Students are Getting Angry at Tufts
Our Vaginas are Angry at Tufts
The Gender Blenders saw the Tufts production of The Vagina Monologues on February 27th. One monologue that resonated with us was entitled “Angry Vagina.” Well, our vaginas are angry too. Our vaginas are harassed, threatened, and exploited. And our vaginas are pissed off that there isn’t more vagina love to go around at Tufts.
We are raised in a culture that socializes women to feel ashamed of, embarrassed about, or even disgusted by their bodies. This is demonstrated by the ubiquity of diet pills, the ever-booming beauty industry, and the hyper-sexualization of young girls and women in the media. This creates ridiculous, unrealistic, and typically white standards of beauty and makes talking about sex, sexuality, and vaginas socially taboo. Because these topics have become such “off-limit” subjects, discussing sexual violence has become increasingly difficult. However, it still needs to be addressed.
According to statistics cited in The Vagina Monologues, one in four women will be sexually assaulted or raped during their college career. One in six men will be sexually assaulted or raped in their lifetime. Think about this when you walk into your next class, walk into a dining hall, or walk into the library or the campus center. Think about the men and women in your life: your friends, your classmates, your family members, yourself.
There seems to be a notion floating around that rapists pop out of bushes in the middle of the night and attack attractive women who are walking alone, that they can’t restrain themselves in a frenzied pursuit of sexual pleasure. Yes, rapists can pop out of bushes, but most rapists are acquaintances. Approximately 73% of rape victims know their assailants. Rapists can be boyfriends, girlfriends, family members and teachers. Most men aren’t rapists, but most rapists are men. Sexual assault happens at crowded parties, in dark alleyways, and in the daylight in populated areas. It is invisible, pervasive and taboo. The fear and consequences of sexual assault follow us daily and (consciously or not) affect our every move. We are Tufts vaginas. We are intelligent and independent. But Tufts is no exception to the rule; one in four women and one in six men may become victims of rape or sexual assault.
Now think about how survivors on campus must feel. We live in a victim-blaming rape culture which unfortunately exists at Tufts as well. It is an environment which is hostile to survivors as they are often doubted and do not have access to adequate support or the services they need to heal. Furthermore, perpetrators are frequently not held accountable, and there is a shortage of survivor-friendly resources.
Many people do not know about Tufts’ sexual assault disciplinary procedures. Sexual assault cases are generally handled the same way as other violations, such as academic dishonesty and robbery. By treating cases of sexual assault like these other misconducts, Tufts is undermining the severity and legitimacy of sexual assault as an act of violence. This shows how ignorant the administration is about the issue of sexual assault on campus, which leads to its poor handling of sexual assault cases. Last year, the Tufts administration was able to see firsthand how inadequate its policies and procedures were when student survivors filed complaints against their student perpetrators. Instead of acknowledging that its policies are biased, Tufts continues to create a scenario where the accused party has a clear advantage.
One part of the sexual assault policy in the Tufts Judicial Process handbook violates Chapter 233, Section 21b of Massachusetts state law, which states that evidence of a rape survivor’s prior sexual conduct is irrelevant in any investigation, hearing, or other judicial proceedings before a jury. The handbook says (bold emphasis on Tufts University’s policy):
The University applies some elements of the Massachusetts Rape Shield Statute concerning evidence about prior sexual conduct. Usually, no questions, testimony, or evidence about the sexual activity of a complaining or responding party with anyone beside the other party in the case may be introduced. However, if a party introduces information about his/her own sexual activity with someone besides the other party in the case, questions can then be asked about that relationship.
In rare cases, if a party can demonstrate that the opposing party has reason to lie about the allegations made, testimony about prior sexual conduct may be allowed. For example, there may be a preexisting condition or factor that makes it advantageous for the complaining party to have others believe that he or she had been an unwilling participant in the sexual encounter.
In addition to violating Massachusetts state law, this clause in the policy suggests that some rape survivors lie about being raped. This is absolutely untrue— according to the FBI, only 2 percent of rape reports are given falsely. This number is no higher than any other crime. We live in a victim-blaming rape culture that is present even in our own campus. What are we as a campus community doing to prevent sexual violence? What are we as a campus community doing to protect and support survivors?
