Yale Community Alerted About Reported Rape
By DEMETRA HUFNAGEL
January 16, 2012
Yesterday morning Yale students received an email notification without precedent: Ronnell Higgins, Chief of Yale Police, explained that a Yale undergraduate had reported being raped by another Yale undergraduate in the early hours of Saturday morning. The student met with Yale Police, who then issued the communication, encouraging students who have either been the victims of rape or have knowledge of such incidents occurring to contact the Yale Police directly. The email highlighted the role of the Yale Police in investigating issues of sexual assault and harassment, as well as in referring students to other campus programs and officials, most notably the Title IX Coordinators and the University Wide Committee.
The communication reflects recent societal emphasis on reforming response to sexual misconduct, from changes in the federal approach to “rape,” which was redefined by the FBI on January 5th to include cases of nonforcible assault, to reformation of the Yale-specific response to reports of sexual assault by the University Wide Committee.
This is certainly the first email in recent memory that mentions acquaintance rape. In a campus culture that often tries to characterize rape as something committed elsewhere, something done in dark alleys and seedy corners, the message provides a much-needed wake up call: acquaintance rape happens. Rape at Yale happens. Chief Higgins’ message to the Yale community is a testament to the fact that these realities must not be ignored, but rather challenged and changed.
Demetra Hufnagel is a sophomore in Yale College. She is an associate editor for Broad Recognition.
Comments (6)
There was actually another email of this nature sent out this past October 28th.
posted by Spes January 16th, 2012 at 3:55 pm
The only message I could find from October 28th was this one, and it discusses a shooting, not a sexual assault. While emails from Chief Higgins are not uncommon, I think it’s safe to say – as Demetra does – that this is “without precedent.”
https://light.its.yale.edu/messages/UnivMsgs/detail.asp?Msg=71068
posted by Julia January 18th, 2012 at 5:52 am
For due diligence, these two notices mention acquaintance rape:
Oct. 28, 2010
https://eds.yale.edu/messages/security/detail.asp?msg=59112
Jan. 22, 2008
https://eds.yale.edu/messages/security/detail.asp?msg=29970
This isn’t to say that rape has been covered adequately, but there have been email announcements.
posted by Sean January 21st, 2012 at 7:39 am
Just to clarify, the article says it is the first email in RECENT memory to cover acquaintance rape. This is true. The two notices Sean has posted were from two and four years ago respectively. Additionally, those emails use decidedly different language that implicitly blames alcohol for the rape (” I urge all members of the university community to exercise care in social settings especially where alcohol might be involved.”). The email students received last week was without precedent in that it was the first email to stress turning to the police, as well as the UWC.
posted by DH January 21st, 2012 at 7:06 pm
^ False.
An email regarding an “acquaintance rape” was sent last February by Chief Higgins and that email DID mention reporting any instance directly to YPD–obviously not the UWC since it had yet to be formed.
posted by HYPE January 25th, 2012 at 7:16 pm
The email is still without precedent, according to what you have said, because in last year’s email the UWC was not mentioned. Yes, it didn’t exist. But that is exactly the point. This new email is the first of a Yale Police message to “advertise” the UWC as a grievance handling body while also stressing turning to the police (unlike the old and vague wording of letting a “responsible adult” know), and minimizing language that implicitly blames social situations or alcohol for sexual misconduct.
posted by DH January 29th, 2012 at 9:17 pm