Contact: Gina Lauterio
Email: info@saveservices.org
Lesson from the UVA Gang-Rape ‘Disaster:’ Due Process Must be Restored for Campus Sex Cases
WASHINGTON / March 26, 2015 – In the aftermath of the recent Charlottesville, Virginia police report of “no evidence” of an alleged gang-rape of “Jackie” during a University of Virginia fraternity party, commentators on all points of the political spectrum are deploring the harmful effects arising from the incident.
SAVE, a national organization working to end sexual assault, has compiled a listing of over 50 commentaries on the Rolling Stone allegations (1). These editorials abhor how the Rolling Stone story has exacerbated rape-hysteria on college campuses, contributed to the wrongful expulsion of innocent college men, injured the reputation of the University of Virginia, wasted scarce law enforcement resources, undermined basic notions of journalistic integrity, and damaged the credibility of women claiming to be victims of rape.
Phi Kappa Psi is currently exploring its legal options to address the damage caused by Rolling Stone. Fraternity president Stephen Scipione noted, “These false accusations have been extremely damaging to our entire organization, but we can only begin to imagine the setback this must have dealt to survivors of sexual assault.”
“For rape victims, the falsely accused, taxpayers, and for UVA administrators, the Rolling Stone piece has been an unmitigated disaster,” notes SAVE spokeswoman Sheryl Hutter. “If we’re going to prevent future rape-hoaxes, college administrators must begin to restore due process to the handling of campus sex allegations.”
A Washington Post report concluded the Rolling Stone account was “a complete crock…built on a mix of naivete and advocacy” (2).
Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is working to promote effective solutions to campus sexual assault: http://www.saveservices.org/