I N D I A N A D A I LY S T U D E N T | T U E S D AY, D E C . 9 , 2 0 1 4 | I D S N E W S . C O M
SEXUAL ASSAULT AT IU IDS INVESTIGATES
IDS PHOTOS BY TAE-GYUN KIM | IDS
Lyndsay Jones, 22, stands in front of the Pourhouse Cafe, located on Kirkwood Avenue, where she occasionally hangs out with her friends. About a year ago, Lyndsay reported being sexually assaulted to the Office of Student Ethics and participated in a hearing in the hopes of holding her alleged rapist accountable.
‘I am not afraid to tell my story’ When Lyndsay Jones reported she was raped, she turned to IU for justice. But cases like hers aren’t that simple. By Lyndsay Jones jonesly@indiana.edu
Fairness. Dignity. Integrity. I stared at the words printed on the wall in front of me. I was in the hearing room in the Office of Student Ethics. To my left sat the first friend I’d made since moving to Bloomington that fall — the man who, several weeks after I met him, raped me. This hearing would determine whether IU would hold him responsible. I wanted him suspended or expelled. We sat at the same table but were separated by a divider that prevented us from seeing each other. Three panelists who would decide the case sat across from us. He was there to make the case that the sex between us was consensual. I was there because it wasn’t. I read my statement. “I am here because I was involved in sexual activity against my will. I am here because I have been greatly wronged, and I live with the consequences of that every day. But I should not be the only one burdened with the consequences of such actions.” I looked across the table at the panelists and searched their faces for understanding. But the room was silent, and I saw nothing. * * * Above all else, I am a writer. So when trying to make sense of what happened, I turned to what I knew best. When I started writing this
piece eight months ago, I was a reporter at the Indiana Daily Student. This fall semester, I took a break from school and plan to return in January. I knew it would be difficult to share my name, and at first I was reluctant to be photographed, but it’s worth it. By going public, I can give depth and credibility to an issue usually shrouded in anonymity. I am not afraid to tell my story. I have nothing to hide. My first few weeks at IU, in early fall 2013, were a blur of loneliness. I met the man two weeks into the semester at a call-out meeting for a campus group. Like me, he was a transfer student. He was 25. I was 21. We shared a sarcastic sense of humor. I welcomed his company. The suddenness of our friendship made me question what had started. He was flirtatious at times, but I reminded him I had a longdistance boyfriend. I wasn’t looking for anything — or anyone — else. I texted him one night to ask about his intentions. “My goal,” he said, “is not to fuck you.” A month or so after meeting him, I went to his apartment. It was a Sunday night after work, and he had asked me to come over. He wasn’t doing much, he said, just homework and watching “The Walking Dead.” I was already at home. I had just showered and put on a tank top and my monkey-print pajama pants for the night. But I wanted company, so I drove over. I didn’t change my clothes because we
were just going to hang out. So we sat on his couch talking — about everything and nothing, how my job as a delivery driver was horrible, how stupid his assignments were in one of his classes. Then he changed the subject. “You like it when people cut the bullshit and get to the point, don’t you?” I laughed. “Yeah,” I said. He said it again. “When people cut the bullshit and get to the point.” The smile I’d been wearing glazed. He stood up and leaned over me as he put his hands on either side of the couch. His arms walled me in. Suddenly he kissed me. “What are you doing?” I asked. He looked at me. “You knew if you came here, this would happen,” he said. He looked supremely confident. He asked me to make out with him a little more. His week, he said, had been stressful, and he needed it. That was all I would have to do. “OK.” I didn’t want to, but I supposed I could — if it would get me out of there. Besides, he had told me before that he had anger issues as a young adult. I didn’t want to upset him. “Go to the bedroom,” he said. This change of scenery seemed excessive for people who were “just going to make out for a few minutes.” But I trusted him, so I went and he followed. SEE LYNDSAY, PAGE 5
Amid a federal review of IU’s handling of sexual assault, Lyndsay’s account raises questions about University procedures By Carolyn Crowcroft
Limits of the law, page 7
ccrowcro@indiana.edu | @carol_crowcroft
Restrictive record policies meant to protect student privacy cost some sexual assault survivors closure.
