While local media beats to death Davidson College’s recent announcement that it would cease its decades old – and, frankly, antiquated – laundry service, in which the university washes, folds and irons students’ clothing for free, we’re all missing out on something more important happening on campus.
Spurred by a student’s harrowing account of her on-campus sexual assault – and the way Davidson let the dude slide – nearly 200 students marched today to protest what they say is the college’s mishandling of such cases, the Charlotte Observer reports.
Davidson, a prestigious, close-knit campus of just 1,920 students, was rocked by the online essay – detailed and personal – written by Susanna Vogel, a junior psychology major. Published on a Web site called Her Campus Davidson, Vogel’s account began: “When I was raped last semester, my world imploded.”
Like the Observer, we don’t normally disclose the identity of sexual-assault victims, but Vogel said she wanted her story to be heard. Kudos to her, to the Observer for focusing on the more important story, and to the students and staff who could care less about their free laundry service going away.
This article appears in May 7-14, 2014.
I don’t want police departments teaching calculus, and I don’t want universities trying to be detectives, judges and juries. Schools are wholly unqualified to act as their own criminal justice system, and when they try to, they fumble the situation as happened here. And since they do not have much legal authority anyway, they’ll get sued if they impose much punishment without offering the alleged assailant his due process.
Sexual assailants and rapists belong in prison, and Davidson College can’t put them there. The protesters are barking up the wrong tree.