"The people are what I'm going to miss the most," says Joanna Vandyke. Vandyke was an Emmanuel Student that fell in love with the college's campus during her initial tour. She dreamt of enjoying the interiors and exteriors of the school as soon as she started her freshmen year. But most of all, later on she was impressed by the student community.
She felt the welcome. "Even if I was only there for a short time, I'm glad I got to be a part of that", says Vandyke. Her statement stems from the fact that she was raped in March. The school administrators of Emmanuel College cited her rapist as "not responsible" for the assault. The Student Code of Conduct board ruled the case closed. According to Boston, after hearing their verdict, Vandyke decided she could not go back.
In response to the administration's decision, Vandyke wrote on Facebook about the school's focus. "It is clear to me that you value your reputation more than you value your community," she said. She fired shots at the lack of compassion the school has after expressing that the school promises to empower women like her. "For you not acknowledge that any misconduct occurred is shameful", stated Vandyke.
The college decided to reply with an issued statement saying that they handled it in a "comprehensive manner that fully complies with Title IX" which refers to the Student Code of Conduct. The school stated that the issue was one sided.
In her official statement of complaint, she explained that she struggled with blaming herself for the situation and chose not to report the incident to the police. However, she chose to report it to her residence life staff instead.
Currently, she's received support from classmates who have expressed similar frustrations with the sexual assault hearing process.
Rape is an issue in schools and though it is being addressed, some may want a better process. Check out the video below about "Boost" which is a film about rape on college campus.
