Dear Syracuse University,

I feel betrayed. As an alumna that spent my undergraduate years advocating for survivors alongside fellow students and those advocates within Syracuse administration, I am demanding you take action to address this Title IX investigation and complaint.

I believe collaboration between students and administration is the key to fixing campus rape culture, and I believed we were working toward the same goal of giving power back to survivors. While I know the efforts of myself and many fellow students, faculty, and staff do not go unseen, unfelt, or unheard, they do feel unsupported. The Task Force was handpicked to ensure collaboration — and yet, were not told with urgency of this investigation. If you do not support your Task Force, it is no surprise you do not support your students, survivors, and addressing this issue on campus.

I will never claim that I am “happy” that Syracuse University is under a Title IX investigation. Frankly, no one should ever feel “happy” that their academic institution is capable of such lack of empathy, care and action. We know 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college, and yet only 1 case of rape was reported per year to this university in 2013 and 2014. Clearly something is wrong — it is not that violence is not happening, but that survivors do not feel supported to come forward and report. When there are so many barriers to reporting already, why are we creating another one?

It is clear that despite the hard work of students to build a supportive, safer space, it is truly those who hold power within the college adjudication system that can improve the way survivors are treated, whether they choose to report or not.

While I am angry, outraged, disappointed, saddened and conflicted, it is time that SU is held responsible for their actions, or lack thereof. You, the administration, have the power, resources, and responsibility to support survivors. Many on SU’s campus have started this culture change, and It’s On You to make right all the wrongs that you’ve done to survivors, regardless of the results of this Title IX investigation.

Expecting,

Rachel Martin

A Concerned Alumni

Published on September 12, 2016 at 11:36 pm