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The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

Dear SLU, your silence continues

SLU, something is still very wrong. Stop your ignorance of it already. You sit quietly, again, and do nothing while more details are given to us from the Riverfront Times about the alleged rape case. I am extremely disappointed in you, SLU.

I am upset at your inability to trust us with the truth or which parts of the story you can tell.  If you will not talk, then we will. I am angered by your decision to reduce Reed and Mitchell’s sentences to only one semester. But what I find more interesting is the return date.

They are allowed to come back in January, but clearly from the date that they were asked to leave campus to the point in which they are allowed return does not count for the full duration of a semester.

I wonder if the basketball schedule had something to do with this— but I guess I’ll never know that either because to you, silence is bliss. Why don’t you back up your faculty and staff on the Conduct Board that found a year sufficient?

My second disgrace is the Free Willie group. As a few weeks back the paper had a letter to the editor that echoed the need to surround our fellow Billiken who was the victim instead of upholding the suspects. Do you really want to uphold someone who said he was hoping on “ ‘pulling a train’ on the victim… without her knowledge or consent.” Really? Is that what we endorse SLU?

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SLU I love you and will love you, but I don’t know why you don’t get the message. So I know I can’t change the punishment or what happened, but you can. What are you going to do differently SLU? How are you going to prevent this from happening again? When will you protect the victim as much as you protect your sports team members?

SLU administrators I am calling on you to for once lead by example. Lead by the tradition you claim is so alive here. So far I’ve watched the tradition lived out by the faculty and staff, but through your decisions you show that the mission is just talk.

Be an advocate for social justice, and don’t just use it as a selling point on commercials to increase enrollment. Uphold the dignity of your students. Treat us like the educated adults you wish us to be. SLU it’s our turn to dish out the assignments. So you’re assignment over break SLU is to take a deep long look at yourself, and figure out who you really are, because we, the students, faculty, and staff, would really like to know.

Take the break to search deep down, and expect us to ask when we return as to what you decide.  We would really like to know if the Jesuit mission that is so alive here is a simple a marketing tool or a way to live life, because at this point it only looks as a marketing tool to me.

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Comments (11)

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  • T

    Thomas BloomDec 2, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    We can go back and forth all day speculating about this case. Instead, we should be using this as an opportunity to begin a dialogue about the epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses. 20-25% of women experience rape or attempted rape at some point in their college career. Lets talk about how despite this, only a handful of sexual assaults are actually reported at SLU. Let’s talk about how “43% of college-aged men conceded to using coercive behavior to have sex (including ignoring a woman’s protest, using physical aggression, and forcing intercourse) but did not admit that it was rape.” (American Academy of Pediatrics 1994) When this statistic is so high, why do we spend so much time with victim-blaming? Why is “was she drinking?” always the first question asked in incidents like these? What has SLU done to make sure that sexual assault doesn’t happen on campus, and to make sure that when it does happen to someone, they feel safe reporting it?

    It’s a tragedy that it takes the suspension of star athletes for people to actually talk about the issue of sexual assault. We need to stop pretending that this isn’t happening, and start addressing the very serious reality that we live in a rape culture.

    Reply
  • S

    slu0913Nov 29, 2010 at 6:55 pm

    @billikenfortruth ok lets look at the police report. all 4 guys say it was consensual. you aren’t using an open mind. you’re choosing one side to believe when both sides are in the police report.

    Reply
  • B

    BillikenforTruthNov 20, 2010 at 6:33 pm

    Let’s make something perfectly clear. Let’s look directly at the police report and RFT Article.

    “She made it clear to police that this was “a mutual act,” but what happened next, she claimed, was not.

    Mitchell “removed the victim’s pants and underwear,” and told her that “everything was alright,” the woman reported. She “did not physically resist,” but told police that “she remembers thinking that she wanted to be anywhere else than in that bedroom…she had verbally expressed that she did not want to go any further than kissing however she now found herself naked in the bed” with him.

    Mitchell “produced” a condom, which he “asked the victim to help him put it all the way on.” The woman told detectives that “she did not want to have sex…however she felt powerless to stop the act.” She said she “wished only for this incident to be over,” so she helped Mitchell put on the condom.”

    Clearly putting on the condom does not = consensual. Feeling powerless and in possible shock at what was going on led the victim to do nothing else but comply out of fear. Consensual is doing something you both agree on, which the victim made clear in the report that it was not something she agreed on, and with no idea of how to get out and a smooth talking male on top of her physically what else would she do? I empathize with her, and feel sorry you feel that way.

    Reply
  • S

    slu0913Nov 20, 2010 at 3:20 pm

    when is the other side of the story gonna get some news in the unews? the unews is supposed to report both sides.

