Thursday, April 24, 2014
THE DAILY ILLINI
WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
Vol. 143 Issue 113 | Free
· A Double-Edged Sword: Jennifer’s Story ·
A DOUBLE-EDGED
SW O R D Editor’s note: This is the final part of a three-part series on sexual assault on campus. The stories in this series contain graphic descriptions by real University students whose names have been changed to protect their identities. BY BRITTNEY NADLER STAFF WRITER
D
espite being warned by her brother, Jennifer met up with a guy two years older than her. He had a reputation as a jock whose friend circle included “the douchebags.” “My brother didn’t like him, but he’s really cute, so of course I hung out with him,” she said. They started to mess around in his car, and he wanted to go further — further than Jennifer wanted. “He held me down, and I couldn’t really move, and I was in shock,” she said. He took her virginity. She put her feet on his chest, shoved him to the other side of the car and yelled at him to drive her home. When she got there, she got out of his car, crying hysterically, as she sat on her front stoop. “I didn’t want to go inside and face my family, and I was bleeding a lot, and I didn’t know what to do or what to tell my mom because she did my laundry,” she said. “It was probably the worst night of my life.” Jennifer stayed in for the next few weeks but got bombarded with harassing texts from him, one of which read, “You got blood on my shorts, you have to pay for it.” She lied to her mom about what happened, saying he went further than she wanted and caused her to bleed, but she never said she was raped.
Sexual assault a nongendered crime Rick Stejskal, FYCARE instructor and graduate student, works at the Women’s Resources Center because he was sexually assaulted during his childhood. Someday, he wants to be a victim specialist for the FBI in human trafficking. “A lot of people don’t realize that there are male victims of sexual assault, and that’s really important because people teach that it’s a nongendered crime,” he said. “A lot of people ask me, ‘Well, how are you comfortable with saying that so easily? That you were sexually assaulted?’ And it’s just because I don’t let that define me.” Only two of the 35 sexual assault reports in the last three years regard men as survivors. In some cases, men are sexually assaulted but do not identify it as an assault, although they will display the same side effects that a female would after being assaulted, Stejskal said. FYCARE coordinators have taken strides to make the workshop more gender inclusive for men, women and those who don’t identify with either gender, said Molly McLay, assistant director of the Women’s Resources Center.
News 3A
Jennifer’s assault took place the summer before she came to college, so knowing she would soon be far away from him helped, as did meeting better guys. She never reported her assault and does not regret her decision. She said there
are many privacy issues that come with reporting an attack, and she doesn’t think women feel comfortable coming forward, especially when police may turn to victim-blaming. “Part of my reason for not reporting was I didn’t want
When the police are notified that someone has been sexually assaulted, there are three options: the assault can be reported, investigated and followed through for prosecution; the assault can be solely documented for possible future use; or if the assault was reported by someone other than the victim, the victim can choose not to talk to police at all. The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, or Clery Act, is a federal mandate requiring all colleges and universities that participate in the federal student financial aid program to disclose crime information on campus and in surrounding communities. The Clery Act requires that all known assaults be included in the Annual Security Report crime statistics whether or not the victim wants to move forward with the investigation, said Lt. Tony Brown of the support services bureau of the University police department. If a survivor does not want to make a police report, Un iversi ty police complete
people to think I was lying,” Jennifer said. “It is something you think will never happen to you or anyone you know, especially when the perpetrator is someone all of your friends know, so hiding it seemed like the best option.”
a Campus Security Authority report, and the assault is included in the statistics found in the Annual Security Report. On campus, there are close to 1,000 identified Campus Security Authorities, or CSA, who can contribute to the Clery Act even if there is no investigation, Brown said. A CSA is a campus police officer, security official or other official with student responsibility. CSAs are provided with information to determine if and when a crime should be reported to the security report and are required to complete formal training. According to the, the reason behind incorporating CSAs is that students may be more inclined to report crime to nonlaw enforcement personnel. Although Title IX is often associated with equality in sports, the law is very broad, saying schools cannot discriminate based on gender. Title IX is a “comprehensive federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity,” according to the Department of Justice.
A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD continues on Page 3A
Opinions 4A
Campus resources Women’s Resources Center: 217-333-3137 Rape Advocacy, Counseling, and Education Services Rape Crisis 24Hour Hotline: 217-384-4444 McKinley Health Center: 217-333-2700 University Police Department: 217-333-1216 (non-emergencies) Emergency Dean: 217-333-0050 Office of Women’s Programs: 217-333-3137 University of Illinois Counseling Center: 217-333-3704 Carle Foundation Hospital: 217-383-3311 Presence Covenant Medical: 217-337-2000
Sexual Assault Awareness Month events April 24 Q Sex Out Loud Fair at Illini Union Room A at 9 a.m. Q ROTC SHARP Training featuring Catharsis Productions’ The Hook-Up at the Beckmann Institute Auditorium at 4 p.m. Q Women on the Move: Yoga for Healing (women only) at the Women’s Resources Center at 5:30 p.m. Q Take Back the Night beginning on Main Quad at 6:30 p.m. and ending at the Urbana Courthouse. *For event listings throughout the rest of the month, visit oiir.illinois.edu and click the event calendar. SOURCE: WOMEN’S RESOURCES CENTER
Life & Culture 6A
Sports 1B