Josephine Woolington in the RG. Two of many points:
UO officials did not respond when asked several times this week why the UO police did not alert the campus to the alleged sexual assaults involving the basketball students. Officials also did not respond when asked why the reported sexual assault did not appear on UO police’s crime log.
and
The university said it received the police report on April 24. However, Eugene police spokeswoman Melinda McLaughlin said a police detective was in contact with UO officials throughout the investigation and told the university shortly after April 8 that the criminal investigation was complete. McLaughlin said the detective advised UO officials they could pick up a copy of the report at the police department, which university officials never did.
to make sure someone picked up that report.
At which point it would have been under the purview of the IAC. Better for Gottfredson to take a chance, hide it, and spend this efforts dismantling Senate oversight.
I read the police report. The student in question was not incapacitated (based on witness reports), had multiple chances to leave the presence of the three men, and slept with and had consensual sex the next morning with one of them. I find it patronizing to suggest that her sexual interactions must have been coerced, by default. Folks, hook-ups happen and yes, sometime people have sex in groups. Intentionally, and for their own enjoyment. Yes, she later had second thoughts, but there is nothing inherently illegal in a group of 4 people having sex. Has anyone reading this been to the Oregon Country Fair? I suggest everyone read the police report before labeling this a gang rape. BTW I hate the culture, entitlement and excesses of the athletic program at UO so am not an athlete apologist.
No personal knowledge of the situation and I have not read the reports but if a person says no to one or two of the three, but were coerced or felt that they did not have the power to enforce that “NO” in the situation, is it rape?
If the person then, at a later time has consensual sex does that mean that the original situation is no longer rape?
I really want to know these things so I can tell the difference. I mean if my partner forces me to have sex with her and her friends then I have sex with my partner later… that is just fine.
Also, I have been to the country fair what bathroom is this going on at?
So your “feminism” means that you discount the victim’s own statements, and dismiss those of us that accept the victim’s own characterization of what happened–gang rape. There is nothing patronizing in accepting a victim’s account of the story rather than the perpetrators’. You’ve spent too much time at the Oregon Country Fair.
It’s not a matter of believing the young men, or as you say, perpetrators, involved. In addition to the statements of the alleged survivor’s roommate and friends, there is a KWVA interview with a student who was a witness at the party named “Kelsy”, who was a facilitator in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department, and also apparently interviewed for the police report, at one point in the interview, she also says “investigations”, plural, which would seem to indicate that there may have been a follow-up investigation by the University after the EPD concludes its report.
Since I don’t believe as many people have heard this or have access to it, I thought I would take the time and do some transcription.
Student-Witness: “I talked to her friends and they gave their opinions on how she interacts with men typically and it mirrored what she was doing at this time.”
Describing her own account of the incident in the bathroom, she says,
“This disrupts her evidence in the police report.”
“She also states that she left the bathroom when someone opened the door and Dameyean followed her down the hallway. And, that is not true.”
“She returned to the bathroom out of her own accord where she was allegedly being assaulted.”
Interviewer: “Did you feel she was intoxicated to a far extent?”
Student-Witness: “I, given my knowledge of intoxication of people, she was fully able to think, walk, run…she did not seem intoxicated to any disabling extent…furthermore, this was a party where drinks were not supplied.”
Student-Witness then describes going into the bathroom to find the alleged survivor with two of the men. The alleged survivor said, “Don’t go into the bathroom with me.”
Then,*after* the alleged first assault in the bathroom, the Student-Witness, describes the situation outside the party….
“When I came outside, there was one of her friends telling her, ‘Get in the car. Get in the car.’ And, her friend is repeatedly trying to persuade her to get in the car. ”
“She [the alleged survivor’s friend or roommate] is asking the girl that filed the report to get in the vehicle. And, the girl that has filed the report did not want to go. And, she and her friend were debating about whether she was going to go or stay. And, she [the alleged survivor] was coupled up with one of the boys, to my memory it was Artis. And, she was comfortable.”
“Her friend was telling me, “She always does this. She always hooks up with guys and then the next day we have to help her out. We have to listen to her. She’s hurt… she’s broken the next day. And, I told her friend, you need to let her make her own decisions. And, if she doesn’t like the decisions she makes, a good friend will still be there. I asked the girl who has filed the report whether she wanted to stay or go and she said that she wanted to stay. And, I said “If you want to stay, [then you should] stay.’ ”
Interviewer asks: “That’s the point where in the report, she claims that Austin had her in a chokehold?”
Student Witness responds: “Yes. She made it seem like she was being forced to stay and she was not. She *chose* [emphasis added by witness] to stay there.”
