Tuesday, February 26, 2013

College Student Raped - School Wants To Expel Victim For Discussing It

The University Of North Carolina loves its basketball. What it does not like is when one of its students gets raped and then decides to discuss it publicly because then other students might not want to attend the school or play basketball for it or give it money. Landen Gambill was raped by an ex-boyfriend at the school. She has never identified him by name, but has chosen to discuss her rape publicly and the school says she is intimidating her rapist by talking about the crime publicly. F**k the school. Let her talk. The school is also upset that they are being accused of trying to hide rape and sexual assault statistics because they want to make sure parents with daughters send their children there with their tuition dollars and would probably not do so if they knew the real numbers of rape on the campus.

59 comments:

SusanB said...

Rape is covered up on a lot of college campuses. College security is much more interested in protecting the image of the school as opposed to protecting the students. If you're a victim of a crime, call the city or county police yourself, don't wait for campus security to do it.

MISCH said...

Awful, she's a brave girl

auntliddy said...

There really are no words. This is f*cked up on so many levels. And all my support to this brave woman for taking it to the streets! And may the rapists dick hang limp for the rest of his life. Bastard. And school officials in on this coverup shld get fired. Ugh

LottaColada said...

I'm pretty sure this happens everyday at colleges around the country. Girls cannot keep quiet, report the rape and report the school!

Staple611 said...

I've not heard anything about this story other than Enty's version here, but if that is true, UNC can GF itself.

The Dude said...

Unfortunately he is innocent until proven guilty, so until he is found guilty she shouldn't be discussing it. And chances are now slim he will be found guilty because of her publicly calling it out. I bet they throw out the case because now he can't get a "fair" trial.

Anonymous said...

@The Dude - the article says that she has not named her attacker, but by no means should she be quiet about what happened to her! People need to be aware of what can and does happen on college campuses, and she needs to do what she needs to do to get through this awful crime committed against her. I don't see how he is harmed by any of this.

auntliddy said...

I still think she chose the right way. This gets much more support and conversation and publicity. For godsakes, men of the world, take command of your f*cking genitals, learn how to jerk off, and stop raping women!!!!!!!!! All of us women stand with her. I hope she knows that. Enough is enough.

VIPblonde said...

Here's the full story: DM Article

Anyone who watches SVU or Lifetime knows this is par for the course. I'm looking forward to watching the Lifetime movie!!! Can Tori Spelling still play 19?

ms snarky said...

@Dude - so what if someone gets mugged and doesn't name their attacker, is it okay okay to talk about it?
But not if they're violently raped?
You might possibly have serious issues, my friend.

L'auteur said...

auntliddy: rape is not a crime of needing sex. It is a crime of power and aggression. Jerking off won't decrease the statistics. Men learning to respect women will. Having a song titled, "We Saw Your Boobs" at the Oscars doesn't exactly promote that respect.

Unknown said...

She brought charges in "honor court"? Like where you have to defend if your essay looks a little too much like a classmate's? That was probably a bad mistake on her part as this idiot will have no real criminal record and of course the job of the school's "honor court" is to look out for the reputation of the school. It makes one wonder why she didn't go to the actual police instead of this Mickey Mouse b.s.

VIPblonde said...

@Empress Every college campus has an internal system for dealing with crimes (rape included) that happen on/around campus. You are told the procedures to follow during orientation. Agreed, if you get raped, you should always go to the real police, not the campus police as the school instructs you to. But you can't fault her for following the procedures that she is supposed to according to the college's rules

Unknown said...

@vip: at my university all actual crimes (not bike thefts or noise complaints) are handed over to real police so that the people can be tried in actual court, not the school's disciplinary court, which again, isn't so much for crimes as it is for academic integrity violations. I feel like if I was attacked and they said "well, we'll mention it to the dean so that, worst case scenario, he will have to switch schools" I would be livid and would hurry myself down to the real police to report the rape, since she was obviously strong enough to not only report it but to take a stand.

prolixe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
HalleGoLightly said...

