I was absolutely disgusted by Tuesday's sexual assault article ("Sexual assault reported in Holden"). Although it may be important to put the event into perspective by labeling it the third sexual assault in Holden Hall, it is not important to mention that one of those reports was falsified. It trivializes the entire nature of the crime by suggesting that Sunday's rape could be a hoax as well. Hasn't the victim been through enough without you suggesting that she's lying?

Not only that, but the reporter included quotes from certain officials who put the blame on the victim. So what if she was drunk? Is that not something that the majority of the people on this campus experience at some point during their college careers? So what if she forgot to lock her door? Isn't that a mistake that dozens of students make? Or look at other societal excuses: her skirt was too short, she was all over him at the party, she was walking alone on campus. It seems to me like rape is a pretty harsh punishment for forgetting to lock your door. Maybe someone should mention that to the assistant hall director.

The majority of the quotes and information included in the article indicated the reporter's bias to the guilt of the victim. It is wrong to place the focus on the female. A man raped her. That's against the law. The only mention given to him in the article is completely useless. When you reference a perpetrator in journalism, you need to do so with a defining characteristic. Saying that the perpetrator is in his late teens or early 20s does not help. Aren't the majority of male students on this campus in their late teens or early 20s? Oh wait, you wrote that he had short, light hair. Trust me, that helps. This does nothing but create a certain degree of paranoia in the minds of the students in that area. Thousands of men fit the description offered by the article. If it's not a defining characteristic, don't include it.

Let's not focus our coverage of this event on what you can do to protect yourself. Doesn't it make more sense to stop a crime at the level of the perpetrator instead of at the level of the victim?

Sarah Swistak
journalism junior