Madi Barney is a sophomore at the Brigham Young University. She reported to the Utah police that she's been raped by a fellow student. However, her report to the Utah police department turned out to be a boomerang for her.
According to The Guardian, after the police sent the case to the university, Barney received a notification from the school stating that the university has been informed on her 'behavior that violates BYU honor code'.
From then on, there have been streams of protests from the students. They cannot accept any victim being suspended because of violating the Honor Code due to consensual sex. The NY Times reported that 30,000 students disagreed on the moral virtues. As the Mormon-run university applies the modest rules, it would mean that the victims of sexual assaults cannot have the right treatment; simply because they've crashed the code.
Before students can enter the faith driven campus, they are required to sign Honor Code. The honor code itself, states that consensual sex outside marriage is prohibited and so are drug use and drinking. The complaints that become a national debate have been voiced by female students including Brooke, a fellow victim and survivor, who felt like the institution treated her as 'un-Christlike way'.
Commenting on the issue, the university spokeperson wrote an email saying that Brigham Young University cares about the students' safety albeit an obligation to pursue the case under the Honor Code. The email also stresses about the wellness of victims as 'a primary focus'.
The issue has been published in various media and this leads to many other female students showing up to protest the 'silencing victim' culture. The Salt Lake Tribune talked to Katina Parker-Phillpotts, who was sexually assaulted in 1993. While she did not report the attack, she mentioned a friend being expelled from the private university after sexually assaulted, stating that the campus reviewed the case based on the Honor Code.
