Morehouse College is uniting with Spelman College after reports emerged on social media on Tuesday about a female student at the women’s college in Atlanta being sexually assaulted by four male students from Morehouse College.
Morehouse president John Wilson issued a statement to the campus community late Wednesday night saying he was “deeply troubled” by the allegation.
Mary Schmidt Campbell, the President of Spelman College, was informed by the Constitution Journal Atlanta that the allegations of conducting a full review on campus came after Wilson’s statement.
@RapedatSpelman tweeted anonymously from the account, a self-identified Spelman student recounted an alleged sexual assault in a series of social media posts.
Both our Office of Title IX and Campus Safety Office have been activated. We encourage students throughout Morehouse University’s Atlanta campus to report any incidents such as these, and we are redoubling our efforts to ensure the safety of our students. We take all allegations of sexual assault seriously. “We have activated an investigation into the allegations with limited information, and have read Wilson’s statement.”
Situated within the Atlanta University Center, the two historically African-American institutions – one for males and the other for females – share a strong bond. The social media posts, along with the corresponding responses, sparked a significant reaction.
In a statement given to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, President of Spelman, expressed, “We extend our sympathies to this student, and I would like to personally extend our complete backing and aid.”
Campbell also released a statement to the Spelman community last Wednesday evening, elaborating on the prior media declaration.
“Please read Campbell’s statement,” we offer services and help to identify leads in order to continue supporting and assisting victims. College and I can provide full support and assistance, so I personally reached out to Spelman through an invitation I tweeted at Raped@Spelman. I used an anonymous Twitter account because I wanted to join the Spelman community members in expressing my outrage and heartbreak over the recounted experiences and incidents on Twitter.”
The purported victim had lodged a police report or alternative grievance, as per the school’s delayed response. They did not disclose the identity of the purported victim, nor did they indicate their knowledge of it. The purported attack occurred, but the tweets did not mention the specific timing.
The AJC could not verify the accusations or reach out to the person who created the posts on its own.
Morehouse spokeswoman stated earlier this week that the school had no knowledge of the allegations until Tuesday, when they became aware of the incident through an anonymous Twitter post. We are determined to pursue the investigation to the fullest extent possible, as this is the first indication of the incident. The police were unaware of any report.
She recollects going to an upstairs restroom to vomit, but claims that she was intoxicated. She recounts being present at a gathering where she consumed alcohol alongside her companions and older classmates. She further states that this is her first year at Spelman College, however, it will also be her final year due to the sexual assault mentioned in the posts.
As the tweet stated, “when I opened the door, I was surrounded by 4 Morehouse students who took me to another room and turned me on.”
The reported occurrence, which occurred on the evening she was dressed, raised concerns among both school officials and the public about the safety of the officer. The dean of the school then contacted her about the case, and she claims that she was sent to the hospital for a rape kit. Additionally, she says that she filed a report with the public safety department.
In the blog post, the student expressed, “I have never experienced such a profound sense of insignificance.” Reportedly, the dean suggested that the student should “excuse them” due to the close relationship between Spelman and Morehouse as sister institutions.
Spelman did not respond to the woman’s particular accusations concerning the actions of the school.
The posts from other students at the Administration School of Protests and Center University in Atlanta have led to an overwhelming show of support on Tuesday.
They are also demanding the immediate cessation of harmful victim-blaming information from all three campus police departments. Their demands, which include dedicated forums and convocations on sexual violence, consent, and healthy relationships, were sent to administrators at the colleges, urging them to do more to protect and serve all students. These demands follow allegations late last year from Atlanta’s Clark Atlanta, Morehouse, and Spelman students, and students are calling on administrators to take further actions to ensure student safety.
The remarks issued by both leaders on Wednesday acknowledge the initiatives undertaken by educational institutions to improve their handling of incidents involving sexual assault and allegations.