“I gave her friend my number. And, I told her friend that is she needs help the next day trying to figure out how do you console someone who doesn’t like what they did the night before to go ahead and call me. Her friend said, ‘OK.” And, her friend left. And, she [alleged survivor] stayed with them and she was comfortable. And, at that point, I went about my night…”
“The next morning I had gone home and I had gone to sleep and I woke up with a text message from this person saying, ‘Hey it’s me. We had met at a Black party’…. And, I said, ‘Oh, hey, how was your night?’ She said, ‘Haha. It was interesting. What about yours?’ And, I said, I’m really glad you had a good time. And, my night was great. And, she goes ‘Thank you. I’m glad you had a good time as well.’
“And, it has been on record, the things that I witnessed. And, it has been filed in investigations, that these were things that other people can corroborate, that they witnessed as well.”
Interviewer: “We’ve already heard what the report states, we’re hearing some different things out of you.”
Student-Witness: “Correct.”
Interviewer: “How do you kind of slice and dice..”
Student-Witness interrupting: “Piece it together? Yeah. In my opinion this is somebody who is new to the college scene, this girl. And, possibly new to the attention that she is getting. And she, her friends have explained, she’s done some things and disliked what she did the next morning. It’s my understanding that she had the same experience and expressed to somebody else what happened and they in turn told her, well maybe this may have been this. And, from what I gather, she, anything that took place was something that she wanted and something that she was OK with. And, she vocalized that that was something that she was OK with.”
Interviewer: “What about you or your background made, is this so important to you to let everyone come out and know?”
Student-Witness: “I facilitated a class for the Women’s and Gender Studies department here. And, I focus a lot on sexual awareness and wellness having been in victim situations myself. I understand that there is a 3% bracket of women that lie about these situations and 97% of women do not. When I heard the discrepancies in the story, it was clear to me that this was a 3% situation. These are not distinct numbers, these are numbers that go up and down by point –five of a per cent. But, this is a situation where the alleged victim in play, was consensual, and the claims being made are not true. And, being a victim’s advocate and being in a situation where people may not have believed a story. It’s important to me that the truth is told. And, it’s important to me that nobody can say false accusations because that reflects badly when somebody has something real to say.”
The police report indicates that the alleged survivor reported the incident to a UO athletics department employee named “Cassie”. There was then a search for anyone named “Cassie” associated with the athletics department which yielded negative results. The student-witness being interviewed by KWVA is named “Kelsy”. I believe it is likely that “Cassie” and “Kelsy” are the same person: the alleged survivor was simply confused about the student’s name and their actual role at the University.
Even though you didn’t attach your name to this post, I can still appreciate how difficult it is to take that stand and requires some courage. Since I probably know you, I hope you will email me privately and reveal who you are.
For me, I blatantly and unapologetically attack UO athletics, and I also desperately want to support survivors. I fully and completely admit that I have those biases.
Still, in this *specific* case and looking at all the evidence: It just doesn’t all add up for me.
I have to wonder if the victim would have been considered intoxicated or impaired too much to drive. My guess is that she would have been drunk enough for DUI had she tried to drive and got pulled over. And yet, in this case when the decision making abilities are about her sexual experiences and not getting behind the wheel, suddenly she wasn’t impaired (according to others) because she wasn’t stumbling, slurring, or vomiting.
I have no idea what the reference to the Oregon Country fair is here, regarding sex in groups????? I did read the police report, three guys having at this girl until she cried, does not constitute consensus. It is questionable why she did not leave after the first incident, but her judgement was impaired, under the influence & she was guided to go in the cab with a “light chokehold”, then given more alcohol on the way to the 2nd location. Even the players admitted in recorded phone calls, what they did was wrong. The U of O is obligated to send a clear message that such behavior will not be tolerated. The police have been athlete apologists– remember the football player who drove 118 mph on I-5, with a suspended license, & no insurance & a warrant for his arrest for speeding tickets unpaid in California? They asked to see his championship ring & let him go. The message is student athletes can get away with anything & that has to stop. The U of O itself must set the precedent that this behavior will not be tolerated. Dana Altman needs to explain why he allowed a student with pending sexual allegations to be admitted @ the U of O.
About the country fair: This doesn’t concern the main point of the good “feminist female faculty member” comment, but I think it’s important to write, since a lot of people read this blog, that the Country Fair is hardly a hotbed of debauchery. I’ve been to it, and have even worked there. It’s fun and very sober. Yes, there are some minimally clothed people, but I’ve *never* seen people doing anything unseemly. I’ve taken my kids to the fair, like *lots* of people do, and I’m by no means an anything-goes hippie. From what I can tell, things were far different in the 1970s. In any case, perhaps a better analogy would have been a UO football game! (kidding…)
It seems hard to pin the rape allegation some kind of regret or morning after remorse. The young woman is no stranger to sex, and had no problem admitting to having consensual sex the following morning with one of the alleged assaulter and another, unrelated basketball player. Her honesty on the events of that day, in my mind, give her claim of sexual assault even more weight. Just because it wasn’t consensual once does not mean it won’t ever be again; she may very well have had an ongoing relationship with this man and it is entirely possible that he crossed a line the previous night with his friends.
Focusing on her sexual actions the following day to the exclusion of the actual alleged rape event simultaneously blames the victim and insinuates she is a liar.
