• Amy Laskowski

    Senior Writer Twitter Profile

    Photo of Amy Laskowski. A white woman with long brown hair pulled into a half up, half down style and wearing a burgundy top, smiles and poses in front of a dark grey backdrop.

    Amy Laskowski is a senior writer at Boston University. She is always hunting for interesting, quirky stories around BU and helps manage and edit the work of BU Today’s interns. She did her undergrad at Syracuse University and earned a master’s in journalism at the College of Communication in 2015. Profile

  • Jackie Ricciardi

    Staff photojournalist

    Portrait of Jackie Ricciardi

    Jackie Ricciardi is a staff photojournalist at BU Today and Bostonia magazine. She has worked as a staff photographer at newspapers that include the Augusta Chronicle in Augusta, Ga., and at Seacoast Media Group in Portsmouth, N.H., where she was twice named New Hampshire Press Photographer of the Year. Profile

Comments & Discussion

Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.

There are 9 comments on Students Protest University’s Handling of Sexual Assault Cases

  1. So the response to students showing up in incredible numbers (in the snow on a weekend in a pandemic) to protest the institution’s lackadaisical approach to campus sexual assault, one that relies solely on the enforcement of the federally mandated reporting structure of Title IX, a structure that students are saying needs improvement on our campus, is to explain to those students that…Title IX exists and that BU follows it, as is their legal duty? And BU Today reports this as if it’s progress? Infuriating. Our students deserve so much better.

  2. Agreed. There is so much silencing and diversion through new bureaucratic hoops that make it impossible to trace real accountability, but the institution can claim that it’s doing something. It wears out people affected by sexual assault and leads many to decide not to put themselves through the trauma of the reporting process when it seems nothing will happen.

    Students, staff, and faculty are all affected by this and indeed deserve better than an institution committed more to its own reputation than to the safety and well-being of its people.

  3. Except lacking the necessary protection from the sexual assault, it is also crucial that the university construct the student law service. Students need help when these unfortunate cases strike on them! But BU has NO attorney working for helping student personal affairs! And what’s more hilarious? Students have to pay by themselves to find the attorney Boston and pay extra for the legal help!

  4. President Brown’s response appears entirely appropriate. The duty of the administration is to investigate accusations pursuant applicable law and school policies. There is nothing in this article to suggest that BU has been shirking that responsibility.

  5. As a woman of sexual assault I know how demeaning it makes us feel when our character is in question when we are the victim. Short of an admission or actual video or witness it is hard to prove.
    As the mother of a son I would not want his life ruined by an ex girlfriend who is also a sociopath that would make up a story about him to get back at him for breaking up with her. Or even a friend of hers doing it.
    It is a very slippery slope that can be harsh at times. I can not think what would be a satisfactory solution that benefits all students. Not all women who claim assault were assaulted. I would not want anyone sent to prison or even losing their student right if falsely accused.
    What do these students suggest? Maybe their definition of proof is not enough to ruin the life of others.
    I am not being unfeeling to their plight but there have been too many men’s lives ruined on say so. Especially in today’s America where just being born male to some is a sin.

  6. I think the best thing is to get rid of some of these frats and institutions that encourage this behavior. It would be nice to see where these assaults are coming from? Are these assaults happening in dorms, frat parties, etc? Also, it would be nice if the institutions that encourage this behavior would be removed from the University.

  7. I feel the university is the worst place to go to. One, the judicial affairs department isn’t multicultural. It lacks diversity. There is implicit bias on this. Two, they abuse you when people are harming. They are untrustworthy and unreliable. My experience with this department is like the Netflix documentary, “When They See Us.” Watch it, when you get the chance.

    Because it lacks diversity, they are unwilling to learnabout other cultures.

    When I think of it, I didn’t have a diverse group of professors as well.

  8. Thank you! After centuries of the school allowing sexual assault perps to get off easy, this means a lot. I’ve seen students who sexually assaulted many people at BU including myself to go onto being CEOs of companies. This means a lot that someone is doing something. I don’t think people realize that minorities especially immigrants are sexual abused in schools from young ages.

    These students should win a Medal of Honor or something.

Post a comment.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *