The News Record 03.06.14

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VOL. CXXXVIII ISSUE XVVVX • FREE-ADDITIONAL COPIES $1

THE NEWS RECORD THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI’S INDEPENDENT, STUDENT-RUN NEWS ORGANIZATION / THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2014

WHEN SURVIVORS

ARE SILENCED “I was instantly filled with shame and embarrassment”

Sexual assault survivor finds strength through Reclaim response program, no longer feels silent bedroom with her leggings pulled down, the male student hovered over her, laughing. She had been drinking Editor’s note: To protect the identity of the sexual assault survivor, for hours, and could barely move, let alone have sex. her name has been changed to “I’m too drunk,” she said. “Magnolia.” Magnolia has blurred visions of Flask in hand, a student in her first some of her closest friends walking year of college mingled with a pack in and out of the room, staring in of similarly unfledged freshmen in bewilderment at the sight of the a residence hall at the University of assault. They thought the two were Cincinnati. The group had hyped up having sex, she said. the party for days in anticipation of “It was in front of a lot of people their best friend’s birthday. who came in and out of the room,” As she got ready for the night, she she said. “So, they thought, ‘God, slipped a red poncho on with black leggings and combat boots. Her eye- [she] must’ve wanted to do that.’” Magnolia woke up with a splitting liner was drawn neatly on her lids and her wispy blond hair fell over her headache and the overwhelming feeling that something wasn’t right. shoulders. In the days, weeks and months They drank cheap alcohol, the only that followed, she spent the next kind they could get their hands on several months staying in bed all as underage students. The thrill of day, experiencing night terrors, and taking shots and turning the stereo vomiting — all classic symptoms of up just a little bit louder escalated Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after as the students tried to mask their a sexual assault. drunkenness from the resident adviser down the hall. How she met her assaulter The weekend started out like any Magnolia immediately noticed the other for the tight-knit group; they male student at freshmen orientation. got drunk and bonded over new He was wearing the same striped friendships. But Magnolia’s college shirt from Pac Sun that she owned. experience changed drastically with They immediately struck up a the uttering of just one sentence. relationship, and spent much of the “Why can’t you move?” he said. first month of the semester together. Sprawled on the ground of a dorm KARA DRISCOLL | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CONTINUE READING ON PAGE 5

“Sexual assault will happen on college campuses, and it’s not OK to dictate how survivors go about reaching out for help.” CHIEF.NEWSRECORD@GMAIL.COM / 513.556.5908


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