Sexual-Misconduct Report

It was with a mixture of sadness and anger I read the article on inappropriate sexual behavior (On the Campus, Dec. 7). Some observations, with my apologies to the LGBT and male communities:

“Experiencing sexual assault ... 19 percent for undergraduate women”: Instead, let’s say one in five, or 500 undergraduate women. Put 25 women in a group, and note five have been sexually assaulted.

Four percent of undergraduate women were raped: 100 women were raped! Just two students were expelled for rape.

The numbers for graduate students are equally shocking.

Can you imagine Princeton’s response if 1,000 students were held up at gunpoint, had their cars stolen or even their rooms burglarized?

Meanwhile, the Interclub Council is discussing the “possibility” of prohibiting students who have been suspended for sexual misconduct from rejoining the club or keeping those who committed sexual misconduct from entering a club. Let’s keep discussing ...

The vice provost is happy to report “the numbers are still too high, but this is the direction we want them to be moving in.” The numbers are horrific. The right direction is zero. What happened to the other 98 rapists? Forgive me for assuming there are no serial rapists. Were the police informed of these criminal acts? Were perpetrators prosecuted and jailed?

At a time when our new U.S. president has bragged about his many sexual assaults, I find Princeton’s response to all forms of sexual misconduct grossly inadequate and shameful. This story belongs on PAW’s cover and needs to be on the President’s Page. What a disgrace.

Editor’s note: Michele Minter, vice provost for institutional equity and diversity, provided the following response: “The University takes sexual misconduct very seriously and agrees that any incidents are too many. As President Christopher Eisgruber wrote on his President’s Page in PAW in November 2015, ‘The only acceptable number of rapes on a college campus is zero.’ Over the past three years, Princeton has significantly increased mandatory training, optional educational programs, and support and reporting resources. Princeton encourages sexual-misconduct victims and survivors to report, but most choose not to do so. The University respects their right to decide how they wish to handle their experiences or whether they want to involve law enforcement. For more information, including reports of sexual misconduct adjudicated during the 2015–16 academic year, see http://sexualmisconduct.princeton.edu/.”