Students at Lawrence University are demanding changes to their sexual misconduct policies. Protesters gathered this afternoon in front of the President’s hall asking students convicted of certain sexual assault cases to be expelled for good.
The consequences for a sexual assault at Lawrence University can range widely from a warning, to being suspended, or being kicked off campus. But if a group of sexual assault victim supporters get their way, they'd get the policy changed to also include mandatory expulsion for some acts.
On the average campus one in five students will experience sexual assault during their college experience.
"This is not a problem unique to Lawrence University," says Catherine Bentley a senior at Lawrence University.
Today in an act of silent solidarity Bentley and nearly a dozen other students stand on the lawn of the Presidents hall to let him know the policy should change.
"This will continue and this is not something that's going to be forgotten very easily," adds Oumou Cesse a senior at Lawrence University.
The students are asking administrators to add a clause to their sexual misconduct policy of mandatory expulsion for sexual assault.
"This institution has a weird bubble that surrounds this campus and somehow protects people that should rightfully be incarcerated," adds Bentley.
Administrators say it's a matter they and universities across the country are looking into.
"These policies are evolving and the safety of our students is of the outmost concern… those policies will continue to be reexamined and changed if necessary," says Craig Gagnon the Associate VP of for Student Affairs.
But until the policy does change many students plan to continue their silent protest.
Other universities have embraced the policy of mandatory expulsion for certain sexual assault cases including Dartmouth and Duke. Time will tell if the small campus of Lawrence University will as well. For the time being university leaders at Lawrence say they plan to re-examine their current policy over the next several weeks.
