Choosing between a months-long investigation and informal resolution, sexual assault survivors face a dilemma

By Paige Cromley

Head Features Editor

Content warning: The following article contains graphic descriptions of sexual assault.

If you or a friend have experienced sexual misconduct and are in need of assistance, Princeton has a number of resources that may be of use. You can also reach SHARE, Princeton’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Advising, Resources and Education service at 609-258-3310. All student names in this piece have been changed to protect their privacy.

In the fall of 2021, Beth, an undergraduate, woke up in her dorm room, knowing something was deeply wrong. “I woke up with this feeling of complete worthlessness,” Beth recalled. She went to the bathroom, where she discovered she was bleeding.

“I knew then that I had engaged in sexual activity the

ON CAMPUS night before,” she said. She stood shaking in the shower for over half an hour.

There had been multiple parties, a night of dancing and drinking before everyone went home for fall break. Beth had blacked out, and the next morning, she couldn’t remember significant parts of what had happened.

Some memories came back throughout the day. She remembers the man she went home with taking off a condom without her permission, and later on beginning to engage in a form of sex she didn’t consent to. Most of the night remained obscure to her. She felt physical discomfort, “a ripping feeling,” over the next few days.

It wasn’t until talking to a close friend that Beth was able to identify what had happened to her as sexual assault. A rep-

See TITLE IX page 12