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RAPE ON CAMPUS

Student Rape Victim Could Be Expelled for Speaking Out

Told she'd violated the university's honor code

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by Mary Noble

Senior Editor t +

Image: NY Daily News

The University of North Carolina has threatened to expel student Landen Gambill for "intimidating" her alleged rapist by talking to the media about the fact that she was assaulted. However, Gambill hasn't named her alleged rapist, and says she's done nothing wrong in talking to the press.

Gambill claims that the threat is retaliation by the university for negative press about their poor handling of her rape complaint. As she told the Daily Tar Heel, when she reported to the student-run Honor Court that her ex-boyfriend had raped her, they handled the case in a way that distressed her, asking her questions about why she hadn't simply left her boyfriend. "They made it seem like my assault was completely my fault," she added.

Gambill spoke to the media in December. In January and February she received two emails from the university's Attorney General, the second of which charged her with "Disruptive or intimidating behavior that willfully abuses, disparages, or otherwise interferes with another" student, Gambill's ex-boyfriend. If the honor court finds her guilty of the charge, Gambill could be expelled.

At a hearing to discuss the charge against her, Gambill says that the Honor Court told her that she'd violated the honor code by reporting the rape in the first place.

Gambill's case is part of a larger pattern at the university. In January, former UNC Dean of Students Melinda Manning and four students filed a lawsuit on behalf of 64 other students with the US Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights. They allege that the university "pressured Manning into underreporting cases" and violated several federal laws protecting assault victims, including the Civil Rights Act, according to the Daily Tar Heel.

Via Alternet and The Daily Tar Heel. H/T DARSB.
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Should it be OK for women to tell the press about a rape, provided they don't name the suspect?

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123 Comments (view in Forum)

  • RoyFloyd
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    Who reported a rape to the student court anyway? Almost every college has one, and it's used for things like when your dorm-mate comes home drunk and pees on your calculus text. Rape, shootings, and other felonies are best referred to REAL court.
  • martydotcom
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    This young lady is deranged - if she was raped she should have reported it to the police, worst case the campus rentacops. Rape is a felony not a student council issue. If she doesn't want to name names then she should just shut up
  • LGRepublican
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    @norezen THAT'S the bottom line. Whatever happened to innocent until PROVEN guilty? As I stated on a different thread, the accusation would ruin a person's name and reputation if he's found not guilty and for what?
  • Denizen_Kate
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    @martydotcom - gee, Marty, don't hold back, tell us what you really think. ;)

    The article doesn't mention whethor or not she also reported the rape to police. She may have gone there first, then reported her ex-boyfriend to campus authorities as well, and is now having these problems. In essence, this is a very incomplete report and perhaps you're being a bit quick to judge. It is entirely possible that this school is trying to ignore a legitimate complaint by placing blame on the complainer, and that could be why she's been so vocal about it.
  • NTBFW
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    @Denizen_Kate I have to agree. It would be better to know more. If she was raped I don't give a damn what happens to him. Shovel and lime time. But we need to make damn sure before anything is said.

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  • Denizen_Kate
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    If she has also reported this to the police, she may be prevented by law from publicly naming her attacker. I'm not sure of the law here in my own state, so can't really speak for NC. In any case, IMO she's wise to refrain from naming him to the press, since he's not yet been convicted of a crime.
  • edindav
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    So by this reasoning a man could be vilified by the whole of America on the say so of a possible spurned ex girlfriend. What about the presumption of innocence?
    Also if your view was taken the man wouls then be allowed to name a possible victim and cause the untold suffering that that would entail. A ridiculous comment made by someone who has either been hurt in the past or has not thought this through to its conclusion. A court of law with no comment on the case until conviction or certainly no naming of anyone until a conclusion of the trial.
  • seedtick
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    Yep, tell everyone who he is. And, what the hell does the school mean, "violated their honor system?" Whose honor are we talking about? That bastard did not respect her honor.
  • Malitia_Man
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    Just think... If she had been armed with a concealed weapon, then we wouldn't be having this discussion!!!

    Remember ladies... You can either be a victim and another statistic, or you can defend yourselves!!!
  • dances-weebles
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    um... what if she happened to be in the shower at the time, or in bed. would she be armed? what if the two of them were in bed together at the time of the rape? it's obvious that you don't know what rape is... even if they were in bed and she said 'no' to sex and he forced himself on her, it's rape. the fact is that every woman has the right to say no... even if she and her rapist are married at the time that the rape happens.

    no means no.
  • NTBFW
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    @dances-weebles lol I have a Glock in a Freezer bag in my shower. And don't even think about bother me in bed. Lol.

