Everyone everywhere is talking about the rape at Villanova. Even on this website. The most disturbing conversation to date was one where a comment ran like this: "Remember Duke". Nor is this Radnor Police Department's fault - they can't press charges unless the victim wants to, and they couldn't have responded any faster anyway, because can it be said they found out when all of us, the public at large, found out? Students interviewed on camera don't seem too happy about this either...

Hey now, every situtation is different and what is the one darn thing that no one seems to be talking enough:

Is Villanova covering something up? Are they doing all they could really do? Can it be considered that Villanova University might be guilty of obstruction on some level by waiting ten days to report this? Did they cover up evidence for future civil or criminal cases? What are the policies of the school that they would wait almost ten days to report a rape, allow all affected parties to remain on campus together for about five days after the incident? And most importantly, is Villanova's health center equipped to do a rape kit when a student claims they were sexually assaulted? Will evidence be preserved and to who's standards? Why didn't Villanova University immediately take a woman who came to them and said she was raped to a proper hospital to have a rape kit done? Is there any evidence to be preserved for this victim? Will the victim get due process if she comes forward and presses charges?

Maybe it is or isn't odd that the student has decided to not press charges at this time. There are a few schools of thought on that, all speculation in truth because none of us are the victim.

One school of thought is that it is common that rape victims just want to get on with their lives. Motivational denial if you will. Of course, other victims of rape who did this will undoubtedly tell you like any psychatrist would that you can run from problems and traumatic events - you have to deal with them eventually.

Another school of thought is can it be considered the school had ten days to work over this student? Incidents like this aren't good for publicity. Especially as incoming freshman are due to arrive soon. Parents want to feel safe. But is this the only time a school has spun an incident to their advantage? Remember a few months ago, the Harcum students who were bank robbery suspects? What ever happened there? Those kids were booted off campus too and you never heard another word.

A group called Security On Campus seems to be asking a lot of the same questions. Remember Jeanne Ann Clery?

Here's a refresher, in her parents' own words:

During the early morning hours of April 5, 1986, our daughter, Jeanne Ann, was tortured, raped, sodomized and murdered in her dormitory room at Lehigh University. Her killer was a drug and alcohol abuser, a Lehigh student whom Jeanne had never met. He gained access to her room by proceeding, unopposed, through three propped-open doors, each of which should have been locked. He was convicted and sentenced to death.
The aftermath of this crime became for us a learning experience that changed our lives.

We learned that institutional response to such tragedies could involve callousness, coverups and stonewalling. Lehigh officials publicly passed off Jeanne's torture/murder as an "aberration". The college, in an ill-conceived attempt to protect its "image", produced a self-serving "report", written by one of its trustees, K.P. Pendleton, which concluded that there was no negligence on the part of the university and that "...our present safety policies were complete"; this, despite the administration's knowledge of prior violent crimes on the campus and that there had been 181 reports of propped-open doors in Jeanne's dormitory in the four months prior to her death.

We learned that crime on campus was one of the best-kept secrets in the country. Until 1988, only four percent of America's colleges reported crime statistics to the FBI, or, generally speaking, to students, parents or anyone else.

....Our daughter died because of what she didn't know. The first major initiative of Security of Campus was to ensure that the same fate did not befall other students. In 1987 we began efforts towards enacting laws requiring colleges and universities nationwide to make available, to current and prospective students, complete information about violent campus crimes and drug and alcohol offenses, and, in addition, to provide information about security procedures already in effect.

On Security On Campus' website, also check out this: http://www.securityoncampus.org/victims/titleixsummary.html
and http://www.securityoncampus.org/victims/campussexualassault.html

So, here are some more articles about the topic. This isn't like Duke. Whatever this young woman decides, it is her personal choice. Radnor Township Police will be there undoubtedly whenever she needs them, but they can't pursue a rape case if the victim doesn't press and file charges. Shame on Villanova for allowing this to happen. It tarnishes an excellent school and the community as well. Hopefully the woman will be able to come forward, if not, it shows you the system of reporting violent crime on college campuses still leaves a lot to be desired, doesn't it?

Villanova student halts her rape casePolice said she would not press charges. That does not mean three dismissed football players can return.
By Kathy Boccella and Mari A. Schaefer
Inquirer Staff Writers

A Villanova University student who told the school that she had been raped by three incoming freshman football players, who have since been kicked out of school, does not want to press charges, Radnor police said yesterday.
"It was clear in the victim's mind that a forcible sexual assault and rape had occurred against her in a South Campus dorm room," police said in a statement. However, the woman told them that she was not interested in having them continue their investigation, Police Superintendent John L. Rutty said.

That does not preclude her from changing her mind, he said.

On Wednesday night, Villanova announced that it had investigated the incident, which the woman said occurred late July 14 and early July 15, and had rescinded admission for the three players on ground that they violated the school's code of conduct.

Local Expert Discusses Villanova Woman and Rape Cases
by KYW’s Lynne Adkins

A woman who claimed she was raped by three prospective students at Villanova is trying to get on with her life. And it's not uncommon for women to not to file charges when the become victims of sexual assault.

“Rape, sexual assault, it the least reported violent crime according to the US Department of Justices.”

Danielle Sunday is a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape. She says there are many reasons a woman chooses not to press charges:

“It's a very intimate, personal crime. People may not be willing to share information in a public trial when it's an acquaintance rape. They may want to protect the offender in cases of rape or incest.”

'Nova student won't take legal action
Alleged victim won't charge three players with rape
Posted: Thursday July 26, 2007 5:57PM; Updated: Thursday July 26, 2007 8:22PM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A Villanova University student who reported that she was raped by three incoming freshman football players does not want to pursue charges.

Police in suburban Radnor said Thursday the woman asserted to investigators that she was raped but that she was not interested in having authorities continue a probe that could lead to charges.....Villanova spokeswoman Liz Kennedy Walsh said the woman's decision not to seek charges does not change the school's decision to dismiss the students.

Founded in 1842 by the Augustinian order of priests, the private Roman Catholic school in suburban Philadelphia has about 10,000 students.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-07262007-1383885.html