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Columbia Student Brings Rape Protest Mattress to Graduation


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#1 Emily

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Posted 19 May 2015 - 07:10 PM

 

A Columbia University student who carried a mattress around the campus all year to raise awareness of sexual assault graduated Tuesday — with her mattress in tow.
 
Emma Sulkowicz, who says she was raped on her first day of her sophomore year, brought the mattress with her as she walked across the stage during the ceremony. The audience applauded.
 

 

Sulkowicz says the case against her alleged abuser was dismissed and he was allowed to remain enrolled at the school. As part of her senior thesis, a performance art project called "Carry That Weight," the visual arts major said she would carry the mattress everywhere she went on campus for as long as she attended the same school as her alleged rapist.

 

More (with videos)

 

 

I think it's sad that she even had to do this in the first place, but I think she was sending a good message. This also seems to be a problem for Columbia University, as they were under federal investigation in January for how they handle sexual assault cases

 

What do you think about this? What do you think about the way school's handle sexual assault cases? I know there are a ton of schools in the U.S. who have problems with this and who have been investigated. 



#2 Padme

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Posted 19 May 2015 - 07:44 PM

I'm so proud of her. I'm sure a lot of people will scoff at her bringing that to her graduation but all the power to her.

Sexual assault cases aren't treated as heavily as they ought to be in my opinion. Schools think they operate under different laws. It's more likely that the guy who cheated off me in my Econ test will be held accountable than the man who assaulted me and its filthy.

#3 shrouded

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Posted 19 May 2015 - 08:02 PM

Her case was taken seriously. So seriously you can read about it here in this lawsuit. It appears she and the university repeatedly broke confidentiality laws while also allowing her to repeatedly alter her testimony. 

 

This will not end well for her, Columbia, or her project's sponsor Professor Kessler.



#4 Swar

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Posted 19 May 2015 - 08:08 PM

I have a feeling that I've seen this mattress thing before. (Just a comment, not really related to the case itself)

#5 Goblinoid

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Posted 19 May 2015 - 08:22 PM

 

I'm so proud of her. I'm sure a lot of people will scoff at her bringing that to her graduation but all the power to her.

Sexual assault cases aren't treated as heavily as they ought to be in my opinion. Schools think they operate under different laws. It's more likely that the guy who cheated off me in my Econ test will be held accountable than the man who assaulted me and its filthy.

 

You don't have to worry too much about people scoffing at her bringing it to graduation, at least locally speaking. That article doesn't mention it, but happily to say, but she's had a ton of support from the Columbia student body -- for a while, she would literally travel around with a small entourage of students who would help her carry the mattress from class to class. (While at Columbia several months ago to see some friends, I've actually seen her carting around the mattress surrounded by a troupe of helpers). She is extremely brave, to say the least. Columbia isn't my type of school in a lot of respects, but one thing I love is that the much of the student body is extremely involved in speaking out about social issues in general. When news of what happened to this girl came out, she received a good deal of support from many students. 

 

(I didn't watch the Youtube video, so apologies if the above was already covered haha.)

 

I'm not familiar enough with the case to draw conclusions, but Columbia's administration has been heavily criticzed for improperly handling this and other related issues, not least by its own students. Columbia is pretty infamous for its bureaucratic red tape and often unresponsive administration -- that might just be something that comes with big schools in general? I don't know, but from what I understand, the situation is similar among many other colleges as Emily said.

 

Sexual assault on campuses is something that tends to be mishandled way more often than not. 'Tis not a good thing. 


Edited by Goblinoid, 19 May 2015 - 08:32 PM.


#6 Kaddict

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Posted 19 May 2015 - 08:24 PM

I'm so proud of her. I'm sure a lot of people will scoff at her bringing that to her graduation but all the power to her.

Sexual assault cases aren't treated as heavily as they ought to be in my opinion. Schools think they operate under different laws. It's more likely that the guy who cheated off me in my Econ test will be held accountable than the man who assaulted me and its filthy.

I totally agree with this. Standards are all jacked up. Also, not sure if your last sentence was hypothetical or not, but I am a supporter of anyone who has been assaulted, and think quite highly of those who are strong enough to speak out against it. Happened to my wife, she never told me any info about the cretin  because I would have burned his mothafuggin house down. 



#7 Padme

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Posted 19 May 2015 - 09:02 PM

I totally agree with this. Standards are all jacked up. Also, not sure if your last sentence was hypothetical or not, but I am a supporter of anyone who has been assaulted, and think quite highly of those who are strong enough to speak out against it. Happened to my wife, she never told me any info about the cretin  because I would have burned his mothafuggin house down. 

 

That last sentence is definitely not hypothetical, at all. I hope your wifes doing well, it should happen to no one as far as I'm concerned. Gender, orientation, race, religion, sex, etc. Nothing gives you consent to sexually attack another being. 



