NJ University Didn’t Take My Sexual Assault Allegations Seriously, Blamed Me, Says Student in Lawsuit

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A Rowan University student filed a federal complaint accusing school officials of failing to take her complaints seriously about being sexually assaulted on campus and blaming her for the assaults.

The woman, whom NJ Advance Media does not identify because she is an alleged victim of sexual assault, alleges that in January 2019, she reported to a disability coordinating counselor at the university that she had been raped by a another student in a campus dorm on two occasions. the previous year.

The adviser did not report on the allegation and took no action to help him, according to the lawsuit. Instead, the counselor yelled at (the woman) for being raped, the lawsuit says.

The student then reported the rapes to a supervisor, who told the woman he would examine [the rape] but he didn’t believe her, according to the lawsuit.

The woman alleges that the counselor later blamed her again when she attended a meeting at the disability services office to discuss how the assaults were affecting her emotional health and ability to participate in her education, according to the lawsuit. She also accused a counselor of sexually harassing her, according to the lawsuit.

It was devastating, said Bradley Flynn, an attorney representing the woman. She feels that she cannot participate in her education. She is afraid to go to campus and be sexually assaulted by male students and when she reports it, she is going to be ridiculed by the school staff, those who should be helping her.

The lawsuit accuses the university of violating Title IX, a federal civil rights law that prohibits gender discrimination in education programs and activities, including sexual violence. All schools receiving federal funds must respond promptly to any allegations surrounding these types of incidents, and the woman alleges Rowan officials failed to comply with this obligation.

The university did not respond to specific questions regarding the allegations made in the lawsuit, saying it does not comment on pending litigation.

Rowan University does not tolerate any form of sexual misconduct and takes these allegations very seriously, said Joe Cardona, vice president of academic relations. We abide by all Title IX policies and are committed to providing support and resources to victims, while ensuring that due process is followed.

Cardona added that the university has an ongoing investigation into the matter.

The woman filed a Title IX complaint in 2019, her lawyer said, but due to her disability, she struggled to navigate the investigation process. The lawsuit says the university failed to provide a lawyer to help him. The woman filed another official Title IX complaint describing the incident earlier this year, but the university rejected it, citing that she had not provided her signature, which the lawsuit claims to be false.

Less than a month later, in July 2021, the university accepted her formal complaint describing how the assault and the university’s response made her unsafe at school and prevented her from benefiting from equal access to education, as well as the shortcomings of Title IX. to treat.

Five days later, Rowan released his decision, dismissing the majority of the woman’s complaint, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit says the university dismissed it because the woman failed to demonstrate that (the advisor) and the university engaged in serious, pervasive and objectively offensive behavior that denies a person access equal to his education.

It was a complete joke, Flynn, the attorney, said of the findings report.

We tried to work with the university, said Flynn. We tried to hand them an olive branch. Unfortunately, we encountered a lot of resistance. They just didn’t want to work with us all the way through.

The woman reported the assault allegations to Rowan University Police and Glassboro Police, but her lawyer said neither agency was taking her report seriously. No criminal charges have been laid, Flynn said.

The student who the woman said raped her was eventually kicked out of the university, but because authorities did not take steps to intervene initially, the person was able to torment the woman, forcing her to live again the trauma of rape, according to the lawsuit. .

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