What the Yale Parent’s Suit Means for College Women
September 9, 2011
by Patricia Garrison
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The parents of slain Yale student Annie Le – who filed suit this week against the University for failing to adequately protect their daughter — don’t have a legal leg to stand on. That’s the assessment of some bloggers – and Yale — who contend that as horrible a crime as this was, the University cannot be held accountable.
The parents contend – among other charges — that the University fostered an atmosphere of misogyny that “emboldened” Annie’s killer. The suit references a Title IX sexual discrimination complaint filed by students and alumni, citing Yale’s deeply sexist culture that effectively prohibits women from getting an equal education under the law. Not surprisingly, the University maintains that the charges are without merit.
I’m not a lawyer, but I suspect that Annie’s family will in fact have an extremely difficult time proving their case. Legal hurdles notwithstanding, a cursory review of the past year tells us that violence against women — in the classroom, the dormitory, the hotel room — is becoming increasingly easy to get away with.
While we can’t condemn all institutions outright, we do need to face the fact that protection from crimes against women can be a hit or miss proposition. You can no longer count on the college, the courts, or even the cops to help you.
Still, the value of the suit may go beyond the court room. In their fierce determination to hold Yale accountable, they are doing the same with us. Their suit insists that such crimes are not inevitable. Importantly, it underscores they are almost always connected to a culture of misogyny that has been allowed to fester without any effort to stop it.
Should they win, they will get the justice they deserve. But, even if they lose, they will have forced us to reckon with the realities of campus life that our ivy-covered narratives obscure. That college in 2011 can be a dangerous place for a young woman.
I’m very glad Annie’s parents are doing this. I also doubt they will get anywhere with it but the parents of young women need to know about the everyday misogyny that is common place in this Ivy League sector of society. People from this segment of society are dragging their misogynist world view to Corporate Media and to our Government and acting as if it is normal. I am disgusted by it, they do not reflect American culture.
Also we need to teach young women where to go and what to do when they are sexually assaulted on campus. The Universities are more interested in protecting their reputations and those of their blue blood perps than helping women students. So they sweep it under the rug. I think women are far better off going to the city police than campus officials.
I am also happy that Annie’s parents are doing this. This is very bad publicity for Yale, no matter who wins this case. There has to be a consequence when Universities ignore the well-being of their female population and in this case, the consequence for Yale will be there reputation.
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