Charlottesville’s newspaper, The Daily Progress, has released a recording of Rolling Stone’s interview with UVA President Teresa Sullivan, in which she concedes the university has a problem with sexual assault, that one fraternity is under investigation and that two or three frats have been suspended every year since she took the job.
The telephone interview begins on a cagey note as reporter Sabrina Rubin Erdeley greets Teresa Sullivan, the school’s vice president for communications and the associate V.P. of student affairs, Susan Davis.
“Is it my understanding that you’re going to be tape-recording this conversation? Yes. Okay, so in that case I’m going to also turn on my tape recorder, so give me a moment.”
Erdeley then tells the trio, in no uncertain terms, what she’s doing.
“The problem of sexual assault is a very big national issue and happening on every campus, but my article is going to focus specifically on UVA.”
Two people at the university, the director of the Gender Violence and Social Change program, and Associate Dean of Students Nicole Eramo are especially knowledgeable about the problem of sexual assault, but the Rolling Stone reporter is under the impression they cannot speak with her. She asks President Sullivan why:
“I’m sorry. I don’t have any idea.”
She then asks if UVA has a problem with sexual assault on campus.
“I think there’s a problem with sexual assault generally in the United States, in various institutions including the military and prisons and at universities, and I don’t exempt the University of Virginia.”
Erdeley asks if there’s a problem with fraternity culture.
“There is not one fraternity culture, and I would say some of them show very strong leadership on issues such as this, but are there are other places where bad things happen including hazing? Yes there are.”
Indeed, Sullivan says one frat is now under investigation and could lose the privileges of an official student organization.
“We have revoked two or three of those a year in every year I have been here.”
Erdeley then shares what she has heard from students.
“Now I was told in May of this year there was a sexual misconduct hearing two other girls also testified that the man had sexually assaulted them as well, so that brought the number of alleged victims to three, and please stop me if any of this is not correct. I understand that the man was found guilty and was penalized with a one-year suspension. Do you feel that the UVA campus will be properly protected when he returns to campus next fall?"
"Well I’m going to refer this to Susan, because I think Susan has more knowledge of that immediate case, but you understand that in talking about specific people and specific cases, we do also have privacy requirements.”
For that reason, Davis also refuses comment. Erdeley notes that 38 students reported a sexual assault during the last academic year, but after conferring with Dean Eramo, only nine filed formal complaints. Davis replies that forcing victims to file charges might mean even fewer will come forward to report attacks. She said there is a balance to be struck between the rights of a victim and the need to protect society. At UVA, Sullivan adds, that balance might need to change.
“I do think that some of the events that have happened recently around Hannah Graham’s disappearance may change the conversation about reporting or not reporting. The suspect that’s now in custody had been accused of sexual assault at two other universities, but in both those cases apparently the survivor did not come forward and file the complaint.”
The university is learning more about the problem of sexual assault – looking for ways to improve, and that, she said, is the best we can do.
You can listen to the entire interview, posted on The Daily Progress's website, here.
