Comments on: Second female student reports sexual assault this weekend

By: Drake alum

Drake alum — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:38:34 +0000

In February of 2003 there was a fatal car accident near campus. Two students were killed and another was severly injured and barely survived. They had been drinking at Peggys, who’s insurance company paid large settlements to the families of the departed students. The incident did get some publicity but not as much Dublin has recently. It appears that the university has a grudge against Dublin and has since it opened. At what point is it harrasment? I sympathize with the victims and agree it’s not their fault, but where should the Blame be put? It should be placed on the perpatraitor and the the bussiness where they at some point? I think not! You are all intelligent people wise up!

By: Alum

Alum — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:11:57 +0000

Amanda that was right on the money. A lot has been said about these girls having known the dangers associated with underage drinking, even excusing the rapes as being an acceptable result because they shouldn’t have been drinking in the first place. The people who makes those types of ignorant statements show a blatant disregard for humanity and are downright despicable. Imagine if the brothers or sisters or mothers or fathers or friends of these girls are reading these comments. Imagine how sick to their stomachs they must feel while reading them. Imagine how you would feel if your girlfriend or best friend or daughter or wife was raped and you had to come read the same types of inexcusable comments blaming your loved one for a despicable crime committed against them. As a male, I hope I never have experience the pain of having a loved one have their lives and trust and happiness ripped away from them. I would hope people would step back and think before they pass judgments on these girls because you never know when you will be similarly affected by these types of horrific crimes.

By: concerned

concerned — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:18:01 +0000

Thanks for posting that Amanda.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:38 +0000

Just a thought:

I’m a woman.

If I know that most rapes are facilitated with alcohol, should I NEVER drink?
If I know that most women are sexually assaulted by people they know, should I never trust men or have boyfriends?

ALL you are doing is blaming the victims for what happened to them. No one can live cloistered and avoid all danger. We all know that people drink and drive, but lord knows most of us still get in our cars and drive places.

Think about what you are saying and practice a little empathy. Rape isn’t the fault of the victim. It’s the rapist’s fault for doing the raping.

To those that have experienced sexual assault: I hope you get the help you need. Don’t let people who say these things (hopefully out of ignorance and not to be malicious) scare you into silence. IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT. Try to believe that; I know it is hard. PLEASE get the help you need, and please don’t suffer alone. Remember, Stranger Danger is a lie. Most rapes are date-rapes or acquaintance rapes, and most are facilitated by drugs or alcohol.

By: Anon

Anon — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:07:37 +0000

Living is dangerous. That doesn’t stop you from walking to your class or getting in your car and driving somewhere. If we live in fear, we aren’t living. It is regrettable that these actions were committed, but these women came forward, so hopefully things will get better and change so people can worry a little less about them.

By: D

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:28:51 +0000

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009911180360

By: reply

reply — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:06:04 +0000

However, I think the sad part is that people do know that there have been history of people being roofied at parties and such and on a given night, it is very possible to be a victim of being roofied. I guess if the fact is out there and people still do, they don’t really believe that it’s true.

Look, people know the danger not only with the possible effects of alcohol, as a student earlier nearly died because of alcohol poisoning, but then also the use of drugs and being roofied. No one wants to be raped and especially not when you’re not in your right mind. But it’s not like we don’t let the students know about all these information. They sit and listen to it and then go out and party. If you know and truly believe that something is dangerous, you wouldn’t be even putting yourself in a situation that might make the event possible.

By: Drake Student

Drake Student — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:51:07 +0000

You people are missing the main issue here…

“would you blame jimmy johns or paul revere’s pizza if the victim had stopped to get a bite to eat before getting in a van or going to another student’s apartment or the sigma chi house and getting assaulted?!”

Listen, the Dublin is being mentioned because there has been a history of people being roofied there. Roofies are usually found in alcohol, not food so mentioning food establishments is pointless. the victim should NOT be blamed here and you should not be talking about how much people hate the Dublin. What needs to be addressed is she SEXUAL ASSAULT which people seem to be overlooking. Never blame the victim.

By: d student

d student — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:43:14 +0000

This comment is for Drake Person

If you have been drugged, you are not coherent, it was not this girl’s choice to get in the car!

By: student

student — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:38:05 +0000

Personally, I’m just glad that these women have felt comfortable enough to report the sexual assault. So often, sexual assault goes unreported because of the way women who report it are treated. If these two incidents happened in just one night, think about the incidents happening every other night that go unreported, the assaulters who continue to do what they do. I hope the Des Moines police and Drake take this seriously.