2008 Woodie Awards
Rape and sexual assault, where you least expect it
Melissa Kurland
Issue date: 1/24/06 Section: Campus News
On a sunny Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 a young female freshman was in her dormitory studying and catching up on some homework. Her roommate went upstairs to hang out with some friends with the intentions of returning soon - so she left the door unlocked.
Randomly, a distant male acquaintance walked in to say hi. They both sat and chatted, but she wondered why he had stopped by.
And then, out of no where he forcefully grabbed her arm. She struggled to get out of his grasp, but with his prior experience of being on his high school wrestling team, he had her in a strong and locked hold.
She screamed but he managed to muffle her cries for help. Many students lived nearby and regularly walked past her door. Yet no one heard her cries for help. The male UNCG student succeeded in his assault and the victim was left in shock and complete disbelief. Her thoughts were, how did this happen? What do I do now?
This is the testimony of one UNCG female freshman [the victim] who lives on campus. Her reaction to the situation, like thousands of others, was to keep the event to herself. She did not want it to become public attention or be the freshman woman that got raped.
She did not tell anyone about the incident until a couple of months later, when she confessed her traumatic story to her boyfriend of three years. Her boyfriend supported her and encouraged her strongly to inform her parents of the incident. Her parents immediately reported the crime to the UNCG Police. After two tiresome investigative interviews the victim declined to pursue the matter any further.
"I felt as if the police were interrogating me as if I had done something wrong. It put me under the impression as if they were not on my side, like it was my fault. They called me in for a third interview the other day, but I wouldn't do it."
This incident does not meet the stereotypical image of a rape. The alleged rape was by a UNCG male freshman who lived in the same dormitory hall as his victim. He seemingly targeted her even when others were in earshot, in the middle of the day, in a supposedly safe environment. They had never spent time alone before, but always in a group setting. The victim asserted that there were no flirtatious exchanges between them prior to the incident.
Randomly, a distant male acquaintance walked in to say hi. They both sat and chatted, but she wondered why he had stopped by.
And then, out of no where he forcefully grabbed her arm. She struggled to get out of his grasp, but with his prior experience of being on his high school wrestling team, he had her in a strong and locked hold.
She screamed but he managed to muffle her cries for help. Many students lived nearby and regularly walked past her door. Yet no one heard her cries for help. The male UNCG student succeeded in his assault and the victim was left in shock and complete disbelief. Her thoughts were, how did this happen? What do I do now?
This is the testimony of one UNCG female freshman [the victim] who lives on campus. Her reaction to the situation, like thousands of others, was to keep the event to herself. She did not want it to become public attention or be the freshman woman that got raped.
She did not tell anyone about the incident until a couple of months later, when she confessed her traumatic story to her boyfriend of three years. Her boyfriend supported her and encouraged her strongly to inform her parents of the incident. Her parents immediately reported the crime to the UNCG Police. After two tiresome investigative interviews the victim declined to pursue the matter any further.
"I felt as if the police were interrogating me as if I had done something wrong. It put me under the impression as if they were not on my side, like it was my fault. They called me in for a third interview the other day, but I wouldn't do it."
This incident does not meet the stereotypical image of a rape. The alleged rape was by a UNCG male freshman who lived in the same dormitory hall as his victim. He seemingly targeted her even when others were in earshot, in the middle of the day, in a supposedly safe environment. They had never spent time alone before, but always in a group setting. The victim asserted that there were no flirtatious exchanges between them prior to the incident.
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