NYU Grapples with Question of Rape On Campus

By Tyler Bray

When Rolling Stone first released their story on the alleged fraternity gang-rape at the University of Virginia, a shockwave of awareness and repercussion was felt throughout the country’s universities — fraternities suspended, federal investigation launched, and a national debate undergone on the subject of sexual safety throughout our nation’s colleges.

That conversation has taken a sharp turn after Rolling Stone announced last Friday that their story “A Rape on Campus” contained serious discrepancies, citing a “mistrust” in the story’s victim, Jackie, and their own error for not questioning the alleged perpetrators.

An NPR segment stated that the common sentiment among students at UVA this week is one of frustration — that is, frustration over the hate the school’s student body has received as a result of the potentially false-accusations made against the university’s fraternities.

Advocates of sexual safety often cite apathy as the biggest problem when fighting a campus culture that victimizes women. Students don’t want to recognize the scope of the issue, which is particularly true for NYU and other schools that lack clear, identifiable bodies to unite under a cause.

But some believe the heightening awareness of the UVA case all together, regardless of the negative press, will still raise the voice of the issue and in turn, decrease overall apathy.

Take the University of Virginia administration for example. UVA president Teresa Sullivan and her staff remain committed to changing the culture of on campus sexual relations, starting first with the issue of underage drinking, and then working toward reforming the school’s Greek life — which has been the largest target of scrutiny in the initial outrage.

The perception of fraternities as breeding grounds and hotbeds for sexual misconduct remains popular.

Josy Jablons, founder and president of Students for Sexual Respect at NYU, understands that while rape culture is not exclusive to any particular part of campus, it is especially prevalent in Greek life.

“My knowledge of fraternities would certainly reaffirm the association of fraternities with gender-based violence” Jablons said, noting recent scandals from the Georgia Tech “Luring your rapebait” email, to the Wesleyan “Rape Factory” incident.

She did stress, however, that it would be unfair to point fingers at NYU fraternities, given their rather minimal role at our university.

In response to news of the Rolling Stone piece, Mike Diesu, President of NYU’s Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) chapter and President elect of the NYU Interfraternity Council, was very understanding and respectful to all involved parties.

“On one hand, I am glad to see that Rolling Stone maintained its professional integrity and retracted an article that had some questionable pieces of evidence. But I won’t sit here, play dumb, and pretend that this woman made the entire narrative up. With that being said, to profile of millions of fraternity men on a small sample size of events is not justified.”

Diesu pointed to the positive effects Greek life brings to NYU in particular, in that it helps foster a community in an environment that most often isolates students. Fraternities at NYU also recently helped raise over $250,000 in support of childhood cancer through its Dance Marathon.

NYU campus crime statistics would suggest that sexual misconduct is not an overwhelmingly pressing issue on campus, reporting just nine sexual offenses in the 2013–14 school year.

However, it is important to recognize that NYU faces unique challenges when handling sexual misconduct — ones that may not be reflected in the on campus crime statistics. Being “in and of the city” creates a scenario in which sexual assault cases most likely do not involve two students, effectively relieving the university of the burden.

Still, NYU has avoided any outside attention for its handling of on campus sex crimes, which the university would likely suggest, is an assured reflection of their outstanding policy.

Changing the Conversation

So what does the retraction of the Rolling Stone article mean for the conversation of sexual advocacy at American Universities?

Many advocates worry that the story of Jackie will be used in the future to create doubt in other cases in which rape survivors come forward. Jablons sees the retraction of the article as being especially dangerous for victims, as it will only “reinforce fears of not being believed, of being blamed, and of self-doubt.”

This impact would be a tragic irony for Rolling Stone’s Sabrina Rubin Erdely, who authored the article with the intent of shedding to light a vicious, cultural reality for victimized, female undergrads.

On the other hand, defenders of the UVA fraternity believe that Jackie’s story should serve as a cautionary tale for those campus administrators who conduct reviews of alleged sexual assault cases, making incumbent the pay more attention to the alleged perpetrator’s story and inherently question the victim.

This would prove Rolling Stone’s irresponsible reporting to only perpetuate and enable the cause of victim-blaming.

However, we must not lose sight of the issue at hand, Jablons argues.

“I think it is crucial that this does not distract people from the campus rape epidemic, which is very, very real.”

Students for Sexual Respect at NYU is a student-driven organization that promotes discourse about sexual respect and gender-based violence within the NYU community. They are a platform both for advocates and survivors, and we work to ensure that the university maintains prevention programs, crisis services, and disciplinary procedures in compliance with Title IX, the Clery Act, and the Campus SaVE Act.

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