From Jennifer Freyd’s Op-Ed in the RG today on the basketball rape allegations, “UO can move beyond institutional betrayal”. Read it all here. A snippet:
What have sexual assault survivors and their allies learned at the UO this year?
From the counterclaim in the lawsuit — which was later withdrawn under the pressure of students, professors and others — survivors and allies have learned what happens if one brings a complaint forward and tries to exercise one’s Title IX civil rights. It is called “shaming and blaming.”
From the improper disclosure of the therapy records of a survivor, we have all learned what might happen should we talk to a therapist.
From the statement that the counseling center’s policy was not changed, and then that the policy is not a policy, we have learned truth is not important. Yet as an institution of higher education, truth is everything.
From the retaliation that appears to have occurred toward employees who stand up for students, employees have learned to keep their mouths shut and students may have learned they are not important.
From the neglect of crucial recommendations by the Senate Task Force — and from the recent announcement that the university will be hiring a Title IX coordinator who will be paid less than a new expert in public relations, also just advertised, we have learned — well, I will let you finish my sentence.
I realize that what I said may sound bleak. However, there is hope if our allies, inside and outside our institutions, work together to make changes. Apathy can be replaced with empathy and caring. Victims can become survivors. Truth-telling can replace public relations. And our hard-working administrators can move away from institutional betrayal.
The timeline of earlier events and links is here.
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