Google: Lizzy Seeberg. This stuff happens all the time. Makes me want to puke.

Staple611 said...

Dude, your comment shows a lot of ignorance about the criminal justice system. We don't "throw out" cases because of publicity.

By your logic, we would never prosecute any high profile case.

Sherry said...

Playing devils advocate here for a second because indeed there is a lot of sexual assault on campuses and women do not get enough protection. BUT, there seems to be more information on the honor court and code violation in this story than the actual crime. I'm still not clear when she was raped and why she didn't go to the police in the first place. I think had there been a better documentation of the crime itself, then there would be more support for her.

Maybe she's just someone who had sex, regretted it and feels like it was rape when to the boyfriend it appeared compliant. It's really hard to tell from this article. In fact there are hardly any other articles to glean information from to fully understand when and where this assault occurred. I understand her not wanting to smear someone's reputation but I'm still curious as to why she never reported the original crime at all.

And this is not slut shaming at all. I really believe loads of women are raped on college campuses (and everywhere for that matter) every year. Just something is missing here.

Unknown said...

Also in the article It states something to the effect of "they implied I wasn't telling the truth, one woman on the panel asked 'If that had happened to me, I would've broken up with him, can you explain why you didn't?'" (not direct quotes, but close). This seems like a completely valid question. Rape cases, especially where a person is already in an intimate relationship with their rapist, are extremely hard to prove and this woman is obviously psychologically unstable, as evidenced by the suicide attempts. Whether her mental state began deteriorating before or after the date of the alleged rape isn't discussed but it does say that she waited months to report it, During which time she went back to dating her accused rapist.
I can understand why the school is trying to get her to stop these protests as this man has not been in any actual court, is still considered innocent (and her actions are questionable at best) and more than likely many people at the university are aware of who he is because this kind of information would be spread around a campus community.
Please don't assume I am taking the side of a rapist, but the information given make it seem that the likelihood that he actually did rape her is not anywhere near 100% and the school would probably like to not get sued for slapping a "rapist" tag on some kid who may have just had the misfortune of choosing the wrong girlfriend. Or maybe he did rape her, at which point, once he is found guilty, she can take out ads in the newspaper proclaiming that fact.

FalseProfit said...

UNC is doing a fine job of ruining their own image. Although, they might attract a bunch of rapists.

crila16 said...

This happened to a guy in college who was in my boyfriend's fraternity.

When of the girls told me about being raped by him, she was hysterical crying, months after the incident. I told her about another girl who I had heard a similar story from. They ended up talking about it with each other and they came out with it to the college and the authorities. Next thing...5 other girls came out. Turns out this guy was raping a bunch of girls at the school. He ended up getting expelled and convicted with jail time.

Sherry said...

Thank you Empress of Socks..You said it better than I. There is some key information missing here.

Count Jerkula said...

Every sports school covers date rape as often as they turn the lights on. It is their way of paying the athletes.

Now to recruit athletes, they hook em up with campus whores on visits. All the campus whores want to try and get their hooks into the next big man on campus. Lawrence Taylor's story of his recruiting trip was a good one.

parissucksliterally said...

This INFURIATES me.

Little Miss Smoke and Mirrors said...

She is "intimidating her rapist?" Really, UNC? REALLY??

SkittleKitty said...

Here's a more balanced take (than the Daily Mail):
http://www.wral.com/unc-student-who-says-she-was-raped-facing-honor-code-violation/12150684/

I also think @Dude was simply pointing out that, the more publicity the victim seeks/the more she publicly discusses her case, the harder it may be to seat a jury without knowledge of the case, if she does seek justice via the court system.

Anonymous said...

Did Penn State teach schools nothing? Don't hide or make light of sexual abuse to save face, ever. let the truth be known. Let her talk. If they let her talk, gave her free counseling, owned up to it, tried to find ways of protecting girls and preventing this from happening, teaching about the buddy system, how to fight back, self defense, etc. they'd look alot better.

