UPDATE ON INCIDENTS AT JOHN CARROLL [4 sexual assaults this year?]

http://www.jcu.edu/updateincident.htm ^ | PATRICK ROMBALSKI

[Diago]

UPDATE ON INCIDENTS AT JOHN CARROLL - December 2004

FROM PATRICK ROMBALSKI
VP Student Affairs

On Wednesday, December 1, I sent out an e-mail to the campus community to make everyone aware of our current investigation into sexual assaults on our campus. Since that time, I have received many concerned phone calls and e-mails from students, parents, alumni and alumnae, the media and the campus community at large, looking for clarification and more information about these sexual assaults.

The purpose of this letter is to clarify some of the information and to assure you that the university is aggressively pursuing both these cases and the more general problem of sexual assault and acquaintance rape of college students.

[Please note: In order to keep the lines of communication open, and the information current, I will be providing updates on progress into this investigation, via the web, so that all the parties listed above will have access to the most current facts. I believe that all who have written and inquired about these troubling, unacceptable and criminal behaviors on our campus, deserve a timely reply. As I have currently answered several hundred phone calls and e-mails, I will now try, through regular updates on the John Carroll home page, www.jcu.edu, to address the lion’s share of the questions in the most timely way possible. As new information about these sexual assaults becomes available, or is revealed through our continuing investigation or as students with information come forward, this letter of information will be updated in an appropriate manner.]

The Incidents at John Carroll
A total of four incidents have been reported in the last three months that involve some form of sexual misconduct. We have very limited information about one of these cases because the person involved has not agreed to discuss the incident with our Dean of Students. I can only tell you that the survivor is a John Carroll student, that the incident occurred off-campus, and that the accused is also a John Carroll student. At this time, this woman has not filed charges either with the University Heights Police Department (UHPD) or with our campus disciplinary system.

The other three incidents also involve John Carroll students. All of these incidents took place on campus and in the residence halls. The university did not become aware of these incidents until sometime after they occurred. The first of these incidents took place on September 3rd and involved non-consensual sexual conduct. The second incident took place on September 26th and involved the possibility of non-consensual sexual contact. The third incident occurred on November 2nd and involved non-consensual sexual conduct. In short, the first and third incidents involve the possibility of acquaintance rape and the second case does not; but all three involve sexual assaults. It is also important to note that all three men are known to the women.

I am concerned about all of these incidents but especially the most recent because a student may have used a controlled substance to impair the judgment of the woman. This same male is also accused of doing this in another incident, the incident where the woman has not spoken to the Dean of Students. Again, we have limited information about that case.

It is a personal decision whether to report a rape or sexual assault to police, but we are strongly encouraging the three young women who are the survivors of this crime to file charges. Our first concern is their safety and well-being. Secondly, we are committed to apprehending the assailants. A survivor may choose to pursue action through the campus disciplinary system or the University Heights Police Department. The Division of Student Affairs is available to help survivors seek Health Services, both on campus and through the hospital, and support and encourage them to seek counseling through the JCU Counseling Center or through off-campus resources.

Information about Acquaintance Rape
On college campuses across the country, acquaintance and date rape are more apt to occur than rape by strangers. National research on college women indicates as many as 20 percent of the female population may at some point be sexually coerced by acquaintances. While some students may not think of forced sexual relations as rape, such action constitutes a serious crime. John Carroll University reported two sex offenses in 2001, two in 2002, and one in 2003. Information about the crime statistics of all universities is available at www.ope.ed.gov/security/search.asp.

Town Hall Meeting
In order to address the issues and concerns that have arisen from these events, on Friday, December 3, 2004, the university conducted a town hall meeting in which approximately 400 students, faculty, staff and administrators attended to discuses the sexual assaults. During the meetings, the administration qualified what is currently known about the facts of the cases and explained that at this time, none of the survivors have filed a complaint. The meeting also dispelled rumors, in particular, the false information circulating about a serial rapist on campus, talked about the possible use of a controlled substance in two of the assaults, allowed individuals to vent their frustrations and discussed ways to prevent future attacks. The meeting was an extremely beneficial one.

It should be noted that the university made the decision not to allow media into this town meeting because we wanted all the attendees, in particular our students, to feel comfortable, safe and at ease discussing their opinions and feeling about these attacks.

With cameras and reporters in the room, that type of open and sometimes emotional discussion would not have been possible. As of Monday, December 7, John Carroll University has conducted over 15 interviews with numerous television and print media and will continue to be open and forthcoming with the media as new information becomes available. The university’s first obligation however, is to act in the best interest of our students and we believe the privacy of this first meeting was essential to create a climate for frank and sometimes emotional discussion. It should not be interpreted as an attempt at secrecy.

Follow Up
On Monday, December 6, John Carroll University students have organized a student lead meeting to continue the discussion we began on Friday. A report from that meeting will also be provided on the John Carroll home page.

We are all working for a resolution of this situation and struggling to come to terms with the substance and seriousness of this information. I hope that our Friday town meeting will be just the beginning of not only a dialogue, but actionable items for the short and long term. I plan to call together all interested constituents in the near future to begin pursuing solutions.

The university has distributed information to all on-campus residents and has made information available to all students regarding sexual assaults.

John Carroll University —  20700 North Park Blvd — University Heights, OH 44118 — Tel: 216.397.1886  — Admission: 216.397.4294

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[Diago]

Kinda of surprising coming from a Catholic college with this on its website:

http://www.jcu.edu/studentl/student%20activities/student%,p>

 

First Semester Recap:

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

Movie Night

Washington D.C. AIDS Walk

"The Queer Monologues"

The "Real" Girl Drag Show

Browns vs. Steelers Party

Second Semester Tentative Events:

Gay Film Fest

Day of Silence

Tunnel of Oppression

"The Queer Monologues: The Abridged Classroom Version"

The First National Gay and Lesbian Conference

for Jesuit Universities - at John Carroll

 

 

[ken5050]

OK..today's pop quiz: what's a four letter word for "nonconsensual sexual conduct"..(hint..it starts with an "R" and ends in an "E")

[Knock3Times]

This should be linked to your other JCU thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1295719/posts

[DBeers]

...acquaintance and date rape are more apt to occur than rape by strangers.

"Stranger rape" is less apt to occur with someone known to the individual...

[Travis McGee]

If it was rape, it would have been called rape. As it stands, I rather suspect "morning after regret" for drunken dorm sex. After, that is, the "womyn's studies" gang got to the young Miss. Er.... Ms.