ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, December 26, 1995 TAG: 9512270016
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JUDY CASTEEL
EVENTS OF the past few months have left questions in the hearts of many about the prevalence of sexual assault at Virginia Tech, about the campus judicial board's ability to deal with issues of that nature and about the university's response to the accusations of Christy Brzonkala against Tech football player Tony Morrison.
These concerns are certainly valid and need to be addressed, but the bigger question at hand is: "What can we do to address the issue of sexual assault"?
At least in my mind, the answer is relatively simple. In order to make a difference in this battle against sexual assault, we must change the climate for victims of rape. We must believe and support victims, and we must improve our methods of response.
Believe ... what does this mean? Is everyone who "cries rape" telling the truth?
A common myth in our society is that after a bad night with a lover or as revenge for being dumped or because she regrets having sex, a woman is likely to "cry rape". It's time to shake that notion from our psyches. The facts simply do not support this myth. According to the FBI, "less than 2 percent of reported rapes are false, the same as any other violent crime".
Why do we believe differently? Perhaps one reason is that it makes us feel safer. If we can believe that rape victims are responsible for their own victimization, then we may believe we have the power to protect ourselves.
As in, "if I never (insert high-risk behavior of your choice), then I won't be raped." Wake up! The perpetrators are to blame for sexual assault. They are responsible for their own behavior.
If my car (admittedly, it's a striking, attention-getting car) gets broken into, will I be accused of flaunting my car and deserving of the vandalism? Probably not. Then why apply different standards to victims of other victims?
No doubt someone, somewhere, has lied about being raped. Is that usually the case? No, it is not. If our goal is to change the climate for victims of rape, then our first response needs to be to believe a person who has found the strength to come forward.
And what about those who never come forward? That's where the idea of support comes in. Our current way of doing things - in systems like Tech's or society in general - does not support victims enough so they feel safe telling their story. Time and time again I have read that criminal charges were "never brought against Morrison" by Brzonkala. In my experience as a rape-crisis counselor, I find this to be the rule rather than the exception.
The overwhelming majority of sexual-assault victims I see never bring criminal charges against their assailant. In the last fiscal year, I worked with 108 sexual-assault victims; only six pressed charges.
And I fully understand their reasoning. They, like myself, have followed cases in the media and have seen the outcome. It's not a pretty picture.
For instance, in Tony Morrison' case, he was found guilty of "sexual misconduct" (at the time Tech reported it as an "unspecified incident") in June 1995, and suspended for two semesters. From media reports, we know the rest of the story: After a series of appeals, the case was heard again and Morrison was found guilty of "abusive conduct." Morrison was put on deferred suspension and ordered to spend an hour in education counseling with a Tech staff member.
Put yourself in Brzonkala's place, or in the place of those to follow. Does this appear to be a user-friendly system? I think not.
To make matters even worse, we have to look at the words of Tech football coach, Frank Beamer. After a series of appeals and the deferred-suspension verdict, Beamer in August went on record saying, "I'm always interested in the student being treated fairly, and I think that is what happened in this situation." Yet in December after Morrison was charged by the Blacksburg police with public drunkenness and petty larceny, Beamer suspended him from the team "for failure to live up to the standards for Virginia Tech football players."
What? Does that mean that abusive conduct is the standard for Tech football players? I should hope not. Instead, it means to me that Beamer echoes the thoughts of many people when he takes other crimes more seriously than the crime of sexual assault.
It's not enough to chastise victims for failing to press charges, we must be willing to support them if they are brave enough to give us the chance.
Improve. Sometimes it is easier to change policies, for they exist solely on paper, than philosophies. Tech gives us a perfect example. I was asked, by Tech Dean of Students Cathryn Goree, to serve on a Sexual Misconduct Committee this past summer. Our task was to develop minimum sanction guidelines, and we did.
When Morrison's case was first heard by the campus judicial board, these sanctions were applied. Following the appeal - which was, in my opinion, fair by the letter of the law, but by no other standard - the charges and sanctions were reduced by Provost Peggy Meszaros. The earlier sanctions were not consistent with university precedent and the newly adopted Sexual Misconduct Policy was not completed in time for inclusion in the Tech Student Handbook. (There's that "letter of the law" thing).
Tech students now have that policy. But in order for the system to really improve, Tech must change more than words on paper. Victims of rape must be assured that they will be protected by the system; perpetrators must be held accountable for their behavior.
Believe. Support. Improve. These three simple words become enormous tasks when applied to changing the climate for sexual-assault victims. No victim or advocate or system can do it alone. But together, I believe we can make a difference.
What choice do we have? Our safety, and indeed, our very lives are at stake.
Judy Casteel is the assistant director and the adult sexual-assault program coordinator for the Women's Resource Center of the New River Valley, Inc.
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