Students at an American university have been punished for sexually assaulting a girl by being banned from campus after they graduate. Which will... make absolutely no difference to them whatsoever, now we come to think of it.
The victim, Sarah Butters, was on a Spring Break holiday in Florida in spring 2013 with the three men – fellow students, thought to be trusted friends – who subsequently attacked her and filmed it. The video was subsequently shared amongst other students at their uni, James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
She couldn’t remember the attack, but while still on holiday with them she heard rumours from friends back home at uni that the video was being shared online. She confronted the men, and they denied the attack, but once back at university she saw the video. ‘It was kind of hard for me to deal with. I just tried to diminish the situation - I didn't want to bring it up, didn't want to talk about it.’
After repeatedly going to university officials, it was only when she presenting them with a copy of the video that they decided to pursue an investigation into the men's behaviour. They were all found responsible for sexual assault and sexual harassment. However the end result, after several appeals, is that two of the men will only be banned from campus, provided they stay away from Sarah and don't join any clubs. The third plans to stay on campus for his 2014/2015 year.
This situation poses so many questions. First of all, how on earth is that a suitable punishment for raping someone or sharing images of someone being raped? An official in the judicial affairs office actually told Sarah that the process was the most serious case the office had handled, to which she says: ‘If this is the most serious case you’ve ever dealt with, you don’t think it calls for some type of punishment like suspension or expulsion?’
We would have thought – if the boys were guilty – jail time might have been more suitable.
Secondly, there is video evidence. Actual footage. In it, The Huffington Post reports, Sarah is topless and being groped, and the men laugh and pull her onto their laps, trying to remove her bikini bottoms.
Thirdly, it’s not actually up to the university to decide who’s sexually assaulted someone. Though there is that video evidence to suggest that Sarah definitely was assaulted, that needs to be seen in a court of law for the perpetrators to be found guilty.
Maybe the girl should have reported the incident directly to the police, but then again, should the onus really have to be on her, after what she’s allegedly gone through, to push this through the court system? The adjudication process itself was so stressful that her grades slipped and she lost her financial aid to study, so now she’s had to quit university.
If there is any glimmer of hope, Sarah has complained to federal officials the school’s handling of the attack, and the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights are now investigating. James Madison isn’t the only university being looked at in this wider look at the way universities handle sexual assault and rape allegations, three others in Virginia are being investigated as well as a further 63 across America. Hopefully some justice will come from this.
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.