NEW YORK – Several Columbia University students have taken to campus women’s restrooms to post a list of names of alleged rapists on campus.
Originally, a list of alleged rapists appeared inside a bathroom stall in Hamilton Hall on May 8, but was removed. This week, the same list was discovered in a Lerner Hall bathroom stall, The Columbia Lion reports.
The names were immediately removed from the stalls, with campus officials stating that the incidents were being treated as graffiti, which means that the perpetrator could face disciplinary and possibly legal consequences.
Additionally, students are passing around fliers with the names of four alleged rapists on campus, including a staff member on an independent, student-run online news site, CNN reports.
It is unclear who is behind the campaign, which has generated both support and outrage around campus.
Columbia University officials have not commented on the fliers, but issued a general statement:
“To avoid chilling complainants from coming forward and to respect all parties involved, the University does not comment on the particulars of disciplinary proceedings regarding sexual misconduct. In addition, the University is mindful of the multiple federal laws that govern these matters and provide important protections to survivors of sexual violence and to students engaged in our investigative process. These laws and our constitutional values do not permit us to silence debate on the difficult issues being discussed.”
Earlier this month, 23 students filed a federal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, claiming that Columbia University and its affiliated women’s school Barnard College failed to protect victims of sexual assault.
In the claim, students allege that the university violated Title II, Title IX and Clery Act regulations.