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  • SignifiedNBlue
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    This country has NEVER matured! Repeating the same ignorant bullshit generation after generation. Im sickened by this story. Proven the absolute ignorance. Close the college down. Ignorant bunch of idiots!
  • Dan_Tien
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    She should be able to report his name to the police without talking to a university "honor court". Accusing someone of rape by name to the papers without reporting the crime to the police should not be encouraged, as it could lead to defamation of character charges if she is unable to prove her accusation and could potentially be exactly that if the rape did not actually occur.
  • earl
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    "At a hearing to discuss the charge against her, Gambill says that the Honor Court told her that she'd violated the honor code by reporting the rape in the first place."
    This woman has reported that she was violated by her ex boyfriend and the university tells her that she violated the honor code? Send in the clowns, never mind, they're already here.
  • Republican5150
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    Um...since rape is a criminal matter and she is an adult, why did she not report it to the authorities instead of some student court?

    Perhaps UNC should reevaluate the mental capacity of all the students and faculty.
  • Mbjhug
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    You mean like the ones that arrest the male on the spot, no matter what, even if he is the victim? Or how about the ones that completely ignores male rape victims (just as many as female victims) and trivializes and even pokes fun at their victimization?

    Women are crying rape more and more just because they didn't like the male. Who would question it? Women NEVER make false rape claims........right?
  • zachsquatch
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    I'm guessing with that logic, they're considering rape to be honorable. My bets are that the sick f**k that took advantage of her has ties to someone high in the University or State legislature.
  • marine1
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    If there are goverment dollars going to this school, they should stop. These schools, by design are denying students their civil liberties. Where is our phony ACLU?
  • JustTheFacts
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    I think we should throw some of these academic people in prison to be raped ... then see how they feel about speaking out against their sexual predator!
  • earl
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    I posted that I did not know whether she reported it to the police. I assumed she did but the article did not say. It is a disgrace by the university and they may be facing another lawsuit soon.
  • Rick61
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    These big universities have their own police with state police powers and their main job is to suppress the crime numbers and keep the greeks out of the real court system. If parents new the real crime rate at colleges they would never let their kids go. This system should be abolished and let the local police have jurisdiction over the campuses.
  • justapirate
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    I've got a few problems with the story as reported and the poll choices.
    If this is a police matter then why the student court? Legal matters aren't their jurisdiction, are they?
    I don't know the law on this but isn't it law enforcement who initially decides whether names are released?
    Without formal charges are the news agencies even allowed to publish names? I'm a little fuzzy on that one.
    Just a few of the questions I have. Something just isn't right with this story.
  • mimi57
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    Rape is a serious crime and should be reported to the police immediately. A rape test is required for proof ,and then charges should be filed through the criminal court
    system. I don't understand the 'speaking out', no one knows if she was raped or not.
    If she hasn't taken the proper steps to prosecute this person, what is she saying. We
    still have the 'innocent until proven guilty' clause...as a woman I am sensitive to the
    rape issue, as the mother of sons, I am appalled that someone can defame another,
    without even reporting it to the proper authorities. She just may have other problems.
    Anyone can claim anything...it doesn't make it factual.
  • earl
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    Hello, Ma'am. Unless I missed it, the article doesn't say whether she reported it to the police. Surely she did unless she only wanted her ex boyfriend disciplined by the university and not by the police. This whole article may be a hoax, it makes no sense.
  • mimi57
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    @earl Sounds to me as if she went to the student run Honor Court, and not the police. Who knows if it was consensual or not...why blab it all over the school?..
    Did you hear about the Jody Ariza case? She made up a long drawn out sex
    story about how her boyfriend was initiating all of these kinky sex things, tying
    up with ropes, etc., ad nauseam...They have all the cell phone recordings and
    she was the one initiating most of it! Anyway, she got mad, drove hundreds of miles,
    had sex with him, one last time. Stabbed him 29 times, almost severed his head
    from his spinal cord and shot him in the face! She's a psychopath and I hope she
    gets the death penalty, but trust me...todays women are not always innocent, in
    fact sometimes it can be just the opposite. Crazy!
  • earl
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    @mimi57 Yes, I have been watching that case occasionally. She sure seems to be evasive with her answers and she admitted that she lied about a dozen times but wants us to believe her now. She probably won't get the death penalty but life. What happened to the gun that she used?
  • mimi57
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    @earl Don't know... she talks about sex like a porn writer, and in front of the entire court room and millions of people. She seems to love the attention and never forgets
    a moment of the kinky sex acts, but can't remember a thing about how she killed him. Only that she did, and then had a 'black out', and God forbid she gets a 'migraine' from skipping lunch, they have to shut the court down. Poor thing...
    ( sarcasm!)

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  • ASmith
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    It's inside the buybull belt. Why be surprised that the attitudes are the same. Even money says claiming she "violated the honour code" is intended to incite an honour killing agaisnt her.
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