Lists of alleged 'sexual assault violators' appearing across Columbia University
Facebook/ColumbiaUniversity
At Columbia University, someone is going into bathrooms and writing the names of four men under the headings "sexual assault violators on campus" and "rapists on campus," the New York Daily News reports.
Fliers with the names have also been found across the university, with the first list found on May 7. The graffiti — which was quickly removed by facilities staff — appeared after 23 Columbia and Barnard College students filed a complaint in April with the U.S. Department of Education over how the school handles allegations of sexual assault. "It doesn't surprise me that the school's first priority is their reputation," Leah P., a junior, told the Daily News. "Most people on campus know someone who has heard of somebody getting raped."
While some students say public shaming isn't going to help solve the problem, others see it as a necessity. "It's not like this was a fun thing to do for whoever wrote it, I'm sure," Cami Quarta, a sophomore who said she is a sexual assault survivor, told WPIX. "Honestly, it was a last resort, just out of desperation."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments law
Speed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Swearing in the UK: a colourful history
In The Spotlight Thanet council's bad language ban is the latest chapter in a saga of obscenity
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'
Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidence
Speed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulations
Speed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
Speed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published