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Dickinson students protest college’s handling of sexual assault claims

  • Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania

 Dickinson College Title IX Reform Facebook page

(Harrisburg) — Students at a midstate college are protesting the school’s handling of sexual assault allegations.

About 250 Dickinson College students gathered for a sit-in at one of the Cumberland County campus’s main buildings Monday.

Organizers said they planned to stay until the college agrees to negotiate changes to its Title IX system. Title IX is a is a federal civil rights law meant to protect people from discrimination based on sex in education programs.

Protesters have a list of 17 demands, including tougher penalties for perpetrators and a faster time frame for investigations.

Protest leader Rose McAvoy said a one-semester suspension for people found guilty of sexual assault should be the minimum punishment.

“And that’s because, currently, it’s at probation, which is nothing,” she said. “So, people found guilty of sexual assault get nothing and then they get to continue living on campus.”

The group is also calling for investigations to be finished within 60 days.

McAvoy said she was assaulted on campus by a friend in October 2017. She reported it in December of that year, trusting the college would help her.

“Ultimately, what I wanted to do was just go to the school, who are these people trained to deal with these exact issues, and I just wanted to tell them every detail of what happened and let them decide what it all means,” McAvoy said.

But McAvoy said she felt like the university didn’t take her claims seriously and left her in the dark over the course of its investigation.

It took Dickinson seven months to complete the investigation, after which it found the accused guilty.

McAvoy said her attacker got one semester’s probation as punishment, while she suffered academic setbacks, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

In an op-ed published in the student paper, Dickinson’s Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness & Inclusivity defends the way sexual assault cases are handled. She does not dispute McAvoy’s case, but says she can’t comment on specifics.

In a statement, Dickinson said sexual assault allegations are taken seriously and it is eager to work with students to improve the process.

Dickinson’s full statement is below:

“We applaud Rose McAvoy’s bravery in sharing her very personal and difficult experience and are encouraged by the conversations we are having on this very important issue. Our students are taking action, and we support their right to peaceful protest. Sexual assault investigations are something we take very seriously. It is a pervasive problem on all college campuses and in society in general. Our priority is investigating all matters in a timely, fair and equitable way, and we are eager to work with students to improve the process.

Dickinson is in compliance with reporting requirements under federal law, including Title IX and the Clery Act.”

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