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Campus Officials Weak on Punishing Sexual Predators
Studies show that one out of every five female college students will be raped by a fellow student. When such crimes occur, colleges and universities are notoriously relaxed in their treatment of the sexual predators who use campuses as a place to prey upon women in vulnerable situations.
The majority of men who perpetrate these crimes are not expelled from school, even when they are found to be guilty by campus officials. A major reason for this is that many school officials assume that the students who commit these acts are good people whose judgment is impaired by alcohol. Experts argue that most of these people are actually serial predators. Only 10 to 25 percent of these students are expelled from school
According to the Center for Public Integrity, between 1998 and 2008, out of 24 complaints responded to, the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) ruled against only five universities for failing to properly discipline male sexual offenders. Yet, the five universities received no punishment, they were only ordered to improve their disciplinary procedures.
According to a story originally reported by National Public Radio, Margaux, a student at Indiana University, was raped by a fellow student one night after she had returned to her dorm room drunk. Another female student came forward and said that the same man had also attempted to rape her in her dorm room, but that she was able to fight him off. Eventually, the administrators came to the conclusion that Margaux was, in fact, raped. Despite this, the perpetrator was expelled from school for only one year.
The student who raped Margaux was allowed back on campus under the conditions that he undergo counseling, get treatment for alcohol abuse and that he stay away from his victim. Margaux fought back, taking her case to the OCR, which concluded that the school did not need to change its course of action in disciplining the rapist. When she found out that she would have to walk the campus with the man who raped her, she dropped out of school.
Educators—not lawyers—run college and university disciplinary systems. Many campus sex crimes are passed off as inappropriate sexual conduct fueled by alcohol, and victims do not receive the justice they deserve.
If you have been victimized at your college or university, working with an attorney who specializes in personal assault cases can help you when your school’s disciplinary system falls short. We are here to help- Contact us today if you have been the victim of a violent crime.
