OUCH: Huffington Post singles out McCombs for assault

[freescooter]

Why should she have to move? She's not the one who is accused of committing a crime.

this is one of those matters for which there really isn't a good answer in my mind. It is sort of like a friend of mine who lived in Hartford. His house got broken into 4 times. After the first 3 he said "I should be able to be safe in my own home. they aren't chasing me out of here." On the 4th the guy was still there when he walked in. He moved right afterwards. Now he was right. He should be safe in his own home. But the reality was that he wasn't. Same with the woman. Nobody was convicted of a crime as far as I know in the McCombs situation. It was a boyfriend-girlfriend fight. as far as people moving, she doesn't report that McCombs tried to intimidate her,nor threaten her or do anything else against her. If he did, she has some kind of case that he at least should have been moved if not faced even harsher discipline. But she makes no such claims. From all we know he just lived down stairs and went about his business. She wasn't even the person he fought with. So under what grounds do they force him to move? that she feels "uncomfortable?" That starts down a slippery slope it seems to me. Suppose she "didn't feel safe" because he was a black man? Should he have to move then? Or because she's afraid of people from Staten Island? Should he move? It seems to me if she is uncomfortable she ought to be the one to move and given the circumstances the University ought to do its best to accommodate her. Again, I'm not saying UConn did a great job handling this, but you need more than "feeling uncomfortable" to force someone to move.

 

[UConn07]

Why should she have to move? She's not the one who is accused of committing a crime.

I wrote this because one of her questions against the UCONN administration in the original article is they didn't voluntarily move her housing location.

From her written piece in the Huffington Post: "Even if McCombs was entitled to know who his accusers were, why didn't she offer to move my living assignment or instate a no-contact policy?"

 

[SubbaBub]

Is the "rape trail" = the Ho Chi Minh trail? Just looking for context here. If it's the same trail, remember it being outer space dark and covered by thick brush and trees. In other words, a perfect recipe for these sick acts.

Yes, hence the nickname. But I don't believe any of the claimed assaults took.place there. It's just an anecdotal attempt to sway public opinion toward the plaintiffs. Has nothing to do with the case, except point toward the University actively addressing safety concerns.

 

[J187Money]

Maybe I'm too (whatever the opposite of old fashioned is) and cynical, but I see this suit as a complete farce devised solely to garner attention and a check.

Whatever underlying attacks there may or may not have been, is not the point of the suit. The point they are trying to establish is that UConn has an absolute responsibility for safety or, at a minimum, UConn has a responsibility to follow it's own policies with regard to reported crimes.

The first one is absurd, they provide all the public safety facilities commonly used as any other school of its size. As for the second, short of systematic disregard for the process (not outcomes), I don't see a lot here short of some individuals not doing their jobs. None of it reaches the level of holding an entire University of 30,000 people accountable, whatever sympathy you may feel for these women.

After reading the suit - it appears that people didn't do their jobs, and then up the chain people didn't do their jobs. It appears at this point that their options are A) forget about it and move on or B) fight like they are now. If you want to do something about it so maybe someone else doesn't have to suffer the same fate, "A" doesn't seem to be the right thing to do. So you have "B"...if someone has a third option I'd love to hear one. But it looks like they tried to deal with it within the system and were shut down.

 

[UConn07]

Yes, hence the nickname. But I don't believe any of the claimed assaults took.place there. It's just an anecdotal attempt to sway public opinion toward the plaintiffs. Has nothing to do with the case, except point toward the University actively addressing safety concerns.

Bingo! However, these girls and now the media are claiming because there is a path that students call the rape trail on campus, that that is proof that UCONN promotes a rape culture. They are grasping for stones. Much like the new 'aggresive' Husky dog portrays a rape culture. The mere fact that these girls believe that should call into question everything they say.

 

[J187Money]

I love how McCombs gets named but the administrator doesn't.

 

[J187Money]

Bingo! However, these girls and now the media are claiming because there is a path that students call the rape trail on campus, that that is proof that UCONN promotes a rape culture. They are grasping for stones. Much like the new 'aggresive' Husky dog portrays a rape culture. The mere fact that these girls believe that should call into question everything they say.

If you were a lawyer you'd jump all over the existence of a "rape trail" regardless of its relevance. It's just good lawyering.

 

[Santini35]

I love how McCombs gets named but the administrator doesn't.

And neither does the Girlfriend that got arrested for the same incident

 

[freescooter]

I love how McCombs gets named but the administrator doesn't.

Me too...and as I said this really should not lead one to the conclusion, though I suspect it does for some, that he is is any way the un-named rape suspect. It is pretty unfair but plays into the narrative that the athletic department, or more accurately the football program, is some out of control bunch who go around assaulting women.

 

[UConn07]

If you were a lawyer you'd jump all over the existence of a "rape trail" regardless of its relevance. It's just good lawyering.

