A sexual assault survivor alleged that Harvard University administrators discouraged her from pressing charges and forced her to continue living in close quarters with her attacker in an anonymous essay published Monday in the Harvard Crimson.
The student first describes the incident:
The student then writes that she was discouraged from seeking charges against her alleged attacker because her assault didn’t fit the narrow language of Harvard’s student handbook.
The article has already been widely shared in the Harvard community and beyond as an example of yet another sexual assault that has been allegedly mishandled by campus authorities. The White House recently announced a task force to end sexual assault on campuses, as other top universities such as Dartmouth, Wesleyan and Amherst are also struggling to address a growing demand for administrative action to protect sexual assault victims.
Grace Mahoney, a Harvard student in the class of 2014 who works with Harvard’s CAARE program (Consent, Assault Awareness and Relationship Experts) placed the blame on Harvard’s campus culture. “There’s a lot in the culture that’s very male-dominant,” she said, adding that tough academic standards pressure students to put on a brave face. “There’s definitely a culture of braving it and just toughing it out and everything’s fine,” she said. “And sexual assault comes part and parcel with that.”
Numerous calls made by TIME to multiple Harvard resident deans were not returned.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How the Electoral College Actually Works
- Your Vote Is Safe
- Mel Robbins Will Make You Do It
- Why Vinegar Is So Good for You
- The Surprising Health Benefits of Pain
- You Don’t Have to Dread the End of Daylight Saving
- The 20 Best Halloween TV Episodes of All Time
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Write to Charlotte Alter at charlotte.alter@time.com