Thread by @KayRan07

Hi I want to talk about WVU and how they handle sexual assault cases. I was sexually assaulted in the fall. I was in my best friends apartment (his apartment was right above mine) and I was assaulted by his friend that he invited over. (this is a super long thread srry)

During the assault, I asked for help, I told him no, I pushed him away, and I tried to run away but i couldn’t. My friend and his roommate were there and both heard me ask for help. They were in the room and ignored the situation. (2)

The next day my friend and the roommate threatened me because I mentioned reporting the assailant. I reported it anyway.
The title ix investigator was very sweet and seemed like he genuinely wanted to help me. The case was then sent to student conduct. (3)

Student conduct told me that the boys did nothing wrong. I was also told that the boys both agreed that i asked for help and tried to get away, but they didn’t help me because i was “too dramatic” (yes, those words are written verbatim in my file). (4)

When I asked for help, I should’ve yelled louder. Why wasn’t i more forceful? Why didn’t I try harder to get away? Why were my pants so tight? Why would I wear a shirt that showed my bra if I didn’t want to be touched? (5)

I was asked for evidence of what I was wearing because the boys that were reported kept talking about how tight my clothes were. I was asked where i got my piercings done and why i was pierced if i didn’t want attention. (6)

I was also asked why the assailant thought he had the right to touch me and what i did to make him think he could. “Did you lead him on?”
At the end of the meeting, I asked if I could at least get some protection from the boys who threatened me. I was denied. (7)

I was told that the boys “most likely” wouldnt hurt me. I was told that the case results would be sent to me in a few weeks once student conduct reached a conclusion.
I waited 4 months and was never updated on the case or sent the results. I had to reach out to get them (8)

The assailant was charged with “possible assault” meaning that even though there is clear reason to believe that I, the victim, was telling the truth, the assailant was found to be mostly innocent and was only sentenced to redoing the title ix and alcohol edu courses (9)

When I was a freshman, I got in trouble for drinking and had the exact same punishment. Can somebody please explain to me why WVU thinks that drinking and assaulting a person are equal misconducts?
I went to the head of student conduct to discuss this with her. (10)

I still wanted protection from the boys threatening me. They lived in my building and they were in a lot of my classes. I was terrified. The head of student conduct was sweet and helpful and disappointed with how my case was handled. (11)

As victims, we are allowed and encouraged to choose the assailant’s punishment within certain limits. Nobody told me this or allowed this for me.
The investigator was supposed to keep in contact with me and make sure that I was included in the progress of my case. (12)

He was supposed to email me what he thought was appropriate punishment and have me sign off on it or come up with a counter offer. This process was supposed to be repeated until we came to a compromise. The case was also supposed to be held in front of a jury of peers. (13)

I was never offered a jury and never even went to title ix court. The head of title ix tried to help, but the student conduct worker I was placed with had already closed the case, meaning that the case could not be reopened or altered. (14)

My case was mishandled terribly. I hope that any others who went through this or do go through this have a better experience. If not, I am here and I have contacts that will fight for you and your case. The system needs to be changed. (15/15)