Webster University: Celebrating 100 Years of Sweeping it Under the Rug

One in five undergraduate women in the United States will experience sexual assault. A whopping 88% of victims are assaulted by someone they know. Most concerning, a person who has raped once is likely to rape again, averaging 5.8 rapes per person for the 6% of college men who attempted or successfully raped someone.

Unfortunately, I am all too familiar with these statistics. In the fall of 2014, I filed a complaint against a student for stalking me. After going through Webster University’s grievance and appeal process, the accused student was not found responsible for stalking me. Apparently, the fact I had befriended him out of fear outweighed his violations of my safety and privacy. I soon felt horrified for my safety and well-being. The accused student received a copy of everything I had reported on him. Knowing his violent and obsessive nature, I lived in fear of retaliation.  

The Sexual Assault Advocate at Webster University advised me to request a campus order of protection after I expressed my fear to her. Upon looking to the Public Safety Office for help, I discovered that this order does not exist at Webster University. Having no other options, I turned to the Public Safety officers to escort me to and from classes. On Webster University’s incredibly small campus, it would sometimes take 30 minutes for an officer to reach me. While being escorted, several Public Safety officers complained how understaffed their office was.

Unable to receive an adequate amount of protection through Webster University, I proceeded to file an order of protection in Missouri. I asked a lawyer to be present during my filing because I learned that one victim, while filing a report with the local police department, was asked what she wore the night of the incident. I was criticized by Webster University’s Dean and Provost who deemed a lawyer “unnecessary.” The Provost then criticized me further for not having come forward sooner. He then explained that even if the university banned the student, they could not keep him from coming on campus.

Feeling discouraged and alone, I went to the counseling department for support. The head of the counseling department chose to protect the school, insisting that Webster University would never put its students in danger. He explained that he could not understand the fear I was experiencing because he was not a woman; he never offered to meet with me again.

As for the conservatory at Webster, it seemed that this student would be returning to his major since he left on “good academic standing.” For the record, students in the conservatory have been put on probation for not doing enough text analysis work, for missing classes, or for negative attitudes. Ironically, the conservatory didn’t deem sexual assault worthy of probationary action.

Everywhere I turned, it seemed that Webster University would stop at nothing to get this situation to disappear.

Sadly, I learned I was not this student’s only victim.  Another woman was assaulted, and the student was found responsible for the crime and in violation of the Sexual Assault Policy at Webster University. The sanction was that he could no longer study in the Conservatory of Theatre Arts as long as the victim was also attending the conservatory. She was never given a no-contact order through Webster University, nor was the incident considered a “violent crime.” She soon left the university, since this sanction would allow for the student to approach her on campus without restriction.

The last case to be formally reported against this student was on the physical assault of another woman.The accused student was not found responsible for this assault, despite a witness report. There were discrepancies within this young woman’s hearing process that violated Webster’s own policies.

In addition to these statements, over five other incidents were reported against this same student. They included slander, stalking, assault, and sexual assault. The only no-contact order issued was to a male student whose life was threatened.

Suffering a sexual assault and stalking incident is unbearable; to then be faced with inaction, apathy, and lack of supportive resources by Webster University only added to the suffering. How can we blame victims for hesitating to come forward about such a difficult incident, when women are treated this way by their universities?

I have decided to leave Webster in the middle of my junior year to protect my own sense of safety and morality. I am sad to go, but I know that I can not stay in a place that values an attacker’s rights over my own.

Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill said, “I would never send my child to a university that did not have any reports of sexual assault.” Webster University has only reported one in the last year. Webster University needs a huge wake-up call before they sweep another assault under the rug.

If you want to help make Webster University a better place, follow this link and sign our petition: https://www.change.org/p/webster-university-take-a-stronger-stand-against-sexual-assault

1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Sexual Violence Facts at a Glance.”2012.

2. Lisak, David and Paul Miller. “Repeat Rape and Multiple Offending Among Undetected Rapists.”2002.