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THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014 DAILYEMERALD.COM WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT RAPE(SOMEBODY HAS TO) You can’t solve a problem with silence. Unfortunately, there’s too much of it when the subject of rape comes up on the University of Oregon campus. The case of the alleged rape of a student by men’s basketball players Dominic Artis, Damyean Dotson and Brandon Austin has tested the policies and procedures present to combat the crime. There’s a lot of room for improvement, but there’s also hope. The university has resources for survivors, which include staff and faculty who are well-versed in counseling and mediation. There are also students who are actively fighting to promote awareness of rape culture. Let’s make some noise and support those striving to make a difference. Let’s start the conversation. saturday girl talk + phantogram run the jewels + future islands man man + gardens & villa TRANSFORMERS thundercat + shy girls + landlady An ancient struggle between two Cybertronian races, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, comes to Earth, with a clue to the ultimate power held by a teenager. When Tony Stark’s world is torn sunday apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an spoon + haim + tune-yards odyssey of rebuilding and retribution. fucked up + the antlers IRON MAN 3 pink mountaintops + ema modern kin + the districts early bird tickets on sale now! musicfestnw.com/tickets Thursday, May 8 PLC 180 8:30pm FREE ADMISSION TO ALL FOOD & GIVEAWAYS TO UO STUDENTS facebook.com/DucksAfterDark Brought to you by the Student Activities Board PAGE 2 EMERALD THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014 EDITORIAL Let’s end the silence now. From university employees to students, we can do better when it comes to handling sexual assault. The University of Oregon is responsible for started Pac-12 tournament play and continued the police report detailing Artis, Dotson and significant failures over the last few months. to March Madness. While it’s understandable Austin’s actions came to light on Monday, Three student athletes have failed as role that authorities didn’t want the administration many students automatically discounted models for the university community. The to muddle the investigation, it still looks like the survivor’s testimony without reading the administration and athletic department basketball was prioritized over justice. police report for themselves. have failed in taking swift action and being The context and breadth of the Eugene The blame for this incident is on all of transparent in addressing an alleged rape. And Police Department’s request that the us, and we cannot escape the weight of this we’ve failed as students — through silence, administration not intervene is unclear. situation. We as a student body need to take a victim blaming and acceptance — in allowing However, it seems the UO was far too step back and wonder why situations like this our campus to be a rape tolerant environment. willing to use that request as justification to occur in the first place. This issue — as ugly as Dominic Artis, Damyean Dotson and permit the three athletes to play in the most it may be — is something that we will have to Brandon Austin were accused of allegedly important games for the men’s basketball address. raping a women in the bathroom of star point program in recent years. It makes men’s As students of the UO, we need to demand a guard Johnathan Loyd’s home, then again at basketball head coach Dana Altman look bad. change. Artis and Dotson’s apartment. Whether or not It makes the athletic department look bad. It We should demand that President Michael these allegations are true should be left to a makes the UO look worse. Gottfredson launch an external review of how proper police inquiry. Whether or not it was Each entity acted as if nothing happened this case was handled. consensual doesn’t change the fact that the until it was finally made public by Eugene We should demand that sexual assault actions admitted by these three men are of Police in a 24-page report. The UO be treated like a violent crime instead of an the lowest character ever recorded by a UO administration has frivolously used the Family infraction. student athlete. Education Rights and Privacy Act — a law And we demand that our administration be Having group sex with an intoxicated intended to protect a student’s educational transparent in this and all other issues. person is a moral crime that these three will record — in order to defer any questions about You don’t fix a problem with silence. We have to live with for the rest of their lives. the incident, creating a general lack of trust need to address these issues as a community. The UO administration has an obligation among the media and many faculty members. When it comes to rape, we need to support our to protect its students, but the way this case The UO’s policies regarding sexual assault own. was handled suggests otherwise. Not every appear troublingly lenient. In comparison to detail surrounding this case is available yet, national statistics that range from 10 to 25 but everything released over the last 72 hours percent, UO has a one percent expulsion rate is damaging to the administration, athletic for sexual assault. department and the community. In 2012 there were 39 cases of sexual assault This editorial reflects the views of the Emerald’s editorial The UO admitted to learning of the reported to UO. No one was expelled. board. The board consists of: Editor-in-Chief Sam Stites, allegations against the three athletes as early What’s even more troubling is the stigma managing editors Eder Campuzano, Chelsea Wicks, Eliza Collins, Samantha Matsumoto, Art Director Jake Crump and as March 9, three days before Dotson and Artis that the UO is a rape tolerant campus. After incoming Editor-in-Chief Sami Edge. THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014 EMERALD PAGE 3 NEWS ➡ SEXUAL ASSAULT INVESTIGATION WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: FROM THE ALLEGATIONS TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY DROPPING THE CASE AGAINST DOTSON, ARTIS AND AUSTIN Damyean Dotson, Dominic Artis and November. Austin transferred to the UO after he Artis entered the bathroom. As the party wound was suspended from the Providence team. down around 1:30 a.m., the survivor’s friend began Brandon Austin made headlines this On April 14, the district attorney decided not to head home. The survivor said she was strong- to press charges on behalf of the state, citing armed into staying with the three men. Players week when the Lane County District insufficient evidence to prove criminal conduct denied this occurred. In an interview, a friend of although the DA said there’s no doubt the incidents the survivor recalls spending roughly 20 minutes Attorney revealed it had dropped an occurred. arguing with the survivor and the men trying to get The men played two more road games during her to leave with them. The friend told the survivor investigation into the alleged rape of the March Madness series between the time the that Dotson was “not a nice guy.” incident was reported and the district attorney’s The friend mentions that she had never been a University of Oregon student by the dismissal of the case. around the survivor while she’d been drinking, Dotson and Austin were suspended from so she couldn’t say for certain how the survivor three basketball players on March 9. the team on May 5 and Artis was reportedly handled alcohol. transferring. The Eugene police report was made The survivor, the three players and a fourth man The Eugene Police Department released its public the same day. — who Artis identified as fellow Oregon basketball official report on May 5. It details three separate The following contains graphic details from the player Richard Amardi — entered an Oregon Taxi incidents — two in a bathroom and another at an Eugene police report and may be triggering to some and rode to an apartment leased to Artis and apartment leased to Dotson and Artis — over the readers: Dotson. course of 12 separate interviews. The survivor attended a party on the 1200 Soaked from the rain, the woman asked for dry The report mentions that the survivor told block of 22nd Avenue on March 8 earlier that clothes. Artis provided her with a sweatshirt and a her father about the incident on March 9. The day. The Ducks played Arizona in Eugene. When pair of shorts. The survivor and four men — Artis, father called UOPD to report the rape. Campus Eugene police officers shut the party down upon Dotson, Austin and an unidentified man who Artis police called the survivor, but she didn’t answer responding to a noise complaint, the survivor and and Dotson said was not a teammate, entered the phone. She reported it to the Eugene Police a friend left. They heard about another party at Artis’ room where the woman said she was again Department on March 14. 1975 Onyx St. from Oregon guard Joseph Young, assaulted. Artis and Dotson played in two games between whom the survivor met the previous day. “I think I just gave up,” the survivor told Loos. “I the incident and the day the survivor reported Dotson, Artis and Austin were at the party when let them do whatever they wanted, I just wanted it the incident. Both games took place in Las Vegas the survivor arrived. After some time, Dotson to be over and to go to sleep.” during the Pac-12 tournament. and Austin accompanied the survivor into the During the incident, she began to cry.

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