President Sullivan's first email message to the UVA community in response to the publication of "A Rape on Campus" in Rolling Stone in November 2014.
The first in a series of emails sent by University President Teresa Sullivan to students that mention or focus on sexual assault and the Rolling Stone article.| Subject | |
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| Creator |
Teresa Sullivan
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| Date |
2014-11-19
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| Text |
To the University community: 11/19/14
I am writing in response to a Rolling Stone magazine article that negatively depicts the University of Virginia and its handling of sexual misconduct cases. Because of federal and state privacy laws, and out of respect for sexual assault survivors, we are very limited in what we can say about any of the cases mentioned in this article. The article describes an alleged sexual assault of a female student at a fraternity house in September 2012, including many details that were previously not disclosed to University officials. I have asked the Charlottesville Police Department to formally investigate this incident, and the University will cooperate fully with the investigation. The University takes seriously the issue of sexual misconduct, a significant problem that colleges and universities are grappling with across the nation. Our goal is to provide an environment that is as safe as possible for our students and the entire University community. We have recently adopted several new initiatives and policies aimed at fostering a culture of reporting and raising awareness of the issues. We want our students to feel comfortable coming forward with information when there are problems in the community and cooperating with local law enforcement and the student disciplinary process. We also want them to feel empowered to take action and to lead efforts to make our Grounds and our community a better place to live and learn. We have been taking a leadership role on issues regarding sexual misconduct and violence. U.Va. hosted a national conference on this topic in February 2014. "Dialogue at U.Va.: Sexual Misconduct Among College Students" brought together national experts and professionals from approximately 60 colleges and universities to discuss best practices and strategies for prevention and response. The HoosGotYourBack initiative, part of the Not On Our Grounds awareness campaign, was developed and launched in collaboration with students and with local Corner Merchants to increase active bystander behavior. A number of other initiatives are also planned for the spring. Among them are the implementation of a new student sexual misconduct policy and a related training program, a campus climate survey, and an in-depth bystander intervention program that will include students, faculty, and staff. More information about sexual violence education and resources is available on the University's website at http://www.virginia.edu/sexualviolence/ Finally, I want to underscore our commitment to marshaling all available resources to assist our students who confront issues related to sexual misconduct. Our dedicated Student Affairs staff devote countless hours to educating and counseling our students on issues regarding their health and safety, and they stand ready to assist whenever students need help. Teresa A. Sullivan President |
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| Tags | administrative response, national media |
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| Date Added | July 13, 2015 |
| Date Modifed | October 17, 2017 |
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