Princeton University's faculty disagreed strongly with the views expressed by Princeton parent and alumna Susan Patton regarding sexual assault. They affirmed their opposition by signing a letter to the editor in the Daily Princetonian on Tuesday, the Huffington Post reported. It appears in full below.

[W]e wish to inform the students on this campus that we do not believe that their manner of dress or drinking behavior makes them responsible for unwanted sexual contact. It is extremely important that individuals of all genders on a college campus feel comfortable reaching out for help. We, the undersigned faculty, stand behind victims of sexual assault and want them to know that our campus is a place where they have a voice, where they will not be made to feel responsible and where they can find support and justice.

Over 200 faculty signatures supported the response to Patton's now well publicized views, which first covered the topic of sexual assault in a book she wrote called "Marry Smart," published this month. The impetus of the book was a letter Patton wrote to the Princetonian in March of last year. It advised female students to find a husband at college because afterwards the chances of meeting one's intellectual equal severely diminish. Marriage, she argued, represents a significant portion of one's lifetime happiness. Why not take it more seriously in college? Though the initial letter didn't address sexual assault, it was mentioned at some point in the book -- drawing the ire of the school's faculty.

Basically, Patton believes nearly the opposite of the faculty letter: that women who dress provocatively or inebriate themselves excessively should be held more responsible for sexual assault crimes. Her response to the faculty's response:

The reason is, she is the one most likely to be harmed, so she is the one that needs to take control of the situation. She is that one that needs to take responsibility for herself and for her own safety, and simply not allow herself to come to a point where she is no longer capable of protecting her physical self. The analogy that I would give you is: If you cross the street without looking both ways and a car jumps the light or isn't paying attention, and you get hit by a car - as a woman or as anybody - and you say, 'Well I had a green light,' well yes you did have a green light but that wasn't enough. So in the same way, a woman who is going to say, 'Well the man should have recognized that I was drunk and not pushed me beyond the level at which I was happy to engage with him,' well, you didn't look both ways. I mean yes, you're right, a man should act better, men should be more respectful of women, but in the absence of that, and regardless of whether they are or are not, women must take care of themselves.