Dive Brief:
- Police investigating an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia, described in a Rolling Stone article from November, found no evidence it could have happened as laid out in the article.
- The Chronicle of Higher Education reports the case has been suspended, though not closed, for lack of evidence about the rape and the fraternity party during which it reportedly happened.
- The Charlottesville police chief urged campus officials to clearly advise students about their options in cases of alleged rape and to stress the importance of acting quickly to preserve evidence for an investigation, according to the Chronicle.
Dive Insight:
The Rolling Stone article, now thoroughly discredited, rocked the University of Virginia campus in November and sent waves through communities nationwide during an academic year particularly full of activism around sexual assault policies on campuses. Media investigations into the allegations that found them largely false sent a chill through the movement supporting victims of sexual assault and gave ammunition to those arguing against more stringent handling of such accusations.
Even though the gang rape described by Rolling Stone does not seem to have happened as it was reported, the damage to UVA’s reputation, as well as the fraternity in question, may be permanent. The fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi, is exploring its legal options in response to the police investigation’s findings. In the meantime, students considering whether to report their own sexual assaults may be more hesitant as increased scrutiny of such accusations certainly followed the UVA case.