The treatment of the article you wrote about Ms. Wright’s sexual harassment case was completely inappropriate. It is evident that you have not had any training or education in the correct way to discuss and approach the extremely sensitive subject of sexual harassment, assault or misconduct. First of all, you featured a nearly half-page photograph depicting an uncomfortable scene of unbalanced power between a man and woman ON THE FRONT PAGE of the paper. Not only did you have no regard for how this may affect or trigger survivors of any type of sexual misconduct, but within your title or the article itself you listed no trigger warning for the topics you discussed.
Additionally, the language you chose to use in your article was condescending and nearly accusatory where it needed to be supportive and accepting. The correct term to use is not victim, but survivor, as it is our jobs as humans and advocates for the respectful treatment of other humans to empower those who have survived such intense mistreatment. Additionally, you referred to the perpetrator of sexual misconduct crimes as simply the student.
I cannot wholly blame you for your ignorance on the subject, as Auburn University and the community of Auburn is on the whole extremely uneducated and misinformed about many of the issues, misnomers and stigmas concerning sexual assault. I do blame you for not doing proper research before publishing this article. You may have unknowingly caused survivors to be triggered back to their experiences. I strongly encourage you, your staff and the rest of the Auburn community to GET INFORMED about being a more survivor-supportive campus and community. I also urge the students at Auburn to reject rape culture and the stigmas and stereotypes that surround it.
Chloe Chaudhury
senior in biochemistry
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