Campus Y response to Delaney Robinson
TO THE EDITOR:
Trigger warning: Sexual Assault
On Tuesday morning, Delaney Robinson publicly accused another UNC student of raping her in February. After she was attacked, Delaney submitted herself to a rape kit, answered extensive and inappropriate questions from the UNC Department of Public Safety and Title IX offices and was only met with incompetence, suspicion and inaction. Delaney waited six months for an adequate response from the University before deciding to go public with her story. She must now settle for misdemeanor charges because she received no support from the District Attorney’s office. It is disgusting to think that, despite an overhaul of sexual assault policies after the Title IX complaints five years ago, UNC administration and the Orange County District Attorney have failed to protect students once again.
We want to acknowledge the bravery it requires to share the story of your attack publicly, as Delaney has done. But it should not have been necessary for her to share her story publicly in the first place. A rape victim should not have to call a press conference to have any hope of justice.
Some have claimed that the Carolina community does not stand for sexual assault, implying that Delaney Robinson’s case is a unique, unfortunate incident. That statement is fundamentally false. As it is currently designed, our university is complicit in the prevalence of sexual assault on our campus. The institutions that were specifically created to prevent and handle sexual assault cases have failed. Delaney went through all the university processes and received no conclusive response or satisfactory action for six months. Her case is, unfortunately, not unique. Our university and its institutions are empowered and incentivized to stand idly by as rape occurs on this campus time and time again.
Women at UNC are tired of feeling unsafe on this campus. At the most basic level, we deserve an administration that supports our well being. We as students must hold the university accountable, and we will not rest until it takes deliberate and swift actions to support sexual assault survivors and eradicate the pervasive rape culture that exists at UNC.
Let this statement serve as a reminder to administrators that their job is to serve students. We demand a university administration that is more concerned with student safety than maintaining its own reputation.
Regan Buchanan and Lauren Eaves
