A security director at Niagara County Community College in Buffalo has resigned following the release of audio tapes in which he and the school’s president blamed alleged sexual assault victims for being attacked.
Francis Giles was recorded stating that a victim was “someone who is trying to self-gloss and embellish their own side for a lawsuit,” reports WKBW.
He was also recorded questioning why the victim was “walking and not running” when she was able to get away from her attacker. “I think this girl sees a meal ticket now. She’s taking this and running with it,” he continued.
The audio tapes were from an August 2016 meeting with top school officials to discuss recent attempted sexual assaults on campus.
According to police and school officials, DeJuan Hunt cornered and attempted to sexually assault a woman on July 19 near the campus library.
President James P. Klyczek was recorded speaking about the assault, saying “What is she stupid? I mean, no, seriously. This just aggravates me. Make us the guilty party because you’re too stupid to follow your instinct that this guy sits down next to you and there’s nobody else around, you agree to take him on a tour. That is as dumb as can be.”
The victim had said she wanted her daughter to attend the college when she was older but changed her mind following disappointment in the school’s handling of the assault, according to WKBW.
Klyczek responded, stating “Her daughter should be worried because if she’s got her mother’s genes, she’s dumber than a doorknob.”
Hunt allegedly attacked another woman on August 3, dragging her into a dark hallway and attempting to assault her before she escaped.
The victim’s mother was upset after learning that Hunt had allegedly attacked another woman a few weeks earlier. She pointed out that the school sent no email to students warning them of the attacks, posted no pictures of Hunt around campus, and did not take advantage of the school’s emergency alert system.
Hunt died in prison before he could be tried.
Klyczek, who was the school’s longest running president, resigned back in April.
Several professors at the school voiced their satisfaction with Klyczek’s resignation, including Professor Laura Scaletta, who referred to Klyczek’s presidency as “16 years of tyranny”.
A replacement for Giles has not been hired.