To address a few commenters and issues at once:
“Focusing on her sexual actions the following day to the exclusion of the actual alleged rape event simultaneously blames the victim and insinuates she is a liar.”
I agree that focusing on her actions the following day are irrelevant. Also, her past sexual history is irrelevant. What is more relevant is that the alleged survivor’s statements are inconsistent with the observations and statements of multiple third-party witnesses regarding this specific incident.
“It seems hard to pin the rape allegation some kind of regret or morning after remorse.”
I have no doubt that it is more complicated than that. My main area of study is the sociology of sexualities. Specifically, I focus on same-sex sexual behavior. One thing I talk about often is the idea of the “sexual narrative”, the fact that people tend to construct life stories that make sense. I’ve demonstrated this quantitatively with both same-sex and opposite-sex sexual behavior, particularly in terms of how individuals who report that they have been paid for sex will report lower numbers of sexual partners when they are no longer working as a sex-worker.
I think its relevant: I have had plenty of gay friends that have had consensual relations with “straight” men only to be called a “faggot” by the “straight” man in the future.
People tend to construct life stories that make sense. The statement from the witness that I provided says, “It’s my understanding that she had the same experience and expressed to somebody else what happened and they in turn told her, well maybe this may have been this.” Presumably, she was talking about the father who called the police and labeled the incident as rape. It was probably easier to think his daughter was raped, rather than label his daughter as a “slut” or “promiscuous” (which are both sex-negative labels that I don’t use myself to describe people’s behavior).
Also, in terms of some other comments made about the OCF and others find it hard to believe someone would have sex with someone in a bathroom with some they just met: I believe the main point of bringing up the Oregon Country Fair was to provide a local cultural example that people that can connect to in terms of something that represents a broader range of sexual diversity. It is sometimes difficult for people who are committed to a monogamous sexual experience to also appreciate the full diversity of sexual experience that people (yes even women) appreciate and enjoy.
What a mess. Altman is conveniently out of town when this became public. He’s got some splainin’ to do & his job should be on the line. For the $12 million he makes (7 year contract), students should expect him to vet his players. Disgusted that the RG decided to publish sports ranking in the sexual assault article. Clearly, letting these players go to championship games came first. Kudos to the students for vowing to protest @ the Johnson Hall admin building every day till proper action is taken. Sexual Assault is not a game. Question: Are these players on full ride athletic scholarships? Because that would make it all the more aggravating.
Also did you read the RG story of the day? The guy they hired to review their Student Code policy, works at a college that is on the list of 55 colleges that are considered in violation. Several features of the UO student conduct code give accused students more control over the proceedings. The accused decides whether the case should be made in front of an administrator or in a hearing before a panel; the accused has the right to personally question the complainant; and the accused gets an attorney paid for by the Associated Students of the University of Oregon, but the accuser does not.
A complaint was filed over that incident, so federal law requires that the UO conduct its own investigation.
“A criminal investigation does not relieve a school of its independent obligation to conduct its own investigation — nor may a school wait for a criminal case to conclude to proceed,” according to a report released in late April by the White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault.
Students whose offenses are not prosecutable under criminal law because the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard is too hard for prosecutors to prove may still be held to account under the student conduct code with its lesser “preponderance of evidence” requirement for determining culpability.” RG 5/18
Wow! The code of conduct is stacked for the accused.
I’m glad a complaint was filed & I hope they take swift act action — including reviewing & redoing how THIS case was handled.
Here is a kicker– The U of O hired Allen Groves to do an independent review of the Student Code of Conduct….
Ironically Groves’ University of Virginia is on the list of 55 colleges and universities under investigation by the Office of Civil Rights for its handling of sexual misconduct, said Carol Stabile, UO Women and Gender Studies professor. Looks like the U of O is now scrambling to make sure they are compliant & don’t lose Federal Funding! It’s about money- so now they really care. http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/31544100-75/student-conduct-code-sexual-groves.html.csp
What you need is partnership between many organizations to respond to Title IX complaints. You need to have a group that meets regularly that consists of student support, student conduct, public safety, women’s center representative/s, student counseling, someone from off campus law enforcement, community partners, etc. This group needs to meet regularly to update and share information and discuss responses to complaints and to be proactive about spreading the message that sexual violence is unacceptable in your campus community.
This group allows common sense to reign as people talk about these issues and incidents. You don’t want just two or three people dealing with this. Your mantra should always be “Do the right thing and you never have to explain yourself.” It is not about PR or image, it is about doing the right thing. Pro-actively preventing sexual violence and assisting survivors of sexual violence should be your #1. Nothing else takes precedent…not PR, not basketball wins that years from now will be forgotten, not anything.
Our society has stood idly by while our young people, particularly our young men have been hyper sexualized in media and music. Too many of them come to high school and college with the attitude that women are objects and a playground. We are reaping the whirlwind and we have to get out in front of it.