It may be good lawyering, but it's a fallacy. This isn't a situation where you should be repeating lies over and over because eventually someone will believe it's true. If they want to be serious and attack a serious situation they believe exists at UCONN and if they really believe they will be protecting current and future girls at the university by having this lawsuit, then they should be going after the police for not investigating properly, the counselors who turned the girls away when they tried to report and anyone else that actually let a rape or sexual assault happen (which I agree with). However, because they are bringing in thoughts that the new school mascot portrays a rape culture because it is more aggressive and because a trail on campus has been coined the rape trail by students therefore the schools enables a rape culture leaves me to believe one thing. They have no sense of reality, and therefore, are making stuff up.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

All this BS about the rape trail is a side show. The truth is, I find it extremely believable that UConn administrators and/or police officers did not take sexual assault allegations seriously because that is the culture we live in today. Already in this thread we've seen people denigrating the term "feminist" and asking why, if the victim was so scared, she didn't move, you know, because, you know, if she feels threatened, that's her problem, not the school's, right?

It sucks but I find it pretty likely. It legit happens all the time. Ask all the women you know in your life how believable it is. Because chances are, you know someone who has experienced this.

 

[BlueDogs]

Note the retraction at the bottom. Changes the facts rather significantly. Sounds like Lyle was being verbally abusive and yelling but there no physically abuse or obvious signs of physical abuse and the "witness" was reporting hearsay.

Nonetheless, it sounds like the University did not handle this well at all.

 

[huskymedic]

Look - there is clearly a national agenda in filing of the Title IX lawsuit (happening to universities all over the country) as well as the subsequent Federal lawsuit filed by the four students. Once Allred was involved - it was too late.

That doesn't mean that some of the allegations in the student lawsuit are not true and indicative of a bigger issue on campus. I would suggest folks read the actual 38 page lawsuit in this article. http://www.ctmirror.org/story/2013/11/01/uconn-students-file-federal-lawsuit-over-universitys-handling-sexual-assaults (you need to eliminate spaces btwn s and e and e and x in the link or it won't work--- wtf!)

Even taking out the "lawsuit language hyperbole" - it's eye opening. I'm sure the truth is some where in the middle, maybe even closer to the university's side for a few of the cases but still...

 

[UConn07]

All this BS about the rape trail is a side show. The truth is, I find it extremely believable that UConn administrators and/or police officers did not take s e xual assault allegations seriously because that is the culture we live in today. Already in this thread we've seen people denigrating the term "feminist" and asking why, if the victim was so scared, she didn't move, you know, because, you know, if she feels threatened, that's her problem, not the school's, right?

It sucks but I find it pretty likely. It legit happens all the time. Ask all the women you know in your life how believable it is. Because chances are, you know someone who has experienced this.

I have a hard time believing that a state school, with a woman President, does not take sexual assaults seriously. This is going to be a he said she said scenario. I keep coming back to the fact that a number of these girls went to authorities, had their assaults investigated by the police and the police found no evidence of what they are saying happened. The police INVESTIGATED and could not do anything because there was no evidence. Is the police department 100% incompetent? Do they really not care about the students they serve? OR Are the girls in this looking for publicity and with it free money?

 

[Husky25]

I have a hard time believing that a state school, with a woman President, does not take s e xual assaults seriously. This is going to be a he said she said scenario. I keep coming back to the fact that a number of these girls went to authorities, had their assaults investigated by the police and the police found no evidence of what they are saying happened. The police INVESTIGATED and could not do anything because there was no evidence. Is the police department 100% incompetent? Do they really not care about the students they serve? OR Are the girls in this looking for publicity and with it free money?

You say you went to UConn. Do you remember anything about your time there? I have no problem believing the police investigation could have been sub-par. During my tenure (late 90's), the police seemed to resent the students. They filled more of a babysitter roll, as opposed to law enforcement. They worked to protect the school itself. Never once did I think the UConn Police where there for the greater good of the student body.

 

[Jerry1714]

This post is not only irrelevant but stupid.

This is a Uconn issue here, if you can kill someone at FSU and play do you think we should have those standards here?

Who cares about FSU, lets fix our own problems instead at pointing at others.

 

[freescooter]

Irish Loop, on the moving issue I'm saying that there isn't a shred of evidence, she doesn't even make an accusation, that anyone did anything to threaten her. She called the cops over a fight between two other people. Neither of them seem to have bothered her after the fact. If she claimed that one of them assaulted her,pushed her, threatened her, stalked her, yelled at her, even said things to her, I'd agree with you. But she makes no such claim. Somehow she got it in her mind that he was going to retaliate even though he didn't, he made no move in that direction that anyone reports at least, including the woman in question. Again, I think UConn seems to be doing a terrible job on this issue both in terms of how it handles things and in terms of public relations. And how is the university supposed to know she is "uncomfortable" living upstairs from a person who had a fight with his girlfriend unless she asks? If the standard is that every kid who has a fight with his/her significant other makes you uncomfortable, there isn't a dorm on campus where anyone can stay.

