Gang Rape on Campus
This past Sunday, at 3AM, in a dorm building diagonally across from my own, a girl was gang-raped in the bathroom by five different guys. One was a campus student, the rest were off-campus friends of his. The police (thanks most likely to the fact that all the guys DID check in with the RSR and their drivers liscences were put into the system as is mandated by campus security) have caught four of the boys, one is still on the run but is known to police and has obviously been banned from campus.
I found out about most of this through my roommate that night who found out from the person who does the Public Safety announcements in the campus paper--there was no alert sent out to the campus after it happened. Although I'm not entirely upset about this (although many many people are and angry thinking the campus was trying to cover it up), because had an alert been sent out, it would be even more humiliating for the girl who this happened to (since she probably would have been on the list and got the text reminding her she was just gang-raped). Plus, given how quickly it seemed the guys were caught and they were known thanks to the RSR on duty getting their IDs, there was really no need for everyone to know. It would probably have caused a panic across campus (like it already has). While I do think it is as terrible a crime as the shootings which we do get notifications of when they happen even off but near campus, I don't think it would be as likely for a bystander to be hurt by a gang rape as they would be a shooting (when we get the notifications of the shootings, we are told to stay indoors and if possible not go out until they notify us again later). Plus I do believe it was because the guys identities were known and the men caught so quickly that the notification was not needed until just yesterday. However, I can understand why people would get angry and upset about not being told. But I don't think it was a malicious intent by the college to cover-up. Perhaps to prevent panic, but not to cover it up.
And I do think that the university is still very safe. There was nothing that could be done really to prevent this. The doors to the rooms are slam lock, but this didn't happen in a dorm room. This happened in a bathroom. The guys DID check their ids in, and were accompanied by a university student, so they didn't sneak in. That last part is why they have been able to be caught so quickly. From what I understand, the girl's cell phone was taken from her so she couldn't call for help. The only thing that bothers me about how the university could be guilty in this sense is where the fuck was the RA when this was happening? Unfortunately, knowning what it is like dorming on a campus, screams and shouts aren't that uncommon--especially on a weekend, so I can understand why maybe the students of that floor wouldn't have gone to investigate what was going on. But the RA shouldn't have had that mindset, and should have gone to investigate. I don't know the exact details of what happened, but I'm guessing the RA was either told by the girl (or public safety after the girl maybe called), or the RA near the end of it came in, but the fact that the girl was gang raped by five men on that floor, the RA is the only one I'm really holding at fault as far as the campus goes (the people on the floor I'm not thinking too highly of either, but weekends can be crazy on campus and screams just aren't that uncommon--similar to how people react to a car alarm going off outside near their house, the first thought is not that a crime is being committed). I can't think of anything more the campus could have done in this situation.
Bear in mind I'm not lessening the severity of the crime at all. Rape is by far one of, if not the worst crime that could be committed against a person. And rape by multiple persons only adds to the humiliation and degradation of the act, and makes it all the more deplorable an act that could be done towards another human being. It is humiliating, disgusting, horrible and shows a complete lack of respect or even acknowledgement of the victim--and has a terrible effect on them long after the crime is over.
Unknown to me (because although I knew that a person had been gang-raped, I didn't know where) I ended up doing my shift that monday in the very building where the crime had occured. And during my shift, there was a girl who was moving out of a room with help from her friends. I can only guess, but it doesn't seem that unlikely that the two things aren't connected. But the girl was doing so with help from five or six other friends, and were thankfully left rather alone. I make a point of this because yesterday this was not the case on campus.
.
At the beginning of my shift on Monday, and last night, I was told on my work shifts to not let any media into the buildings. On Monday, this wasn't really an issue because there wasn't any really around. But yesterday... it was ridiuclous the amount of vans and cameras and news people were hanging around. From what I hear, there was even times where camera men asked students if they could walk in and out of buildings so the news would have stock fotage to show. Also, camera men when told they couldn't enter the dorm buildings, stuck the cameras up against the windows of the RSR booths to just tape the people inside.
Now, I do NOT often complain about news media lacking respect for people, but this made me rather disgusted. I mean, interviewing students about the act...it was against ONE PERSON and there wasn't much the campus could have done given the situation. What more to the story is there? Yes it is a horrible tragedy, but are cameras on campus and filming so many students really necessary? I mean, isn't there enough stock footage from the debate last year of students?
What is worse is the point of view some students I have heard have taken. I thought most people had more of a brain than to blame the victim--especially in a gang rape! To call in to question the validity of a rape when it is between two people who were dating or when there is alcohol involved between two people who met and were seen flirting at a bar is one thing, until you know the whole story yes there could be room for arguement because unfortunately some women do call rape when desperate or upset (which is even more disgusting in my opinion). It is still wrong to blame the vicitim then but there is I will admit more gray area. However, in a situation like this when it was five on one, in a GIRL'S BATHROOM, and they took her cell phone--my god it is pretty damn near impossible to not see it as the horrible and disgusting act that it is. But there are people still saying she was probably asking for it, or that she just is saying it was gang rape because she hates minorities or something like that (when I know for a fact, because as of yesterday there is a picture and name of what is probably the one guy yet to be arrested in each RSR booth and that guy is pretty white thank you). And of course, plenty of jokes about how pointless and stupid people think the crime of rape is (as in, it shouldn't be treated as harshly as it is). That the girl probably wanted it. That she was probably asking for it. Which is horrible and nauseating to hear.
Rape is an horrific crime on its own. Taking advantage of the most private parts of a person in an intimate way, it rips out a person's dignity along with the pain of the act itself. It isn't about sex either--it is simply about overpowering a person by attacking their most vunderable and personal parts.The sex is the weapon, not the goal. Emotionally, mentally, and physically this is a terrible crime to commit against another human being. And to faciliate it by allowing OTHER PEOPLE to watch and then take part in the act (and all five guys ARE being charged with faciliating a rape as well as the crime of rape, thankfully), that is just so much more degrading and I can only imagine how horrible that girl must have felt and continue to feel now...there is just no word to adequately describe how disgusting and humiliating and terrible a crime that is.
.
And anyone who finds it appropriate to openly theorize the girl deserved it or she's saying it only because she hates minorities or some stupid shit like that derserves to be charged with something too and I only hope that the poor girl hasn't heard any of that crap. She's already a victim as is. She doesn't deserve to be the subject of stupid comments too.