Baylor’s strict code of conduct may have helped foster a campus environment in which sexual assault victims kept silent, according to an Associated Press report.
The full AP report is worth a read, but these paragraphs kick off what is a damning report:Investigators with the Pepper Hamilton law firm who dug into Baylor’s response to sexual assault claims determined the school’s rigid approach to drugs, alcohol and sex and “perceived judgmental responses” to victims who reported being raped “created barriers” to reporting assaults. Some women faced the prospect of their family being notified.
“A number of victims were told that if they made a report of rape, their parents would be informed of the details of where they were and what they were doing,” said Chad Dunn, a Houston attorney who represents six women who have sued Baylor under the anonymous identification of Jane Doe.
As a private Baptist institution, Baylor has a strict code of conduct. Pre-marital sex is not allowed (according to the AP, the official university language is “physical sexual intimacy is to be expressed in the context of marital fidelity”) and the use of drugs and alcohol could lead to expulsion. The university can grant amnesty to a student over a minor alcohol offense, and Pepper Hamilton recommended Baylor extend amnesty to students for sexual violations of the code of conduct as well, according to the AP.
There are plenty more details in the AP story about how Baylor’s policies created a chilling effect when it came to reporting sexual assault. And, unfortunately, even if Baylor does make the changes Pepper Hamilton investigators recommended, it won’t do anything for the women who were sexually assaulted by football players or other students in what was a sickeningly toxic culture in Waco.
Baylor still has not released the full Pepper Hamilton report, though a former university staffer is pushing for it to be made public.