As a former University of Connecticut (UCONN) student, I am friends with many people who are former and current students at this esteemed University in Storrs, Connecticut. One day while I was on Facebook, I saw pictures of famous lawyer Gloria Allred at UCONN come through my newsfeed. I had previously heard of a female student’s problems with sexual assault on campus, but I was shocked to find out the whole story! Seven female students are filing a lawsuit against UCONN with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, claiming that the University did not do enough to protect them and that their sexual assault claims
fell on deaf ears.
According to the NY Daily News article, one student alleges that a campus police officer responded atrociously to her claims, by saying:
Women need to stop spreading their legs like peanut butter or rape is going to keep happening until the cows come home.
That statement is deplorable and as a former UCONN student, I am appalled to know that a guy like that, who harbors those attitudes about women and rape, is in a position to protect and serve us all, as law enforcement.
I recently spoke with a third-year UCONN student and personal friend, Mick Powell. I asked her some questions and her answers were very revealing. First I wanted her to share a synopsis of the allegations against UCONN and the suit itself. She says that seven former and current UCONN students are suing the University, alleging that the Administration and/or Police either acted negatively towards these women’s allegations or not at all.
Mick got involved with this issue and other issues regarding Women’s Rights, after a UCONN student wrote an open letter to current school President Susan Herbst. This letter was regarding sexual assault and in turn received tons of backlash from the community, including people threatening to rape and kill her. Mick noted that the President never acknowledged this letter and Mick’s perception is that the police just told this concerned student to wear a hat and
stay away from ?bro-looking? people, especially when they’re drunk.
The fact that the school’s President did not quickly acknowledge a letter concerning such a serious topic when it had received so much attention including threats levied towards the letter’s author, is very troubling; even more so when you consider that UCONN’s President is female herself. I had tons of friends who were current students when this letter was published, and I personally know that it gained massive notoriety and everyone was talking about it. President Herbst should have been one of those people.
One other troubling factor is the continuous alleged attitudes from UCONN police officers. These so-called men of the law seem to possess views about sexual assault that blame the victim and not the perpetrator. Yes, rape culture and victim-blaming do not just exist in the hush-hush lives of fraternity and sorority houses, or the macho arena of athletics, but apparently in college campus law enforcement. Implying that rape and sexual assault occur because women
spread their legs like peanut butter
transfers blame from the attacker to the real victim. They make this act seem voluntary, as if a woman wants to spread her legs. This fails to acknowledge the powerlessness of these victims and the often violent nature of sexual assault and rape. Also, telling a young lady to
wear a hat
and
stay away from bro-looking men especially when they’re drunk
,
puts all of the control in preventing these attacks, on women. Reality is that a woman should be able to walk around hat-less or go around someone who looks like a “bro” and not fear that she will be sexually violated. Furthermore, if such an egregious act were to occur, she should expect that the university she attends would protect her, take her allegations seriously, and work hard to not just prosecute individual perpetrators, but to respond aggressively to a widespread culture where sexual assault is too common and victim-blaming becomes the norm; especially at a school of such high regard as UCONN.
Mick and her partner organized a silent protest at UCONN, which was very successful. The turnout was good, and the administration actually came out and spoke with students. Mick has been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, such as setting up an email account for other survivors and organizing campus-wide events. On October 22, 2013, famed attorney Gloria Allred visited UCONN and held a press conference with some of the women filing the suit, as their defense counsel. Gloria Allred has had a very revered career and has represented many defendants, including some famous women in high-profile cases. Maybe bringing such a known face to these crimes will help college students feel that their universities shouldtake these allegations seriously, or the eye of the nation will be on them, and not in a good way.
Lastly, I wanted to know how Mick personally felt. She said that she doesn’t feel
as safe as she should
as a UCONN student. She mentioned how recently she was crossing the street while wearing a Trayvon Martin shirt, when a car filled with white men started screaming awful things at her. Luckily, they did not violently attack her, but this instance shines a light on racism and racial ignorance, another problem that is often overlooked on campuses nationwide. This, along with sexism, should be taken very seriously and worked to be eradicated. Mick’s statements support my aforementioned beliefs, saying that she does not feel that the university is ?extremely? safe for women, people of color, or people of varying faiths, etc. This is unacceptable especially since UCONN is so broadly known for their outstanding academics and stellar athletic achievements. This school should be working tirelessly to be as inclusive as possible and provide comfort to students who feel not just discriminated against, but genuinely in fear for their lives and safety.
As a fellow UCONN Husky, I must say that I love my school and had a pretty good experience there for my four years of undergraduate studies. I however, know of too many students who have not had such pleasant experiences. While we love our school, we must not hesitate to report injustices when they occur. These seven women and other survivors of sexual assault and abuse should be heralded as heroes. I am very happy that these women chose to not stay silent and that Gloria Allred chose to stand by them. Hopefully UCONN can change, and many other places of higher education can take note and help end the horrible rape culture that tragically permeates our college campuses.
Watch Allred discuss the Complaint here: ? http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/video.html?freewheel=90051&sitesection=nydailynews&VID=25281611
Edited by Kyla Ballard
