This Private Christian University is Punishing Students For Reporting Sexual Assault
There’s nothing “godly” about how Liberty University discourages students who try to report their sexual assaults
Trigger warning: This article discusses sexual assault/rape allegations in detail.
In 2017, Elizabeth Axley, a freshman at Liberty University, tried to report a sexual assault to the university staff. Axley had gone to an off-campus Halloween party on Saturday night, where she took shots of vodka with friends. While some of the night is blurry, Axley remembered waking up with a male student on top of her, his hand pressed against her mouth.
When she returned to her dorm later that night, Axley asked one of the campus police officers to drive her to the hospital. Her medical records showed that Axley’s assault left her with over 15 welts, lacerations, and bruises across her body.
The following day, Axley went straight to her resident advisor for advice about reporting the assault. Rather than encourage her to go the authorities, the RA warned Elizabeth Axley that she shouldn’t report the assault — and that if she did, the school might punish her for violating their rules about drinking alcohol and engaging with the opposite sex.
