Rape Suspect Allowed to Choose Punishment at Central College

28 Apr, 2014 by Cassy Fiano

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Colleges are bastions of liberal and feminist ideologies, yet somehow, sexual assault continues to be a huge problem on campuses across America. Apparently, holding annual Sexual Assault Awareness Months don’t really help — especially not if the college lets the rapist choose their own punishment.

A graduating senior at Central College who was found responsible for “non-consensual sex” with a fellow student was given a choice: be expelled a month before graduation or stay in school with the conditions that he not walk in the ceremony and allow the college to notify a future employer and other schools that he’d violated the code of conduct.

The decision this month, and what happened during the school’s investigation, shocked the 20-year-old woman who reported being raped.

… The controversial choice offered by school administrators comes amid Sexual Assault Awareness month and during a year in which colleges around the country have been scrambling to better deal with sex crimes. High-profile cases in Montana and elsewhere have spurred policy guidance from the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice, a White House task force, and changes in federal law regarding annual security reports and new disciplinary proceedings.

… Sexual assaults on college campuses are prevalent: the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics says more than 75 percent of the women who reported a rape were under 25 years old at the time. A year-long investigation by the Center for Public Integrity found that students deemed “responsible” for sexual assaults on campus often face little or no punishment from school judicial systems, while their victims’ lives are frequently turned upside down.

It’s almost as if all of the “no means no” rallies and sexual assault awareness months don’t do a thing to prevent rape! And why would they? Any rapist knows that if they sexually assault a woman on a college campus, they’re likely to get away scot-free.

Also see: A Real Man’s Responsibilities