Friday, December 16, 2016

Research Blog #8 Case

I have two cases in my paper, and my main one is the sexual assault victim Andrew Brown.

This is the article I am using. (Huffpost isn't always great but this article is fine) It's called "Male Victims Of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out‘We’re Up Against A System That’s Not Designed To Help Us’" by Emily Kassie.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/27/male-victims-sexual-assault_n_6535730.html

The case of Andrew Brown demonstrates the danger of repeat offenders and the need for change. Brown was a freshman at Brown University in 2011. On his sixth night of freshman year, he went to the communal bathrooms to brush his teeth. Another student “came up behind Brown, grabbed his crotch and moved him into the bathroom stall. Frozen, Brown protested but did not fight back, scared of what would happen if he did. For 15 minutes the stranger assaulted him... All he remembers is being unable to speak or act. ‘I just remember focusing on the stall door, knowing that he was between me and my escape.’” Following his assault, Brown suffered from panic attacks and “berated himself, wondering if he could have done more to stop it.”

After meeting with a counselor for a couple of months, he decided to file a formal complaint with his university, who eventually expelled his assailant. However, after the expulsion, it came to light  that the perpetrator was a serial offender: the university had previously received two sexual assault complaints against the same student, but had only handed out a one-semester suspension. One of the victims, known only as Brenton, said: “I was happy that he got suspended, but I didn’t think it was enough. I knew there were even more people he had gotten to,” Following the publication of Brown’s story, a fourth victim came forward, who said the same assailant had harassed him, stalked him, and threatened his life. The University was “aware of the perpetrator’s history of harassment during the first two sexual misconduct hearings and still only imposed a one-semester suspension on the perpetrator” (Kassie). Had the University taken proper action, Andrew’s assault would not have taken place, and this represents the danger of serial offenders and the need to cultivate an environment of openness and communication for assault victims.

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