Last week, it was released to WLOS ABC 13 News that two Western Carolina Students were being charged with sexual assault, in varying degrees. One of which, occurred in a freshman dorm on campus while the other occurred in an apartment complex right outside of campus but the residents are only students of the University. Sam Miller, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, basically stated that these crimes are unfortunate, but it happens. Other than that one comment from Miller, Western Carolina University has been completely silent about the events to the extreme. Students were NOT notified that such things had transpired, in some cases, right next door to them. There was no email (though WCU frequently sends out emails about bear sightings and weather reports, concerned with the safety of their students!) and faculty have been advised not to speak about such events. All in all, the university wants us to shut up, sit down and forget that anything ever happened. After some research, it has been found that there have been four other reported incidents that the student body was not notified about. It is disgusting that sexual violence has occurred on our campus at all. It is equally disgusting and disturbing that the University wishes to ignore such events and proceed with business as usual.
It is not a fight that the University wants… They want silence. They want us to pretend that women were not attacked on our campus and that our safety has not been compromised based on their silence. They will not get our silence. We are fire up and pissed off. We will fight back, we will stand up. They will have to listen. The media will have to listen. The perpetrators will have to listen. Every parent, student and faculty member will have to listen.
The news link is at the bottom of the post. Check it out, send your support to our efforts. It would be much appreciated.
http://www.wlos.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wlos_vid_6082.shtml
Submitted by mehwtfamidoinhere