illsitwithyou-blog

[illsitwithyou-blog]

Connecticut State Colleges and Universities are Failing Survivors of Sexual Assault

On September 5, 2017 I reported a sexual assault to Central Connecticut State University. At the time of the assault, I was a student at Central Connecticut State University while the accused student was enrolled at Tunxis Community College. After the assault, the accused student transferred to CCSU, directly into my department and into two of my classes. However, because he was not a student at CCSU at the time of the assault, I am told that the case is “out of CCSU’s jurisdiction”. The case is reported to the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Board of Regents.

Days go by and no action is taken by CCSU or the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Board of Regents. On September 15, 2017 a lawyer from the Board or Regents tells CCSU’s attorney to tell my advisor/advocate from the Victim Advocacy Office to advise me that I can “only” pursue a case through Tunxis. This is a lie in effort to avoid dealing with the case themselves. On September 22, 2017 my advocate and I meet with CCSU’s president, President Toro. When we met she was very understanding and was sorry for what I was going through, but told me, “I have no influence over the Board of Regents.” While she said she would still call and seek short-term solutions (so perhaps I could stop taking classes as independent studies and missing out on my education while my rapist walks free), as I write this on September 30 we have received no word from President Toro or the BOR regarding such solutions. Because we had not heard back from President Toro, I took it upon myself to call the office of BOR president Mark Ojakian. When his secretary answers I explain my case and am told that President Ojakian “is not involved at this point.” On September 29, 2017 my advocate and I meet with the Board of Regents lawyer. The meeting is short. She tells us that neither CCSU nor Tunxis has jurisdiction over the case and the BOR “does not investigate these cases.” She asks me to come up with solutions myself. She tells me, quote, “There’s nothing we can do.” As I write this, it has been 26 days of no action whatsoever. College students are 50% more likely to be sexually assaulted at the start of a new semester. This now goes beyond my case. The CSCU Board of Board of Regents has failed to protect its student body as a whole by knowing of a predator on campus and taking no action. Something must change now. This is an urgent matter. The BOR believes that if they ignore these issues they will go away. But these are not issues that go away. I will not go away. If no one is listening, I will only make more noise. I will sit outside offices until I am heard. Feel free to share. Everyone deserves to know what is going on. #CCSU #Tunxis #BoardOfRegents #Shame #IllSitWithYou