New Protest At Stanford Over Sex Assault Case; University Says Suspect Not A Threat
PALO ALTO (KCBS) -- Students at Stanford University protested Thursday a decision by the school not to expel a senior accused of sexually assaulting a woman who is a classmate.
The victim, Stanford senior Leah Francis, led about 100 supporters in a loud protest at the school Thursday.
The university issued a statement, saying "Expulsion is currently one of a range of potential outcomes of Stanford's disciplinary process for cases of forcible sexual assault. A different approach would be to make it the presumptive outcome, not meaning that it would be applied to every case automatically, but that it would be the starting point for the consideration of sanctions."
Sources tell KCBS that the University's Alternate Review Process had found that the male student, who has not been named, was responsible for sexual assault, but he will be allowed to complete his senior year though he will have to withhold his degree for two years and will be prevent him from enrolling in a graduate program until 2016.
The source said the University does not believe he is a threat to the Stanford community.
The offender, who has not been named, had a previous dating relationship with Francis and is therefore not a threat to the Stanford community.
"I feel like Stanford is definitely trying to crush me, to make me disappear because the fact that I was raped by another student is inconvenient for them," said Francis.
- He is accused, but not guilty. Police are investigating
- Francis is public about what she says happened, but suspect's name has been kept anonymous
Stanford Says Senior In Sexual Assault Case Is Not A Threat
Thursday's demonstration was timed before the final Faculty Senate meeting of the year. A social-media campaign has also been pushed forward with the hashtag #StandWithLeah.Senior Brittany Nguyen told KCBS that she will be among those students showing support of Francis at commencement ceremonies.
"I'm putting a stripe of red tape on my cap to stand with Leah," she said
"A lot of students have told me that they're doing this in different ways."
Meanwhile, the case is still being investigated by police in Alaska, where the alleged assault occurred.
