On March 11, over 400 students at Brown University held a silent march on campus in support of the victims of an alleged sexual assault last fall. The students had dollar bills taped over their mouths that read "IX" — referring to Title IX of the United States Education Amendments of 1972 — to represent the ways "money and privilege make it difficult for sexual assault victims to seek justice."
In October, two women reported being drugged at a Phi Kappa Psi party and underwent various drug tests required by the school. After the results showed the presence of GHB, a drug commonly used in cases of sexual assault, the student accused of putting drugs in the drinks had a personal medical expert go over the drug test, after which Brown medical experts reviewed the tests again and found no proof of GHB in the urine sample, leading them to drop the charges.
Various students question whether the accused student's ties to the schools — his father is an alumnus and donor — might have influenced Brown's decision to drop the charges. They argue that the "access to resources was incredibly unbalanced" in the case.
The accused student does not disagree. "I'm scared for every student there who has to go through this and defend themselves against a system that wants to find them guilty and kick them out," he said.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed.
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