Lyndsay Jones’ first-person account is striking because of her willingness to share her story on the record with her name and photo. By talking openly about a subject that is normally cloaked in anonymity, she shines a light on difficult issues of sexual assault that are common across college campuses. Midway through her first semester on the Bloomington campus, she trusted a male friend — another student — who she says raped her in his apartment. After reporting the incident to the Bloomington Police Department, Lyndsay became so disillusioned with the attitude of the officers and detectives that she withdrew her complaint. When Lyndsay reported the sexual assault to the Office of Student Ethics, she wanted justice, she said. She was devastated when the hearing panel reached a decision of no finding, choosing not to discipline her alleged perpetrator. The man Lyndsay accuses of raping her is still an undergraduate student at IU. The issues raised by Lyndsay’s account are especially relevant now, when the U.S. Department of Education is investigating IU for its handling of sexual assault complaints. How is consent defined, by the University and by students? How qualified are the staff members who sit in judgment on these cases? How fair are IU’s ethics hearings and
investigations, both to the accuser and the accused? Can the University provide the justice that Lyndsay and others seek? The questions at the heart of Lyndsay’s account cannot be ignored. * * * It is an especially important time to analyze the way IU handles sexual assaults. In May 2014, IU was revealed as one of more than 50 schools under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for possible violations of Title IX, a federal law that in part dictates how universities should handle sexual misconduct complaints. Emily Springston, chief student welfare and Title IX officer, said IU was chosen randomly for the review, and there was not a specific complaint that led to the investigation. “My guess would be they’re trying to do a good cross section of different types of schools,” Springston said. However, a spokesperson from the U.S. Department of Education said these reviews are not random. While he did not share what specifically led to IU’s review, a spokesSEE SEXUAL ASSAULT, PAGE 5
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Dunnkirk to feature IU set to play in Jimmy V Classic ‘Game of Thrones’ DJ By Sam Beishuizen
sbeishui@indiana.edu | @Sam_Beishuizen
From IDS reports
Actor Kristian Nairn, who plays Hodor in the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones,” will be DJ-ing Tuesday at Kilroy’s Dunnkirk. After completing season four of the show, Nairn set out on his “Rave of Thrones” tour in Australia and across the United States. Nairn’s character, Hodor, will not appear in season five of the show to allow other story lines to catch up to Bran and Hodor’s. With the extra time off, Nairn decided to take his year off to travel the world and continue DJing, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Nairn has worked as a DJ in Northern Ireland for the past 11
years. He doesn’t identify with a single genre of electronic dance music, but plays mostly house music, according to Rolling Stone. Nairn’s music is available to stream on soundcloud.com/kristiannairn. Tickets for the show at Dunnkirk are no longer available online, but some tickets may still be available at the doors before the performance. Attendees are encouraged to dress in “Game of Thrones” costumes and other attire. After Bloomington, Nairn continues his tour Wednesday in St. Louis, Thursday in Cleveland, Friday in Nashville and Saturday in Orlando. Alison Graham
IU lacks size in the post. That much is known. The frontcourt is inexperienced. That too, has been concluded. But the Hoosiers haven’t dwelled on it. They’ve, instead, opted to embrace playing a small-ball lineup consisting mostly of four wing players and one relatively undersized big man. Questions surrounding IU’s post play and depth have been looming. The concerns grew louder after allowing 138 points in the paint over a three-game stretch, highlighted by an 88-86 SEE BASKETBALL, PAGE 6
BEN MIKESELL | IDS
Junior forward Hanner Mosquera-Perea fights for position to rebound a free throw during IU’s game against Savannah State on Saturday at Assembly Hall.