Cornell case highlights 'draining' maze for victims to report campus sex assaults

Cornell case highlights 'draining' maze for victims to report campus sex assaults Typically, after a student reports an incident connected to campus, the university's Title IX bureau determines whether the alleged behavior could constitute a violation of policy. Eventually, some parties proceed to a hearing with a panel of committee members or other mediators to present evidence and arguments before the school reaches a decision. One of the biggest challenges sexual assault survivors face is navigating both the institutional process and the criminal justice system simultaneously. As Zoey Scheinblum‑Brewer, a policy coordinator at the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, explained, these systems “serve antithetic purposes, run nether antithetic rules and timelines, and pb to antithetic outcomes.” She added, “Unclear guidance astir the options disposable done these parallel processes tin make truthful overmuch disorder and uncertainty that immoderate students yet determine not to report.” Mary, a student who chose to speak publicly about her experience, said the process at her institution was not clear to her when she decided to report the assault. “For me, it would’ve been bully to cognize what I was getting into earlier it each happened. It felt similar they were learning the process alongside me,” she said of campus officials. While some colleges, including Cornell, have information‑sharing agreements with local police, Mary was told she had to go to law enforcement separately to file a report—a step she found physically exhausting. Mary’s lawyer said surveillance footage from the night showed her alleged rapist carrying her “slumped” over, and she possessed photographs of her bruises and wound marks. Nevertheless, police told Mary they lacked probable cause for an arrest, and the district attorney’s office indicated they preferred to leave the matter to campus administration. “I was near with this sensation that due to the fact that they knew the assemblage was ‘handling’ my investigation, they could hitch their hands cleanable of it,” she said. The local police department told the BBC it did not have details of this particular case, and the district attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment.