A student's story of being gang-raped at a 2012 fraternity party at the University of Virginia, recounted in detail in an article in Rolling Stone last week, has shaken the university and prompted renewed debate over campus culture, the fraternity system and U.Va.'s response to allegations of sexual assault.
The article is not the first report of rape at a Virginia fraternity, or the first instance of a woman coming forth to talk about feeling that the institution did not respond adequately to a rape allegation. And similar reports have been made, of course, about many other universities. But theRolling Stone article -- perhaps because of the detail both about the assault and the way the victim felt deserted by the university and many of her classmates -- has had a major impact.
In the five days since the article appeared, the campus has seen multiple protests, vandalism of the fraternity named in the article, statements from multiple campus and political leaders, the scheduling of a board meeting to discuss sexual violence at the university, and the suspension of all fraternities until Jan. 9. Further, more women have come forward to say they were raped at the university. The article has set off intense scrutiny of whether university leaders are doing enough.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/11/24/fallout-u-virginia-after-article-gang-rape-fraternity