Navigating Trauma: The Exhausting Labyrinth Facing Campus Sexual Assault Survivors

Typically, when a student reports an on-campus assault, the university’s Title IX office evaluates whether the alleged conduct violates institutional policy.

Both parties eventually attend a hearing before a panel of faculty members or mediators, who review evidence and testimony to reach a decision.

One of the most significant challenges survivors face is navigating both the university and criminal justice systems simultaneously, which “serve different purposes, operate under different rules and timelines, and lead to different outcomes,” said Zoey Scheinblum-Brewer, a policy coordinator at the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.

“Unclear guidance regarding the options available through these parallel processes can cause significant confusion and uncertainty, leading some students to decide against reporting,” she said.

Mary stated that the process at her college was unclear when she decided to report the assault.

“I wish I had known what to expect beforehand. It felt as though the university officials were learning the process alongside me,” she said.

While some colleges, including Cornell, have information-sharing agreements with local police, Mary was required to file a separate report with law enforcement—a process she found physically exhausting.

Mary’s lawyer noted that surveillance footage showed her alleged rapist carrying her “slumped” over, and she had photos of her bruises and bite marks. However, police told Mary they lacked probable cause for an arrest, and the district attorney deferred the matter to university administration.

“I was left with the impression that because they knew the college was ‘handling’ my investigation, they could wash their hands of it,” she said.

The local police department told the BBC it did not have details on this specific case, and the local district attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

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