#8 Kaddict

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Posted 19 May 2015 - 09:24 PM

That last sentence is definitely not hypothetical, at all. I hope your wifes doing well, it should happen to no one as far as I'm concerned. Gender, orientation, race, religion, sex, etc. Nothing gives you consent to sexually attack another being. 

Yeah, it was like 4 years ago, but still sometimes it will resurface and bother her. Hope you are doing well too. Our state recently just passed a bill extending the time allotted to charge someone for sexual assault from 4 years to 20 years. I just hope that the stigma starts to go away so more victims can come forward, do whatever they need to to take the next step forward in their life. It bothers me that people will sometimes try to turn it around on the victim. Really upsets me.



#9 pancakeface

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Posted 20 May 2015 - 12:35 AM

I've been keeping track of this fairly closely and updated myself on it fairly recently. For those who are unfamiliar with the case, the publicity she has since garnered has rather pressured the school to be a bit more supportive to her cause (not without much conflict at first). However, some reporter went to interview the alleged sexual assaulter and with his help provided a number of social media exchanges between them to prove that they had a good relationship, even after the day of the alleged assault, drawing attention to a particular text where she even says "i love youuuuuu". I'm being very careful in trying to be objective here btw, but I think it's safe to say that this version of events paints her as infatuated with him. Subsequently, he's taking legal action against the school (but not her, I believe), even the lecturer who approved her mattress-carrying-protest as her senior thesis. When held up near the Rolling Stone incident, this was taken as proof by some that, most high profile rape cases are not 'real' [cringe]. She responded in a follow-up interview that he had released those quotes without context to shape facts in his favor. She releases even larger chunks of social media exchanges, surrounding quotes that he released and made annotations on the side as to explain things from her perspective.

 

It's all still ongoing, but I think this is a decent summary of what I understand to be going on. I tried to be objective in the summary, but feel free to get more info and read up both sides to see if I missed anything.



#10 talbs

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Posted 20 May 2015 - 04:29 AM

I'm appalled at the amount of attention she's still getting after her story has been essentially debunked. If she was doing this solely for sexual assault awareness then I'd applaud and say "wow look at this young woman trying to make a difference and draw attention to a cause that often goes ignored" but it's the fact she's trying to have Paul Nungesser crucified for reasons unknown. I read a good post by a journalist yesterday that said "Hopefully that mattress got a degree as well, because it will be a lot more employable than her." She's a liar, an attention whore, and a narcissist. It's really a shame IMO instances such as this just spawn/fuel more and more detractors so that when rape actually occurs, the victims go unheard.

 

 

This will not end well for her, Columbia, or her project's sponsor Professor Kessler.

 

This.


Edited by talbs, 20 May 2015 - 04:30 AM.


#11 Kaddict

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Posted 20 May 2015 - 07:45 AM

I'm appalled at the amount of attention she's still getting after her story has been essentially debunked. If she was doing this solely for sexual assault awareness then I'd applaud and say "wow look at this young woman trying to make a difference and draw attention to a cause that often goes ignored" but it's the fact she's trying to have Paul Nungesser crucified for reasons unknown. I read a good post by a journalist yesterday that said "Hopefully that mattress got a degree as well, because it will be a lot more employable than her." She's a liar, an attention whore, and a narcissist. It's really a shame IMO instances such as this just spawn/fuel more and more detractors so that when rape actually occurs, the victims go unheard.

 

 

 

This.

I haven't really kept up on the story. My current events knowledge is indirectly related to how tough whatever we are learning in school is. So, needless to say, it is pretty low right now. If she is lying about the assault, that is horrendous. It happens so often from people just trying to get attention that it casts a shadow of doubt on people that have actually experienced assault. It makes a mockery of what they have truly experienced and it disgusts me. 



#12 talbs

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Posted 20 May 2015 - 08:04 AM

I haven't really kept up on the story. My current events knowledge is indirectly related to how tough whatever we are learning in school is. So, needless to say, it is pretty low right now. If she is lying about the assault, that is horrendous. It happens so often from people just trying to get attention that it casts a shadow of doubt on people that have actually experienced assault. It makes a mockery of what they have truly experienced and it disgusts me. 

 

This will cover pretty much everything you need to know. It is extremely long though.

 

https://kcjohnson.fi...r-complaint.pdf

 

You can also find a TL;DR version here although it is still fairly long. The link above is just the court douments/findings so it is like 54 pages.


Edited by talbs, 20 May 2015 - 08:05 AM.


#13 Emily

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Posted 22 May 2015 - 02:16 PM

There's two sides of a story. Just because one seems off doesn't erase the fact that there's a problem with how universities handle sexual assault cases or that sexual assaults on campus happen at all. 



#14 Norava

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Posted 26 May 2015 - 09:46 AM

My understanding of this case is that she was essentially dragging this guy through the mud after they had consensual sex. She even sent him text messages talking with him before / after and some of them were explicit.

 

I'm all for these types of cases being taken seriously, but it's important to present the facts. 

 

Feel free to enlighten me on how some of the details that I may have missed.



