Victims Allowed to Continue Education Despite Toll on University Image

Texas A&M authorities reached a decision on Sunday allowing victims of sexual violence to continue their education on campus despite the threat they pose to the university’s image. This decision followed definitive rulings finding these individuals to be victims beyond a reasonable doubt.

“It makes me feel safe knowing that A&M will have my back like that if I’m ever in my time of need,” said Ally Harrisen, an incoming student who had just finished her first Fish Camp CLEAR presentation. “That victims are allowed to be present on campus – as long as they stay quiet and accommodate their rapists – lets me know that we’re all equally valued. I feel assured that A&M is committed to following through with the promises they’ve made for my safety here today.”

Returning students also voiced their appreciation for the university-mandated training that would help them avoid becoming victims of sexual assault in the future. Although potential rapists may face no serious consequences from the reporting methods taught in the trainings, potential victims were happy to learn six different ways to say “no”.

While victims will be allowed to finish their education, A&M administration told The Mugdown that the process still leaves a lot to be desired. “We hope to make changes in the future so that students accused and/or convicted of committing sexual violence can continue their education and extracurricular activities with as little disturbance as possible,” an A&M representative said.

“Even though each student is respected and cherished here, we have to understand that the reputation of the university takes precedence,” said Chancellor John Sharp. “If victims come out with their stories, it affects all of us in the Aggie community. As much as I would love to consistently stand with victims, the false sense of security we’ve maintained is absolutely paramount. This decision to allow victims to finish their degrees despite their inconvenient presence is a testament to the kindness of the university. Not everyone gets second chances like these.”

When asked about how the university feels concerning the distress caused to survivors of sexual violence on campus, Sharp said, “While FERPA says we can’t talk about specific cases, we do want to say that legally speaking, we followed all the rules. Therefore, we did not do anything wrong. As an administration, I feel we’ve been very clear that violent behavior is a big no-no. We just want the record to show that we tried our best.”

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