    Reply
  • R

    respectful_disagreementNov 18, 2010 at 8:49 pm

    I did not type the emoticon. It was the number eight followed by a parenthesis whiched displayed as an emoticon.

    Reply
  • R

    respectful_disagreementNov 18, 2010 at 8:48 pm

    I have some questions:
    1) Was one side allowed a lawyer while the other was not?
    2) Was one side’s parents allowed to attend the hearing while the other was not?
    3) Was there a disproportionate percentage of members of one gender on the jury?
    4) Was race, gender, or socioeconomic status a factor in the decision?
    5) Was one side’s financial connections as important as the other’s athletic abilities?
    6) Does social justice not include respecting the rights of the accused as well as the rights of the accuser?
    7) Has higher education not taught us to withhold unilateral opinions and rash decisions until knowledge of the facts?
    8) Have the author and commenters read the entirety of the RFT article and not simply taken shocking titles at face value?
    9) Does anyone other than 5 people know what really happened?
    10) Does 4 drinks over 4 hours make a woman intoxicated?
    11) Why would friends let a girl go home with a guy she barely knew if she was intoxicated?
    12) Was a weapon, threat, or physical intimidation ever mentioned?
    13) If she left without incident after man #2, then could she not have left without incident after man #1 or before man #1?

    Not trying to start a fight. Just presenting questions not discussed in the letter. Feel free to disagree. That’s what’s so great about America.

    Reply
  • S

    SLUBillisNov 18, 2010 at 7:26 pm

    I understand your stance as a feminist and holy than though person, but perhaps you should review all information before ranting. Perhaps she should not have been kissing and teasing the player on the walk home from the bar, perhaps she should have not entered the apartment. The boys did not show they have the best morals, but did they do anything illegal?? No!!!!. SLU gave a harsher punishment than they needed. If they want to start kicking out all people that have sex in dorms/U housing half the students will be gone. I’m sure not everyone is as morally upstanding as you, but to ruin their lives for a poor decision is insane. Keep in mind the girl involved made poor decisions too. Perhaps your Jesuit education forgot to teach you about forgiveness. The boys have been punished, now let them get on with their lives.

    Reply
  • C

    casualobserverNov 18, 2010 at 6:53 pm

    I feel that only one side of the story has been represented. On the news, in the newspaper, only one side has gotten to say what they want to say. I am just a “casualobserver” who is going to play devils advocate. If you actually read the police report… there doesn’t seem to point to anything actually illegal (however, some of the stuff was completely disgusting). To say “pull a train” on someone w/o consent is clearly wrong.. but you cannot be punished for something that didn’t happen. I know that sounds terrible for me to say but you have to admit… its true. SLU got caught between a rock and a hard place in this situation… IF IT WAS ACTUAL SEXUAL ASSUALT THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN EXPELLED…. and if it was proven I would totally support their decision. But they didn’t expel them… SO why is the word rape still being tossed around? These young men made some poor choices that evening, but the two that are suspended did nothing illegal. the police report says so… once again i am just an observer bring up a different point of the story,.. also i heard you deleted someone elses post earlier… way to rep free speech

    Reply
  • T

    T.I.Nov 18, 2010 at 6:49 pm

    Hmmm…this whole article is a piece. The girl helped put the condom on! If that’s not consent, I don’t know what is.

    Reply
  • S

    SLUnesta RapperNov 18, 2010 at 6:30 pm

    Think long and hard SLU. Take a look at the well being of your students and not the well being of your bank account. But if you are taking a look at your bank account, how about looking into whether we can afford to have all RAs and Public Safety Officers Trained on Sexual Assault and how to properly respond. I feel as though this may be a better investment than a scholarship for athletes who plans to “pull a train” on another SLU student. I thought “We Are All Billikens.” I guess we are when it comes to tuition but not when it comes to our safety and awareness.

    Reply
  • B

    billikenfan05Nov 18, 2010 at 5:16 pm

    What is your point on the semester suspension? Do you expect them to come back mid semester?? That can’t be done. Besides the fact that they aren’t allowed to even play until the next semester begins.
    Second I can’t believe you hang your hat on them plotting to “pull a train”. I guarantee that most men at SLU have talked about running trains on girls. The facts are in the police report if you even took the time to read it. The facts point to neither Mitchell or Reed committing criminal acts. Maybe you should study up on the laws of our great country. I’m sure you’ve done some things in your life that the University would look at as immoral. Since nothing in the police report says that Mitchell and Reed did anything criminal I’m glad we have Superman Bretton DeLaria to tell us what is right or wrong, legal or illegal, moral or immoral.

    Reply