This is an opinion piece by a Hilltop columnist.
Scrolling through social media, we have become familiar with phrases that are repeated so often that their implications can go unexamined. One of them is “not all men,” a response frequently invoked when women speak about sexual assault, domestic violence or harassment.
The phrase is not inherently false. Men should not be held responsible for misconduct they did not commit. But when the response to a woman describing her experience with sexual assault centers on defending men’s collective reputation, the conversation shifts away from the harm she is trying to address and instead whether the men listening should feel implicated.
That distinction matters when we consider the allegations surrounding Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity, which have drawn national attention to questions of sexual violence. A former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe in her lawsuit, has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by seven men in 2024. The allegations remain a matter of legal dispute.
But the broader questions raised by this case extends well beyond Cornell University. What responsibility do people have when they witness warning signs of sexual misconduct? What should universities do to protect students and respond to reports of harm? And what does it take for women to feel safe enough to speak up when something happens?
These are questions worth asking at Howard University, too.
Howard is a historically Black university whose campus community includes a substantial majority of women. Their safety should not be treated as a secondary concern, nor should conversations about sexual violence begin and end with this moment of national attention.
It means understanding that consent must be freely given, that intoxication can affect a person’s ability to consent and that witnessing potentially harmful behavior is not an invitation to look away. Bystander intervention does not require students to put themselves in danger. It can mean checking on someone in a vulnerable state and seeking help from trusted authorities.
Kayla Edge, a sophomore media, journalism and film major from South Carolina, expressed disgust at the handling of the Jane Doe case, though she said she was not surprised by the outcome.
“Colleges, especially Ivy League schools, are notorious for sweeping controversy under the rug,” Edge said.
Sydney Glover, a sophomore health science major from New York City, pointed out that this country often protects the individuals and institutions responsible for affecting others’ lives, allowing their reputations and personal interests to take precedence over accountability.
“Cornell knew the harm that took place on their campus and weren’t even bothered by the actions of their students,” Glover said. “The problem is not simply that predators commit these acts, but that they operate in systems that give them little reason to fear the consequences.”
When universities and communities fail to hold perpetrators accountable, they send a clear message about whose suffering matters and whose voices can be ignored.
Survivors of sexual assault always seem to be overlooked. It seems there could be an abundance of evidence of sexual assault, yet survivors are still routinely disbelieved, scrutinized and forced to defend their credibility while those accused of harming them are afforded the benefit of the doubt.
The world is set up by predators, sustained by their enablers and protected by institutions that prioritize personal connections, referrals, recommendations and friends and associates vouching for each other over real accountability and justice for the victims of sexual assault.
The system is perpetuated and upheld by the people who benefit from the permissive culture of looking the other way when crimes are committed or openly embracing questionable behavior at best, if it means staying in the social circle of the elite.
The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), which is the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the U.S, found that 90% of campus sexual assault cases go severely underreported due to fear, shame or lack of trust that the college administrators will handle it properly.
Of reported sexual assault cases, both on and off campus, police classify approximately 20% as false or baseless, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine. However, a report being classified as unfounded does not, on its own, establish that an assault did not occur.
Police should not dismiss someone’s report of sexual assault simply because they believe the available evidence is insufficient. The consequences of these judgments are particularly significant on college campuses, where sexual violence remains prevalent. RAINN estimates that 21 to 35% of female undergraduates experience sexual assault or rape over the course of their four years in college.
Jane Doe can never reclaim what was taken from her that she alleged she was sexually assaulted by students at her own university. But she can expose those responsible, challenge a system that protects perpetrators at the expense of survivors and empower others to share their stories despite their fear.
Copy edited by Jori Johnson