Tufts Daily Op-Ed about weak sexual assault policy
Their statements were so outrageous that they begged disbelief. The students told me that Tufts routinely sends alleged rape victims and their attackers into mediation instead of investigating the crime. Students said the university’s sexual assault policy is so vague that it doesn’t even define sexual assault. One victim told me how the Judicial Affairs Committee drilled her on what she was wearing the night she was attacked.
Here? At Tufts? How could this be possible? I just completed my master’s thesis on violence against women in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Morocco. I’ve been designing policies to protect destitute and marginalized women from harm in faraway countries. How could I fail to notice that my own university has been placing me in danger all along?
Yes, Tufts is obligated to protect women. It’s called Title IX, and it was promulgated to assure women equal access to education. Rape victims are disproportionately women; college campuses are, by default, more dangerous for women than men. Being afraid of rape or being a victim of sexual violence prevents women from fully benefiting from their education. One student said to me, “After I was raped, I stopped going to classes because I was too afraid to leave my apartment.” She failed out that semester and is still recovering. Title IX requires that schools mitigate the hostile environment by establishing strong sexual assault policies.
But Tufts’ sexual assault policy is criminally negligent. It doesn’t tell a crime victim how to get help after she’s been attacked. It doesn’t explain procedures for reporting a complaint or disciplining attackers. It doesn’t even tell a victim how to get access to an evidence collection kit — critical information for prosecuting rapists. Some of this information is scattered haphazardly across Tufts’ Web site. Why should a traumatized and terrified rape victim have to connect the dots?
According to the policy, a sexual assault victim can call the dean of students to report a rape. But how can the dean help her, since the office is only open during business hours? Rapists don’t typically strike between 9 and 5.
What’s worse, Tufts does not conduct investigations of sexual assault complaints, which is a flagrant violation of Title IX. Universities have been found to be in violation of Title IX when they place the burden of proof on the student as opposed to investigating the crime and reporting to a disciplinary hearing. Universities are legally required to do this in a timely manner in order to prevent the campus from becoming a hostile environment.
Two weeks ago, I received an e-mail from the Office of the Dean of Students about an alleged racial incident on campus. It made me wonder: Why haven’t I seen an e-mail like this from the last time a student was raped? Does the physical integrity of our students matter? Why isn’t the university outraged that so many female members of the Tufts community are being attacked on a regular basis?
One in four college women will be raped by the time they graduate. This campus is no exception. Rape happens at Tufts.
Correcting this very grave situation is perfectly straightforward. The university policy should be scrapped altogether and then redrawn based on student input. Tufts needs a real sexual assault policy that contains a clear definition of sexual assault, articulates the disciplinary process, promises equal treatment for victims (despite sexual orientation, race, sex, etc.), includes oversight, establishes meaningful prevention and education, provides 24-hour access to services for survivors and offers free long-term counseling. The current policy does none of these things.
I don’t want to graduate from a university that inexcusably places students in danger. It’s time to take sexual assault policy seriously. It’s time for Tufts to comply with Title IX.
Cybele graduated from the Fletcher School with a degree in International Relations.
Students are beginning to see that the so-called sexual assault policy at Tufts University is ridiculously inadequate.
Why we’re here.
We are a group of individuals who are personally familiar with the rape culture at Tufts University and we know it has to stop. One in four college-aged women are raped, and this is no exception at Tufts. The worst part about it is that the administration fails to properly support its survivors and is resistant to changing its policies. They hold back information about rapes on campus and use the ignorance of the general population to their advantage.
We’re here to stop that.
We are going to use our own first-hand accounts, as well as those told to us by survivors themselves to get the word out. Tufts University should be working to help all their students, not hide that rape happens at Tufts.
Sexual assault is an issue that is relevant to current students, prospective students, alums and parents alike. We want to show everyone how Tufts continuously fails to meet its responsibilities as a university (and as a result, is violating federal law) in hopes that the campuses will become a safer place for all students.
