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NEWS
BY TY GOOCH
Staiii* W»itin
Is Guilford's judicial system discouraging victims of
sexual misconduct from pressing charges? According
to sophomore Cara Messina, they are — and she has the
firsthand experience to prove it.
At Guilford Pride's Drag Ball on April 27,2013, Messina,
along with another student, was groped by a student who
was a senior at the time.
"He was very drunk," said Messina. "He approached us
and asked us if we wanted to g§t wasted."
After declining his invitation, the girls were followed
aroimd by the alleged offender as they cleaned up from the
nighPs activities.
"He wouldn't leave us alone," said Messina. "He
repeatedly touched me, and after asking him to stop he
apologized and walked away."
But then he came back.
"He touched me in inappropriate places," said Messina.
"After that, he followed my friend into the girl's bathroom
and I called Public Safety."
The next day, the girls put matters into the hands of
the judicial process. But according to Messina they were
dissuaded from pressing charges.
"There was the option, but it was not encouraged," said
Messina. "There was no eagerness to punish him for his
actions."
The offender wrote an apology letter and offered to meet
the girls in person to give a more personal apology. The
girls declined his offer.
They were told he felt reSly bad and that the apology
letter should be enough.
The alleged offender's graduation status was also
brought up in the conversation. He was set to graduate in a
few weeks, and if found guilty of the charges, would have
likely been suspended.
"(We were told), 'Don't press charges; we wouldn't want
to ruin his chances for graduation,"' said Messina. "There
was a strong sense for us to be compliant."
With all the pressure from the administration, Messina
ultimately decided not to press charges. The offender was,
however, sanctioned with sexual misconduct.
The administration was unable to comment on the issue
due to privacy laws.
Janet MacDonald '13 also felt let down by the judicial
system when she reported an incident last March.
After engaging in sexual acts with two Guilford students
one night in a state where she #as unable to give consent,
MacDonald wanted to press charges.
"I wanted to let guys know that they couldn't just take
See sexual ASSAULT I Page 2
_ ■#
WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM
mum
WEB-
EXCLUSIVE
CONTENT:
A call for women’s
rights and an end
to sexism
BY LEK SiU
if WMTiR
Cartoon on police
brutality
BY C.J. GREEN
Smpp tAmmum
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
NiWi I OPINIONS ON THE FOUNTAIN | Page 3
W&N I AQUIFER DISCOVERED IN KENYA | Page 6
P14TUNIS I AL-AQSA HEALTH CLINIC | Page 7
0NNION I LETTER TO THE EDITOR | Page 10