Maximus said...

Sweet sexy family values - gotta love these female-supporting southern states and their hospitality.

Lelaina Pierce said...

Not really surprising, but disappointing nonetheless. If she *does* get expelled, I hope her parents can afford a good lawyer.

Unknown said...

According to the link posted by skittlekitty THE STUDENT WAS FOUND NOT GUILTY! That's why they told her she couldn't stand up in front of the student body and insist he raped her, that's why it was harassment, because he was found not guilty so in their eyes he did nothing wrong besides have sex with a girl that then threw a fit about it and decided to ruin his reputation.

jax said...

teaching boys to respect women will do jack shit to stop rape. (keep teaching tho)

Rape is about control and power,not disrespect or hurting someone's feelings.

And if you think "We Saw Your Boobs" incites normal, heterosexual men to turn into mentally deranged, violent rapists then you need an education on human behavior. Holy f-ck reaching..

Leah said...

I went to UNC - Greensboro (mid-80's), and there was a rapist on campus. He raped and beat multiple women, including a dorm mate of mine. This bastard continued his reign of terror for almost a year, and word never got out to local media.

mistang said...

Regardless of this particular woman's story, there needs to be more responsibility in reporting these incidents to police and not the school. I see no real benefit in going through the school. To me, all that does is give the school the chance to cover things up and fudge statistics while questioning the victim's story because she didn't go to the police.

auntliddy said...

You're right. I came at a diff angle, but you are correct, its an arrognant just taking what you want attitude.

love/hate said...

In this tech savvy age, the lid should be blown off this problem. People should be tweeting the shit out of attackers and no one should last long enough to have 'serial' attached to them.

A million hugs and high fives to the girl and everyone supporting her through an incredibly hard thing.

There's a lot of learning colleges need to do.

auntliddy said...

Re: boobs song. Its ingrained offensiveness that is so disturbing. If someone has a meducal tremor, wld you sing"I saw you shaking?" Its objectifying women by the good old boys club. It isnt acceptable.

Unknown said...

@auntliddy: perhaps a good approach would be to teach women how to be respectable and not objectify themselves first. I see plenty of women walking around my college campus daily that will get no respect from me for the way they act/dress/present themselves. It's not that their women, it's that they're trash and an embarrassment.

Unknown said...

*they're

mistang said...

I liked the boob song. I didn't feel offended at all, but everyone has a right to feel the way they feel. Just please stop with thinking that you're way is the only right way.

Unknown said...

i fucking hate schools for thinking rapes & other assualts need to be handled internally and that students should always just report them to campus security! bullshit you should never go to campus security, you go straight to the real police if you have been raped! school just think they can handle it with their little "student court" or whatever it's called and then decide to either suspend or expel the rapist instead of him being in jail where he belongs! this made me so furious this morning when i saw this because chapel hill is my alma mater and it just boils my blood that they want to expel her instead!

Jacq said...

Sure Dude, she should shut her trap. Poor, poor maligned rapist!
Mysoginist.

Agent**It said...

Call the police, not a fake college court.
Send your daughters to college with self defense skills, including stun guns.

Agent**It said...

Maximus, like pedo loving Penn State?

Gabby said...

An incident happened my junior year of college. A freshman girl was coming back from a party and was raped by one of the side gates around my campus that didn't have security by it (our school was gated). It was a huge deal until suddenly she "redacted" her statement, saying she made it up. I found out later that my school paid her and her family off BIG TIME to say that it didn't happen. However, someone revealed the girl's identity, and since not everyone knew that she didn't actually make up the story, she got harshly ridiculed by many people. My school has a history of pay-offs and sweeping things under the rug. I didn't know this when I started there, but needless to say I am not proud to be an alumna.

MadLyb said...

Kinda weird how some of us used to think that human evolution, education and a few thousand years might change things for women. HA!

Count Jerkula said...

@auntliddy: Some women enjoy being sex objects. That's why they show their tits in movies, opening the way for a song like that.

mooshki said...

