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Courage for coverage should be commended
Editor:
I am writing to commend The Beacon writers who took on serious topics and wrote with so much professionalism (April 10, "Sex Policies Criticized," "Lack of Cooperation," and "Watchdog Role Compromised").
I couldn't be more proud of the Beacon's commitment to dealing with issues that actually matter. It takes a lot of courage to call the University on its shortcomings, but to do so is necessary and serves to prove that as students, you are thoughtful and intelligent individuals who can and should act against injustices. I just wanted to express my sincere thanks and admiration.
Bethanie Peterson
junior English major
Exposing policies is first step to solving problems
Editor:
I just wanted to say that I really appreciated the articles on UP's sex policies and the resolution recently passed by ASUP. I am happy to see The Beacon writing articles on a topic that relates so directly to students' lives, on and off campus, whether they realize it or not.
Talking about problems is the first step in solving them. I hope the student body will stay focused on this issue and eventually see UP make real progress and catch up with other colleges. Thanks for actively keeping us informed.
Emily Douglas?sophomore theater and mathematics major
Minuscule rules place undue burden on students
Editor:
I read the paper on sexual assault policies. I feel that there need to be a change on campus. As soon as we enter school we are told that no matter what if we women or men get insulted there will be help provided to us. With actual rules it shows that if we break a minuscule rule while we get assaulted the school is really not there for us.
If the school feels like the polices are not hindering us from students from coming forward with assaults then why are they making such a big deal with getting rid of the possibility of being able to get us in trouble with minuscule rules like intervisitation and alcohol violations?
The people who are assaulted do NOT deserve more stress on a very painful situation and the school should be there with them no questions asked. I am very glad for the article The Beacon put out and I feel it was a step in the right direction.
Sarah Peruzzaro?junior psychology major?
Newspaper coverage fails to encourage change
Editor:
In a recent article apparently designed to inspire a student uprising against Natalie Shank, there was a plea for students and faculty alike to send their frustrations in writing to The Beacon and then demand, like a few good men (and women) the TRUTH! However, it appears to me, The Beacon is chopping off its nose to spite its face. While it may have successfully achieved more readers, The Beacon's attempt at social-justice-forum is failing.
As a man vehemently searching for ways to eliminate the source of sexual assault and not just how to heal the hurt, I am disheartened by the last issue of The Beacon. By reporting so heavily on efforts to rewrite a document most students don't know exists does not instill hope for victims that anything is being done to prevent future attacks. All this demonstrates is that we are more than ever focused on bandages instead of prevention. I know there are currently three separate efforts currently on this campus with prevention in mind. By writing "(the policy) makes people afraid to come forward with rape"* shows tremendous disrespect to the work being done by others, not involved with policy change, to empower victims to come forward. The quote suggests if the document were reworded victims would come out in droves. I was also frustrated by the attack on Natalie Shank. It was written Natalie acted "abusively"** and her upholding of "University ... Policy fosters fear among students."*** This is nothing short of libel**** especially in conjunction with Shank's quote, "I can't imagine (a victim being punished because a rape charge was found to be consensual.)"***** Does The Beacon desire to make a difference or does it just want to play controversial? Is The Beacon letting the truth shine so all may see?
Also in the last issue there was a startling article defending pornography (April 10, page 12, "In Defense of Pornography") where no definition of pornography was offered and if one read carefully one might be able to loosely extrapolate pornography to be some type of prurient media. 'Madam, how like I this play' on rights? "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." If banning pornography is a "revocation" of women's rights to freedom of expression, then banning abortion would be a "revocation" of a man's rights to choice.
William Steele
senior psychology and theater major
*Editor's note: This statement, which appeared on page 5 in the April 10 issue, was attributed to an anonymous source. The Beacon declined to reveal the name of the source, an alleged rape victim, in an effort to protect the identities of all involved.
**Editor's note: This statement was also attributed to the same anonymous source on page 5 of the April 10 issue.
***Editor's note: This statement was a paraphrase attributed to the same anonymous source on page 5 of the April 10 issue.
****Editor's note: The Beacon fails to see how this criticism, which originated from a source who went through the judicial process, equals libel. According to the Associated Press, "At its most basic, libel means injury to reputation." To libel someone is to damage his or her reputation by broadcasting or publishing false statements about his or her activities or character. Our source's accusations toward Shank reflected the source's opinion, were subjective in nature, and could therefore not qualify as either objectively true or false.
*****Editor's note: The paraphrase in this quote comes from Mr. Steele and is not an accurate representation of the original quote as published in The Beacon on page 5 of the April 10 issue.
Policies hinder ability to report sexual assault
Editor:
The Beacon's article regarding the University's sexual assault policies (April 10, "Sex Policies Criticized") shed well-needed publicity on this potentially harmful policy.
The president of the University, Father Beauchamp, maintains that the policy does not hinder reporting of sexual assault; however, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes, with an estimated 60 percent of assaults being left unreported. One in six women are sexually assaulted in their lifetime and college age women are four times as likely to be victims of assault than other age groups. Sexual assault does not end when the assault is over; consequences are lifelong. Victims of sexual assault are three times more likely to suffer from depression, 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol, 26 times more likely to abuse drugs and four times more likely to contemplate suicide.
The statistics surrounding sexual assault point to the importance of accurate and prompt reporting of assault. Reporting not only assists the healing of the victim, but also helps the community heal.
However, reporting is more likely to occur when the victim feels safe in his or her environment. UP's sexual assault policies detract from the feeling of safety, regardless of the statement's made to The Beacon by Father Beauchamp and Natalie Shank. These statements are not policy. The University has an opportunity to create a policy that fosters an open and honest community and I strongly urge them to do so, for the health and wellbeing of all their students.
Bridget Domeier
senior social work major
