By Sydney McCarter
*Warning* The following contains non-specific discussion of sexual violence.
Berea College boasts an atmosphere where its eight Great Commitments are supposedly upheld and honored. However, school spirit and pride are at an all-time low as many students are deeply upset and unsatisfied with the school’s response to sexual assault and harassment on campus. The Torch crew sat down with sophomore Grace Mullins to hear and recognize her experience with the college after she was raped and sexually assaulted her first year of college.
During Grace’s first month at Berea, she was raped. Hoping that the college could offer her some support and safety during this time, she went to administration about the issue. While offered a no-contact order, Grace reports that this order was not followed or enforced by the school and little else was done to give her peace of mind or justice after the event. This response was frustrating for Grace and gave her little faith in the support system provided by Berea. At the time, however, Grace said she was not in a headspace to advocate for herself and received no advocacy from the school either.
Towards the end of Grace’s freshman year, she faced yet another traumatic event and once again found support from the college lackluster. After being groped by a non-Berea student, Grace reported the incident to public safety and asked if the police had been called. Grace told the Torch crew that the police were not called that night, and that it would not be until later that week when a police car picked her up outside of the Margret A. Cargill (MAC) building that she would give a statement to the correct police officer at the station. Grace’s attacker was not caught until the following summer, and the school never pressed charges against him. When reflecting on her experience, Grace told us that its “all about protecting the school, not the students.”
Grace attempted to establish a support group on campus as well as garner greater recognition for campus issues regarding sexual violence, however her attempts to collaborate with the college always ended in bureaucratic gridlock. Fed up with the college’s lack of empathy and understanding for her situation, Grace found a way to give herself a voice. On October 29th, 2024, Grace began wearing a shirt that stated “Berea College 💗’s Rapists” which could be seen by her peers and families taking their children on tours of the college. When fellow classmates started reaching out to Grace and telling her that they had delt with similar experiences on campus, she realized she wasn’t alone. Many students at Berea must walk past their attackers every day, feeling as though they have no one else to support them.
“Victims deserve better than what they get. What is being done by Berea College right now is only just a start.”
Grace Mullins
Conversations regarding the college’s lack of accountability in addressing student complaints of sexual assault and harassment have led to what Grace would call underwhelming responses from Berea, including the email sent out November 14th, 2024, from Gus Gerassimides (Interim VP for Student Life) discussing student “concerns regarding [campus] handling of Title IX complaints,” which went on to request student input on how to better handle these complaints instead of administrative redress. The establishment of a sexual assault and harassment drop-in center on campus this January has been a positive outcome of student dissatisfaction with campus life but would not have been possible without the continual fight from students like Grace for the existence of these spaces. Efforts for the creation of such a group have been a long and often discouraging process.
When sitting down with Grace, it was important to determine what the school could do better to adequately address the apparent apathy towards sexual culture on campus. Grace told us that the process for getting help is overcomplicated, and places tremendous burden on the victim instead of the school. Grace reported that after her assault it was her responsibility to make arrangements with her labor position, professors, and in dealing with the police. This responsibility should not fall on the shoulders of the victim but instead should be managed by the college. Keeping closer watch on those involved in reported sexual assault incidents and creating a greater sense of empathy for the victims are two other crucial steps in changing college culture. Grace advises other students in similar circumstances to use the resources you do have including the police, lean on people you trust to support you, and recognize that if you feel like something is not being handled it probably is not.
Action regarding sexual violence at Berea College is not enough. Students, professors, administrators, and all other faculty at the college should be uncomfortable with how instances of assault and sexual harassment remain unsolved . The Torch will continue to report on student and administrative response to this issue and encourages anyone with a story to share to reach out to our website.
If you or anyone you know has experienced sexual violence, you can find some resources below.
RAINN | The nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization
2 responses to “Admin Over Student Safety: How Berea College Handles Rape and Sexual Assault”
Seriously, no comments yet? Seems that not even the students want to touch this issue.
I would like to see an article on the creepiness of the players in the male sports teams here at Berea.
I would be interested to learn how federal Title IX law effects how the college responds.