http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/04/23/columbia-university-lawsuit-mattress-rape-allegation/
Wow, this is such a tough situation. I dont know what more Columbia should have done to protect either of them.
Wow, the comments on that article are truly disgusting.
But I agree - a hard situation. I’m not exactly sure why he thought Columbia participated in his defamation - they couldn’t really stop her from carrying the mattress around and saying her piece because of her First Amendment rights to free speech. But as far as I know, they also didn’t execute any sanctions against him because there was no way to definitively prove her accusations. What else would he have wanted them to do?
Of course they could; it’s a private school.
Yes, as a private school they could have stopped her mattress carrying without fear of violating her First Amendment rights. I think we learned that in the thread on the Oklahoma frat thread.
Maybe Columbia will tell her to leave the mattress at home so as not to disrupt graduation.
We don’t care about first amendment rights when we disagree with somebody.
Since this is a private school, not the government, the First Amendment does not factor in.
Nah.
When we grow up, we learn there are conflicts. One person’s rights conflict with another’s. We choose.
People like to look for simple answers to complex issues.
And when we grow up, we also learn that actions have consequences.
Not always.
I haven’t been following this story closely but this appears to be what happens when students who are victims of violent crimes don’t go to the police. Universities have no business trying to mediate between aggrieved parties on criminal matters.
Actions always have consequences. They don’t have to be big, they don’t have to be bad, but there are always consequences. I wonder if Emma ever considered that her actions could lead to something like this. Lawsuits that get personal are often long, drawn-out and miserable experiences. I wouldn’t wish this on her. But if she were my daughter, I would never, ever have allowed her to do the things she did. For her own good and nobody else’s.
Emma is not your daughter and if she was… You would prevent her from doing what she thinks is right?
Emma is an adult.
Just finished reading the actual complaint. Wow. Some of those new texts between Emma and Paul are very…interesting.
Seems to me he lays out Columbia’s policies re: confidentiality, there being no retaliatory measures allowed against participants in these hearings, etc and the fact that Emma has been allowed to ignore these policies with no trouble. Paul and his parents have made multiple complaints and the school has ignored them. He is being harassed, ostracized and isolated and the school is not affording him the protection and support they say they will offer in their policy handbook. Changing the rules on confidentiality in 2014 seems like a case of CYA.
Columbia found there wasn’t enough there in Emma’s story/evidence to punish Paul themselves, and yet they have been allowing her to run around campus naming him, calling him a serial rapist? If they believe Emma to the point that they won’t stop her from saying such things, when he has never been charged or convicted or found responsible of such a thing, they should reverse their decision and expel Paul.
They are a private institution with their own rules, and they are not following them.
Is it because he is a man? Is it because they are afraid of the backlash if they go against Emma, who has made such a name for herself? I get art and I love free speech, but there are slander and libel laws in this country too, so there are times when free speech is curbed or determined to have crossed a line.
I think Columbia has messed up here big time in this whole situation, but I have no idea whether Paul’s case has any legal merit.
Yes I would prevent my children from doing what they think is right if it is harmful to them. When my D was a freshman she contracted severe mono and spent that summer in and out of the hospital and had surgery. She was an adult, but when she was not medically cleared to return, I told her that I wouldn’t fund that semester because the doctor’s instructions were clear and wise. I think Emma harmed herself and her future. I don’t think that was wise or desirable. Emma is an adult, but I wonder if her parents are supporting her education in any way. I wouldn’t support my child harming him or herself or his or her future. Period. That is my line in the sand. You are free to draw your own.
If Emma would be my D, I would definitely handle the situation differently. This story would stay with her forever. And define her forever. So unless she makes a career in gender rights, she makes a big mistake.
If he raped her, then “mattress shaming” is clearly not enough. I would mortgage my house, I would hire lawyers and private investigators, I would really try to punish the rapist!
If it was a misunderstanding, drunken party, unclear message, … I would suggest my D to move on. Help her with a therapist. Talk about responsible drinking. Move on.
IMHO. (I had a one-night-stand with a fellow student once. I was drunk. I regret it. Stupid mistake. Move on.)
Emma’s parents have been right behind her, to the extent of issuing public statements accusing him and criticizing Columbia, for good or for ill.
Zoosermom, it doesn’t matter what we would do because we aren’t Emma or her parents. They are free to do what they think is best.
The parents think Paul is guilty. We don’t know always know what is harmful. Carrying the mattress may be therapeutic. There are pluses and minuses and overall, carrying the mattress might be a net positive for Emma. Even today…carrying the mattress may be a net positive for Emma.
dstark, do you think she should carry the mattress at graduation? Or be allowed to?
I don’t know about Columbia’s rules, but many schools discourage students from carry signs and so forth and otherwise turning graduation into a personal spectacle.
I would prefer that Emma did not carry the mattress at graduation but it is not my call. I don’t think Emma should listen to me. 