There have been plenty of women who have been expelled from college for talking about being raped. I have heard similar stories countless times over the years. Most schools do absolutely everything in their power to shut the victims up, and protect the attackers. It's disgusting.

mooshki said...

Oh, and for the people saying victims should go to the police - many of them do, and are told that campus crimes are handled by the school, and there's nothing the police can or will do to help them.

Agent**It said...

Mooshki, I did not know that. Appalling .

Zeeky_Boogy_Doog said...

Empress of Socks --

It does not matter if a woman is dressed sexy, trashy, or scantily-clad. That is NEVER an invitation for a man to attack and rape a woman. You didn't say that directly but that's the next step in the progression. What you said hints that "well look how she's dressed, no wonder he grabbed her!"

NaughtyNurse said...

Is this supposed to be shocking? I went to college a looong time ago and learned real quick that campus police exist for one purpose: to keep information about crimes quiet so they don't negatively impact enrollment. All college students should be instructed to call city police first--THEN campus police.

Unknown said...

@zeeky, no, what I said is look at how she's dressed, she obviously is not looking for, not deserving of my respect.

Manda_kitty said...

My campus sends emails out anytime something occurs on or around campus and they work with the local police. Now, I'm wondering if there's been anything covered up.

Count Jerkula said...

A woman out in public dressed in a revealing way is in no way asking for anything other than attention. I am happy the guys at CreepShots.com are helping those ladies out.

Anna said...

Campuses can always try to increase safety to prevent stranger rapes on campus. Guard gates. Have security escort women from buildings back to dorm or parking lots at night. Keep call boxes all over a well-lit campus and make sure they work. But other than the tired word "awareness," I have no idea how college administrators and security can prevent date rape. Is there something I'm missing when colleges are blamed for date rapes since these are not statistics they can actually control other than going back to chaste dating in the dorm parlor and no boys in rooms?

JSierra said...

So she can't speak out about a personal experience, but crazy bible beaters can stand on my campus and yell at students walking by that we are all filthy sinners? They get to follow us around campus screaming, shouting, and waving Jesus signs in our faces, but this girl gets heat for saying that she was raped?

What an interesting world we all live in.

Steampunk Jazz said...

How often while in a relationship did you "do it anyway..."? or when in the face of "not now, I have to study"...he pressed until it was easier to get him off so he would go away...Awakened to find him "on-in-come-go"ing you because he has a key? I guess He could get the wrong impression on the day No Meant No. Not only NO but HELL NO! when the wheedle and the press and the grab "hug" and "fun" wrestle to the floor/bed didn't change the answer of STOP. maybe the relationship Needed rough and all that "fighting" was just something new .
Poor guy, it was just a misunderstanding, having never heard No before when it was meant.
Everyone knows, once you f***, it's a relationship. You must always be accommodating sexually, and you can Never Change Your Mind about sex, even if you break up."

Silly Girl said...

I have a big problem with this if the guy was found not guilty. If that's the case, then she should NOT be publicly saying anything to the contrary.
If this is truly what happened, she should be, instead of talking about what happened to her, she should be educating women on what to do IF they are raped. How to go about it the right way, so prosecution CAN happen to the rapist. I don't know the vein in which she's discussing it, so this is just a guess.

Trashaddict said...

Silly Girl: you have WAY too much faith in the judgment of others. What if the guy who was found not guilty, in fact actually WAS guilty? Should she shut up then? Do you go only with authoritarian-sanctioned versions of the truth? Rapists who get away with their crimes are unfortunately, a dime a dozen. I can only hope that she is telling the truth and that if she is, she may save someone else from being similarly traumatized.
Also, when you become mothers, sit down with your sons and explain to them that if they ever hurt another woman in this way, that you plan to reverse the privilege of having brought them into this world.
And make sure their dads tell them, too. Finally, make sure they know who their dads are and that their parents can sustain mutual respect for one another.

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