Students

UConn Rape Victims File Federal Complaint; Campus Police Officer Said 'Women Need to Stop Spreading Their Legs'

By

University of Connecticut graduate Kylie Angell has joined a group of six current students in filing a federal complaint for failing to investigate their reported sexual assaults, the Huffington Post reported.

The group filed the complaint Monday with the U.S. Education Department's (ED) Office of Civil Rights (OCR). For Angell, her gripe with school came after he attacker had already been reprimanded.

At the beginning of the fall 2010 semester, Angell reported she was raped in July that tear and, a month later, her attacker was found responsible for sexual misconduct, drug possession, providing alcohol to a minor and breaking and entering. The perpetrator was expelled.

He appealed the decision right away and was allowed back on campus within the next two weeks without any warning or notification to Angell. When she complained about it to the school, they told her their class schedules did not intersect. When she told the campus police, the first time she had reported the assault to law enforcement, an officer told her there was not enough evidence to pursue the case, adding that "women need to stop spreading their legs like peanut butter or rape is going to keep on happening 'til the cows come home."

"That was a quote I've never forgotten," Angell said. "I was really upset - that's an understatement."

Some of the same complainants have already filed a Clery Act complaint, alleging the school underreported its campus crimes. The new complaint, which Angell joined, accuses the school of Title IX, a federal gender equality law, violation for not arbitrating sexual assault and harassment cases.

"We always must be mindful of the rights of the accused and the accuser while upholding our commitment to protecting the safety of our campus community," UConn said in a statement issued Monday afternoon. "We are confident at this point that these cases were handled thoroughly, swiftly and appropriately."

Angell and the other complainants announced their filing in a press conference Monday. An investigation could lead to mandated changes in policies as well as financial penalties for the school. Angell said their decision was also about protecting any potential future victims.

"I found out through a support group I was in that [my assailant] raped another woman a year later," Angell said. "That made me so pissed."

© 2024 University Herald, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics