Lists of alleged 'sexual assault violators' appearing across Columbia University
Facebook/ColumbiaUniversity
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
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."
Article continues belowThe 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.
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.
