if you giggle at rape jokes, or shrug it off when men pressure women into sex, then you do have a little bit of responsibility in what they did, because you're supporting the culture that lets men get away with rape.
"So, you're constantly respectful of women,"
Short answer yes. Long answer, I treat people with the respect they deserve. If a woman has lost my respect through her actions or attitudes then I respond as I would to a man who had done the same. With disrespect. But I do not think that you are asking about such a situation, so yes.
"and get mad at your male friends/colleagues/family members when they aren't?" Again yes I do. As to the rape jokes I find the majority of them concern men in prison. I do not laugh either way. Coming to pressuring women into sex. Nobody has ever mentioned their doing so to me and I would respond poorly if they were to do so. I do not think I could be friends with someone who engaged in such despicable behaviour. Concerning objectification, I assume you are referring to sexual objectification? I do not support it. However some people's definitions of objectification seem to class making a sexual advance as objectifying. I disagree and if you do not then by such definitions I objectify women. I would guess that such a view point is in the minority however. So no, I do not support the objectification of women.
So far as I can tell my attitudes fit your criteria for not supporting a culture that allows men to get away with rape. (I should mention that I am an Australian and have no first hand experience with American culture) That said I find my actions and attitudes to be in the majority amongst the men I know. Most times when the subject of rape is brought up the general consensus is that all offenders should be castrated. I myself have never been witness to a rape and I have never acted to stop one. This is why the sign (in the other post; we're really discussing this in the wrong place, and I apologise again for that) offended me. I found it accusatory that despite living in a moral way (as I see it) I was responsible for rapes not being prevented.
To ShelbyWoo. I wrote a long reply for you but I have deleted it as little more needs to be said beyond jaja's reply. I will simply state this. Do not presume that women have the monopoly on being victims of violence and intimadation.
And do not call me asshat.
Why has nobody else pointed out the downside of this whole thing? This paragraph here from the original article:
"An investigation by campus police concluded "non-consensual sexual intercourse" took place, according to court documents, but the Maricopa County Attorney's Office later declined to prosecute Henderson, saying conviction was unlikely."
So the University will pay the price of the rape (as they should) but the rapist himself doesn't get in any legal trouble? Sure he won't be able to play football there, but aside from that he's basically got off scot-free!
...alleged rape?
I am an Arizona State University student too and i think this judgement against our 3 campuses it finally a positive step in the Universities accountabilty for those of us who attend. There is a new ASU rapist every semester it seems and maybe this ruling will aide in more security and harsher punishments for sexual predators on campus.