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Columbia Student Adds Her Name to Federal Complaint, Accuses School of Ignoring Her Rape Complaint

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Another Columbia University student has added her name to a federal complaint accusing the school of mishandling complaints of sexual assault, claiming the Ivy League institution forced her to take a medical leave twice.

According to the Huffington Post, the female student, who only went by Rosie, said she was raped during a first-year orientation meet-up event in Jan. 2009. The students were gathered at an uptown bar called Pourhouse when she gained consciousness in the men's bathroom when another student found her there.

A doctor later confirmed what Rosie already knew. She was sexually assaulted.

"Columbia was supposed to be my brand new start and it wasn't," Rosie told the HP.

She said the doctor determined she blacked out at the bar after being drugged because Rosie recalled not even taking a sip of alcohol, only drinking a soda and eating mac and cheese. Rosie said she went home to Long Island the morning after the incident and her mother noticed the bruises on her thighs, prompting the doctor visit.

Rosie said Columbia forced medical leaves on her twice and made academic accommodations for her while she suffered from PTSD. Now a seventh-year senior, Rosie has adder her name to the federal complaint against Columbia.

"We believe every student and every member of the Columbia community should be safe and feel respected, and the University is committed to sustaining the effort needed to achieve this goal." Victoria Benitez, a Columbia spokeswoman told the HP. "These matters are extremely sensitive, and because we do not want to deter survivors from reporting them, as well as for considerations related to student privacy laws, the University does not comment on individual student's cases."

First reported by BuzzFeed, 23 students filed the complaint with the U.S. Education Department in April. The complaint accused Columbia's administration of inadequate punishment for assailants found responsible, retaliation against rape complainants and poorly conducted investigations.

Obtained by the HP, Rosie said in her complaint that she did not know how to report the sexual assault, nor was she assisted in doing so. She also said she did not know of the school's Office for Gender-Based and Sexual Misconduct, which should have been her first stop.

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