Burgeoning rape scandal at Amherst

[redqueen]

An essay by a former student and survivor details how the administration dismissed and shamed her

http://www.salon.com/2012/10/19/damning_light_shone_on_rape_at_amherst/

A former Amherst student detailed her experience of on-campus rape and the college’s abysmal treatment of the situation, in a searing and painful essay. The piece in the Amherst Student by Angie Epifano, who left the college because of her experience, has focused a national spotlight on the elite liberal university’s treatment of rape and rape culture, raising questions about the treatment of sexual assault, victims and perpetrators on campuses around the country.

...

In an attempt to push the incident from her mind, Epifano explains that she did not report the assault immediately but only came forward to the school’s sexual assault counselor after she had to countenance her rapist in a fundraising project and was thrown into severe emotional turmoil. Epifano’s account of her treatment by the school’s counseling service is as disturbing as any part of her harrowing story.

In short I was told: No you can’t change dorms, there are too many students right now. Pressing charges would be useless, he’s about to graduate, there’s not much we can do. Are you SURE it was rape? It might have just been a bad hookup…You should forgive and forget.

...

Epifano recounts how when she expressed a suicidal thought to her counselor, she was immediately committed to the local hospital’s psychiatric ward for five days where she says the doctor was no more supportive. “I really don’t think that a school like Amherst would allow you to be raped. And why didn’t you tell anybody?” she recalls the doctor suggesting. Epifano describes a rape by a student and an ongoing abuse by an institution. Eventually she withdrew from Amherst and remains sickened by the administration’s refusal to take rape seriously. ...

...

[MadrasT]

1. This is from 1912, right?

Oh wait...




...no.

And I noticed this is the same university where this lovely incident occurred:

As Jezebel reported, Epifano’s story follows on the heels of another Amherst incident, which portrayed the liberal college as a hotbed of rape culture. A secret fraternity produced T-shirts for a party showing a cartoon woman beaten, bound and spit roasting over a fire. Before a student blog post drew wider attention to the issue, the administration responded to the T-shirts only with closed-door small meetings and “‘boys-will-be-boys’ comments,” according to the blogger.

Rape culture? What rape culture?

[redqueen]

5. Yeah... 'What rape culture?' indeed. nt

[haikugal]

2. Another Private College I see....

[October]

3. OMG, that's unbelievable!

What is with this extremely ill culture of administrators and supposed adults???

[redqueen]

6. What is with this extremely ill culture?

Misogyny.

Eventually people will break down and admit that it really is widespread, and none of it is acceptable. Just like racism and homophobia.

Well, most people. There are still lots of racists and homophobes around... but far fewer people rationalize and excuse their words, actions, and beliefs nowadays. Eventually we'll get there with sexism and misogyny.

[ismnotwasm]

4. Forgive and forget?

Not bloody likely. The little puke graduates and walks away?

This is really, really, really fucked up.

You know what I like about the Horror Movie "Shutter? At the end of the movie, the female lead, finding out that her husband dealt with an emotionally fragile and unstable ex-girlfriend by having his friends rape her (after giving her a roofie). while he took pictures (which led to a great ghost revenge story) she left his ass. He cried and begged for understanding, did a pretty good job of it too, but she still walked.

She knew you don't "forgive or forget" anything like that.

[redqueen]

7. Yep, forgive and forget.

A lot of people seem to think rape is just really no big deal.