Dive Brief:
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The viral conversation around the anonymous tweets from @RapedatSpelman earlier this month again directed the nation’s attention to the issue of sexual assault on campus — and universities’ shortcomings in handling reports.
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The student tweeted that after reporting the rape, she was encouraged by administrators to “give [the perpetrators] a pass.”
- She criticized the president for being complicit in the rapes by remaining publicly silent on the issue and blasted institutions for making reporting and investigations processes onerous for the students.
Dive Insight:
This is not the first time students have taken to Twitter, behind hashtags or public handles, to protest universities’ mishandling of rape cases. Many victims are dissuaded from reporting because they feel nothing will be done and they will be publicly shamed. Investigations processes that re-victimize and put the burden on survivors abound, however, to keep numbers low in federal databases.
Students now have public platforms on which to share their stories and force an institutional response. In the broader conversation about increasing student protests, institutions must be cognizant of the role social media is playing in student expression. Twitter has been used as a forum on which students protest everything from the physical conditions of facilities to the inefficiencies of administrative and support staff to racial injustice on campus and sexual assault. Institutions hoping to sweep incidents under the rug will find it increasingly difficult to do so.