What is it like to come out as a survivor of sexual assault? For a student at Vanderbilt University, it’s meant being called a “crazy bitch,” “psycho,” “NASTY AS SHIT,” and a “no-good cunt.”
In February, Jane Doe filed charges against AEPi, a Jewish fraternity at the Nashville school’s campus. As reported by the Hustler, Vanderbilt’s student newspaper, an Internet thread emerged this month to shame, mock, and discredit her.
The above comments were posted to CollegiateACB, a website that allows college students around the country an open forum to discuss issues relevant to their university. …
… In a culture that continues to make survivors feel unsafe, many who experience sexual assault never speak out. According to statistics from the Department of Justice, 95 percent of rapes that occur on a college campus will never be reported to the campus police.
There’s a reason why: a 2011 survey in the Chicago Tribune found that over the past six years, less than 3 percent of those allegations ended in a conviction, meaning that few campus rapists will ever see jail time. …
… However, what makes the Vanderbilt Jane Doe case unique is that the campus didn’t leave the case solely to administration to handle. Allies at the university have rallied behind the campus, defending her from the climate of bullying that sets to make an example out of her. To show their support, students have been changing their Facebook profile picture to a graphic that reads “I Am the Girl Who Ratted,” in order to raise awareness and hold the university accountable to action.
