This is the first part of a series examining how Boston University handles cases of sexual assault, in response to the two separate arrests of men’s hockey players for sexual assault in the last two months.
Students raised concerns about how Boston University has handled sexual assault incidents after a second men’s hockey player in two months was arrested for sexual assault on Sunday morning.
Dozens of students expressed concerns over Facebook after College of Communication alumna Allison Francis, known as “Allison McCorgi” on Facebook, posted a note about the poor service she received when calling the Student Health Services hotline for sexual assault victims.
In the note, Francis stated she called the SHS phone number Wednesday at 11:36 p.m. and selected “emergency operator” from an automated menu. She asked the operator for resources available for rape or sexual assault victim, to which the operator said “What? We don’t have anything like that here.”
The operator eventually connected her to medical health, which then directed her back to behavioral health.
“It is a useless loop of automated menus that provide no real resources or response to sexual assault,” the note stated. “Boston University has neither an emergency support system for victims of sexual assault nor staff members trained in responding to rape crisis situations.”
Francis said in the note her motivations stemmed from BU’s responses to the Sunday arrest of then-men’s hockey player Max Nicastro, who faces two counts of rape.
The first arrest involved former men’s hockey player Corey Trivino on Dec. 11. Trivino allegedly forced his way into a female student’s room and groped her against her will.
Francis’ note was shared on at least 156 Facebook profiles with more than 67 likes and 40 comments by early Friday afternoon..
School of Management senior Becca Farmer commented on the note, calling it “disgusting.”
BU President Robert Brown sent a letter to the students, faculty and staff Thursday, announcing an investigation into the culture of the men’s hockey program in response to recent allegations.
“After hearing Boston University’s attempts to distance itself and its hockey team from the two separate incidences of rape and sexual assault that have come up in the past two months, I wanted to see what resources were available for victims and survivors,” the letter stated.
For the 2011-12 academic year there have been six reported incidents of assault and battery at BU, said BU Police Department Captain Robert Molloy. Of those six, five have been rape, with Trivino’s arrest counting as the sixth assault.
BU spokesman Colin Riley said there are generally fewer than 10 forcible sex offences per year, as confirmed by the Clery report published on the BU Police Department Website.
“We report every one that’s reported to us,” Riley said via phone.
The Center for Gender, Sexuality and Activism called attention to Francis’ Facebook note, as well as the letter to students, in a press release Thursday.
“We encourage the university to take a critical look at how a culture of sexual assault and violence is systemic,” said CGSA Co-Director Ariana Katz, a College of Arts and Sciences senior, in the press release.
The CGSA board members were unavailable for comment by press time.
The press release suggested BU implement several policies to ensure the needs of survivors, including appointing a full-time staff member to work with the CGSA and SHS to address the needs of rape and sexual assault victims, mandatory trainings facilitated by the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center coaches, student-athletes, faculty and student leaders and permanent expulsion for those convicted of rape or sexual assault.
SHS Director David McBride told The Daily Free Press in an email interview he felt disconcerted about Francis’s discovery.
“I’m troubled that that is the response that Ms. McCorgi received from our answering services,” he said. “[S]he didn’t get the opportunity to speak directly to our Crisis Counselor on call.”
McBride later apologized in a status posted on the Bu StudentHealth Facebook profile, stating he clarified protocol with SHS’s after-hours operators.
Mitchell Garabedian, principal attorney of the Law Offices of Mitchell Garabedian in Boston, represents victims of sexual abuse, including college students. The attorney said students tend to seek help from resources outside of universities.
“It’s not uncommon for victims to be frightened, to be concerned about reporting the abuse to the very entity that allows that was supposed to be supervising their safety since they were abused on the premises where there was negligent supervision,” he said.
Garabedian did not comment on BU’s students and resources specifically.
The DFP conducted its own inquiry Thursday at 2:37 a.m. A reporter, who did not identify herself as such, called the emergency line and requested an Intervention Crisis counselor. The operator did not transfer the reporter and instead asked her to elaborate on the problem. The reporter terminated the call shortly after.
Another unidentified reporter called Thursday at 9 a.m. making the same request. At that time, the operator on the line said SHS always has two Intervention Crisis counselors on call.
A final call was made to the emergency line by a reporter Friday at 1:40 a.m., during which the reporter asked to speak with the counselor. The operator acknowledged the presence of a counselor on call and agreed to do so.
While Francis’s note focused on SHS, she said in an email interview that the issue has more to do with rape culture at BU than it does with SHS’s shortcomings.
Francis told The DFP that officials have shifted the blame to drinking problems, disorderly conduct and coincidence rather than to rape culture. She noted the absence of the words “rape” and “sexual” in President Robert Brown’s letter to students, which was released Thursday.
“What does it say that one of the only departments on campus actively working to provide support for sexual assault victims still falls short?” she said in the email interview. “To make progress, the BU administration must aggressively address the pervasive trend of sexual violence on campus.”
Riley, though, said BU does handle similar situations with care.
“We take [sexual assault] very seriously,” Riley said. “The most important thing is to let them know they’re safe and in control and that there are professionals in handling crisis counseling and whatever additional services they need on call.”
Gina Curreri, Dana Finley and Steph Solis contributed to the reporting of this article.
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