James Madison University frat brothers allowed to graduate after alleged sexual assault: report
Sarah Butters reportedly withdrew from James Madison University after the attack. But the three frat brothers who reportedly violated her are walking free—they were punished by being banned from campus after they graduate.
A Virginia student claims she was betrayed by her friends and belittled by her school after speaking up about an alleged sexual assault.
Former James Madison University student Sarah Butters says she was assaulted by three frat boy friends during a 2013 spring break trip to Florida. Even though she has video proof of the attack, the school let the boys walk free by doling out an unusual punishment.
The three Sigma Chi Fraternity brothers were given “expulsion after graduation” which means they aren’t allowed to come back on JMU’s campus for any reason after graduation, WHSV reports.
As a result, two of the boys spent the past school year on campus and graduated with their degrees. The third boy is a rising senior, who is reportedly planning to come back to campus during the next year.
“It just really disgusts me that JMU is still going to give diplomas to people they find responsible of sexual assault and sexual harassment,” said Butters.
“I think this school cares more about their image and their reputation of maintaining a safe environment than they do actually protecting the students,” she added.
The alleged sexual assault occurred in Panama City last March, when Butters and a group of friends from the Harrisonburg, Va. school decided to take a spring break trip.
After a day at the beach, she remembers going back to the frat boys’ condo and drinking with the people she thought were her friends.
“The last thing I remember is being there with close to 10 or 15 other people,” Butters said. “And that’s the last thing I can remember that day.”
Three Sigma Chi Fraternity brothers at James Madison University were found responsible by the school for assaulting Butters.
Rumors about that night soon started swirling.
She asked the frat boys about what had happened, but they supposedly lied to her face.
When she got back on the JMU campus, she realized that a video of the assault had been posted to a gossip site.
In the video, the three men allegedly groped Butters while she was topless, trying to pull her onto their laps and take off her bikini bottoms.
Butters can reportedly be heard saying, “This isn’t okay, this isn’t a good idea.”
“I’m clearly like not really able to defend myself or fight them off,” said Butters, “We were in an enclosed bathroom. It was three of them surrounding me and none of them thought they were doing anything wrong.”
The woman decided to take the matter to her school instead of to the police. According to the school handbook, JMU has the right to hold students accountable for off-campus behavior.
But school officials allegedly told her that they couldn’t determine if the video was consensual.
Alleged Sexual Assault Victim Disproves of University’s Response
Alleged Sexual Assault Victim Disproves of University’s Response
WHSV – Harrisonburg, VA
After Butters filed an official complaint in January 2014, JMU’s director of judicial affairs Josh Bacon found the three men responsible for sexual assault and harassment. He gave an initial punishment of expulsion after graduation.
The boys wouldn’t be allowed to contact Butters or to walk during commencement. But they would be allowed to stay until they finished their degrees.
“I was not okay with that. I told them I was not okay with that type of punishment,” said Butters.
Butters appealed the decision and a hearing board decided to expel the men immediately. But the three frat boys shot back with an appeal of their own. The hearing board returned to the original “expulsion after graduation” punishment.
In the meantime, Butters said the stressful situation caused her grades to slip. She lost her financial aid and eventually dropped out of the college, according to The Huffington Post.
“What is a girl going to think that I had video proof and I still have to see these boys on campus?” Butters asked. “How would she ever feel comfortable coming forward?”
The school is now under federal investigation for how it handles reports of sexual violence. It joins a list of 62 universities that are also under fire from the Education Department for potentially violating the gender equity law Title IX.