#15 Romy

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Posted 26 May 2015 - 09:58 AM

There's two sides of a story. Just because one seems off doesn't erase the fact that there's a problem with how universities handle sexual assault cases or that sexual assaults on campus happen at all. 

But when the entire basis for her campaign was a lie, it completely undermines the efforts of people who have ACTUALLY been assaulted. If anything, this harmed the cause more then it helped.



#16 Emily

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Posted 26 May 2015 - 11:48 AM

But when the entire basis for her campaign was a lie, it completely undermines the efforts of people who have ACTUALLY been assaulted. If anything, this harmed the cause more then it helped.


Oh right. I forgot you were there so you know if it was actually a lie or not. I'm not saying it wasn't a lie, I'm saying no one knows except her and the guy. There are plenty of people who aren't charged that very well may have done it. Like Jameis Winston. And considering how many people get sexually assaulted, it's kind of sad to say that one case undermines the whole thing.

#17 Romy

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Posted 26 May 2015 - 12:05 PM

Oh right. I forgot you were there so you know if it was actually a lie or not. I'm not saying it wasn't a lie, I'm saying no one knows except her and the guy. There are plenty of people who aren't charged that very well may have done it. Like Jameis Winston. And considering how many people get sexually assaulted, it's kind of sad to say that one case undermines the whole thing.

At this point, there is much more evidence to support the claim that the sex was consensual.

I'm not trying to say that the way colleges handle sexual assault cases is correct nor am I saying that there isn't a substantial number of rapists that get away with their crime. 

 

Yes. One case does undermine the efforts of people who have been sexually assaulted. How do you think Columbia will handle rape cases now that there's is a very real possibility that Emma Sulkowicz lied? Columbia has been forced into the media spotlight and faces a huge backlash. What's easier now? To pursue every instance of alleged sexual assault (which they should)? or to ignore them altogether?



#18 talbs

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Posted 26 May 2015 - 12:09 PM

And considering how many people get sexually assaulted, it's kind of sad to say that one case undermines the whole thing.

 

It's not just one case as people cry wolf all the time. College campuses are full of people making poor decisions who wake up looking for a scapegoat so that they don't have to take responsibility for their own actions. It's unfortunate when a bad apple like Emma comes along and wants to play the martyr, but winds up being a fraud. It's a slap in the face to legitimate victims everywhere.


Edited by talbs, 26 May 2015 - 12:13 PM.


#19 Kaddict

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Posted 27 May 2015 - 04:16 PM

If they had consensual sex, she should be charged for a crime. This guy's name has been defamed, people think he is a rapist. Also, by her lying, everyone is subconsciously a little bit more likely to not believe the next case that come rolling in. I seriously want her to serve time. Regretting that you had consensual sex is not the same thing as being raped and you are spitting in the face of everyone that has been assaulted.



#20 psieks

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Posted 28 May 2015 - 12:17 PM

The girl was proven to be lying. She ruined one guy's life for her "performance art." Honestly, she needs to pay some kind of reparation to the accused considering the amount of damage she caused to him both socially and financially. Considering the amount of misinformation, it's completely reasonable to expect that he'll have trouble finding a job and supporting himself in the future.



#21 cara

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Posted 28 May 2015 - 12:52 PM

If they had consensual sex, she should be charged for a crime. This guy's name has been defamed, people think he is a rapist. Also, by her lying, everyone is subconsciously a little bit more likely to not believe the next case that come rolling in. I seriously want her to serve time. Regretting that you had consensual sex is not the same thing as being raped and you are spitting in the face of everyone that has been assaulted.


Not sure if this went to court or not but lying on the stand is a crime. It's called perjury. It's obstruction of justice and a serious felony offense and can warrant up to five years in jail in the States. Some States even classify it as a Capital offense. Unsure how often these charges are pursued, but from what I know it is found serious and she should be held accountable.

#22 Kaddict

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Posted 28 May 2015 - 04:54 PM

Not sure if this went to court or not but lying on the stand is a crime. It's called perjury. It's obstruction of justice and a serious felony offense and can warrant up to five years in jail in the States. Some States even classify it as a Capital offense. Unsure how often these charges are pursued, but from what I know it is found serious and she should be held accountable.

Even if it didn't I hope she is charged with some form of slander/libel.



#23 Scot

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Posted 28 May 2015 - 05:54 PM

Why would a woman lie about rape?

The male student is likely guilty.



#24 Padme

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Posted 28 May 2015 - 06:58 PM

Why would a woman lie about rape?

The male student is likely guilty.

 

Societal constructs that make a woman feel bad for being sexually active outside of committed relationships.

 

Things like that.



#25 Kaddict

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Posted 28 May 2015 - 08:10 PM

Why would a woman lie about rape?

The male student is likely guilty.

 

Why would a man rape? Why would someone steal? Why do people lie? 
We don't need prisons/courts/judge/police because it just makes more sense if everyone was perfect, right?




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