 

[upstater]

I wrote this because one of her questions against the UCONN administration in the original article is they didn't voluntarily move her housing location.

From her written piece in the Huffington Post: "Even if McCombs was entitled to know who his accusers were, why didn't she offer to move my living assignment or instate a no-contact policy?"

This is a common courtesy that law authorities offer witnesses. She's right, someone shouldn't be dissuaded form offering testimony out of fear.

 

[upstater]

I have a hard time believing that a state school, with a woman President, does not take s e xual assaults seriously. This is going to be a he said she said scenario. I keep coming back to the fact that a number of these girls went to authorities, had their assaults investigated by the police and the police found no evidence of what they are saying happened. The police INVESTIGATED and could not do anything because there was no evidence. Is the police department 100% incompetent? Do they really not care about the students they serve? OR Are the girls in this looking for publicity and with it free money?

Go to the other thread where I gave you an example of a state school, with a woman president, dropping the ball on sexual abuse of children by a music professor at UConn. The ball was dropped multiple times.

 

[uconnric]

Why should she have to move? She's not the one who is accused of committing a crime.

So why did she feal unsafe? There is nothing in that "article" that would lead me to believe that her safety was in jeopardy.

 

[UConn07]

Well I am currently on page 11 of the 38 page document and I've seen absolutely nothing that UCONN should have done differently. Maybe there will be something in the next 27 pages. They have so far claimed that UCONN should have been responsible and trained all members of a study abroad program in sexual assault in Spain. UCONN should have done something when someone in Spain, away from the UCONN sponsored hotel touched a girl inappropriately. Another claim is UCONN failed to act properly when Caroline Luby received threats and bad messages on facebook and twitter.

I'd be interested to see what some here wrote about Ms. Luby when that article broke about the new logo....I'm sure the thread is still around here somewhere...

 

[Penfield]

What I don't understand is why administrators at Universities all over the country don't take this stuff more seriously? It seems like it is being ignored all over the place and it makes no sense to me. Top it off with the fact that in this case it involves women being insensitive to the claims of other women. I guess it just flies in the face of all things I consider morally right and logical.

First - This stuff can not be ignored. It is simply wrong to do so. All accusations of s e xual assault need to be taken seriously. We should all understand this by now.

Second - when will these administrators realize that this stuff always comes back to bite you in the . The only logical reason I can think of that they cover this stuff up is to "protect" the schools (or whatever institution) and make them look better. In the end it only makes everyone look worse. If you really want to protect the school then protect the students. Get the perps off campus and protect the safety of the people entrusted to you that should be able to trust in you.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

I have a hard time believing that a state school, with a woman President, does not take s e xual assaults seriously. This is going to be a he said she said scenario. I keep coming back to the fact that a number of these girls went to authorities, had their assaults investigated by the police and the police found no evidence of what they are saying happened. The police INVESTIGATED and could not do anything because there was no evidence. Is the police department 100% incompetent? Do they really not care about the students they serve? OR Are the girls in this looking for publicity and with it free money?

What does sexual assault evidence look like? A lot of the time, it looks exactly the same as consensual sex. there's no such thing as "proof." So if someone denies sexual assault, do we automatically believe them over the victim? How do we tell? As a society, the "burden of proof" breaks down severely in this situation, but given that 1 in 4 women on college campuses have experienced some kind of assault (nevermind how many are unreported), I don't think just assuming "no proof = no assault" is working particularly well.

Also, the idea that because we have a female President at UConn somehow affectgs what some beat cop tells some assault victim at 3 am on a Wednesday is comical at best.

 

[freescooter]

This is a common courtesy that law authorities offer witnesses. She's right, someone shouldn't be dissuaded form offering testimony out of fear.

There are probably a few thing at work here. Like she didn't witness Whitey Bulger gunning down a bystander in South Boston. She "witnessed" what turned out to be a spat between 2 college kids that apparently deteriorated into the pair spitting at each other. They were both arrested and apparently released without any further action. They probably both deserved to be sent to timeout for 10 minutes. Actually it was sort of like they were from the sounds of things. And from the quote she attributes to the administrator, she sounds like she has had some other issues, though again we don't know for sure. Nor does she indicate that she requested to have her housing assignment moved. One problem with only gettin gone side of the story is that you only get one side of the story.

 

[Penfield]

So why did she feal unsafe? There is nothing in that "article" that would lead me to believe that her safety was in jeopardy.

I would feel unsafe if I was in her position. She called the cops on her next door neighbor who happens to be a football player. On top of that she called the cops because he was assaulting another woman.