Rolling Stone today retracted its story on an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia, and at this point it’s worth looking back at how exactly the university responded to the piece when it was first published.
The Rolling Stone report was published on November 19th. That very day, UVa President Teresa Sullivan issued a statement saying, in part, “The University takes seriously the issue of sexual misconduct, a significant problem that colleges and universities are grappling with across the nation. Our goal is to provide an environment that is as safe as possible for our students and the entire University community.”
The next day, November 20th, university rector George Martin issued a statement of his own announcing the appointment of an independent counsel to review campus policies on rape, sexual assault, and how the university currently addresses these topics. Initially, they appointed former federal judge Mark Flip, but he had ties to the fraternity mentioned in the Rolling Stone piece, so the university brought in someone else.
And speaking of fraternities, just two days later, Sullivan released another statement announcing the suspension of all fraternity activity until January 9th. She also said she’s asked the Charlottesville PD to investigate the specific allegation made in the Rolling Stone report.
Meanwhile, other UVa students had commented to Rolling Stone affirming that the kind of rape culture described in their report really does exist on campus. Martin at one point extended an apology to the girl who identified herself as a victim, as well as her family.
Fast-forward to this week, when Sullivan told Time Magazine about other proposals she wants to see implemented on campus. For example, locking bedroom doors during frat parties, requiring beer only be served out of the original container, and that beer actually be the only drink offered at these parties.
The university has yet to comment on Rolling Stone‘s retraction today.
You can watch CNN’s report on the retraction here:
[image via Wikimedia Commons]
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