To the Editor:
The Herald's article "Former student claims misdeeds by U. officials in sealed case" (April 12) failed to separate two critical issues: the alleged misconduct of Brown University administrators in compelling former student William McCormick to leave Brown after he allegedly raped the daughter of a major donor, and the truthfulness of the victim's claim, which no one except the victim herself can speak to with any authority.
The information that the article relied on came from the plaintiff's side of a civil lawsuit, the intent of which is precisely to discredit the victim.
We are not in a position to address the specifics of this or any sexual assault case, nor do we want to. We must, however, address the issue of "false reporting." The FBI estimates that a mere two to eight percent of sexual assault cases are "false reports" (a rate similar to other violent crimes). Many victims do not name their experiences as "rape" or "sexual assault" right away; victims often come forward only after conversations with friends and supporters, and some never do. According to the Department of Justice, 95 percent of sexual assaults go unreported to police, making this the most underreported crime. According to a recent Center for Public Integrity investigation, the biggest barriers to reporting sexual assault on college campuses are disbelief from university officials and inaccessible campus judiciary processes.
Between 20-25 percent of women will be the victims of rape or attempted rape while in college. For more than three years, the Sexual Assault Task Force has been working to make Brown's disciplinary process more accessible to survivors of assault. The McCormick case is exceptional; the vast majority of people who report sexual assault at Brown do not see their perpetrators separated from the University. Brown's interest in maintaining silence around these issues almost always works in favor of the perpetrator, not the victim.
In focusing on the truthfulness of the victim's statement, rather than on the University officials' alleged misconduct, the article has done the entire Brown community a disservice. We hope survivors are not discouraged from speaking out or utilizing campus resources, such as Trish Glover, Brown's Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Program Coordinator, and other resources listed on the Health Education Web site. All survivors deserve to be supported and believed.
Haley Kossek '13
Annie Kurtz '11
Amy Littlefield '09
Catherine McCarthy '11
Emily Mellor '10
April 13
