Copyright ©1997 by The Providence Journal Co.
Used with permission.
1/30/97
By D. MORGAN McVICAR
Journal-Bulletin Education Writer
PROVIDENCE -- An orderly rally on the Brown University Green yesterday escalated into a profanity-laced free-for-all after John Stossel, a reporter for the ABC newsmagazine 20/20, took the microphone and quickly incensed many in the crowd of about 150.
Stossel and 20/20 were in town to shoot a story about a sexual-misconduct case that became a lightning rod for debate over what constitutes sexual assault and over the way Brown handles sexual-misconduct complaints.
Some members of the Coalition Against Sexual Assault, which organized yesterday's rally, said its timing had nothing to do with 20/20 being on campus. But Katie Krauskopf, a senior from New York, said before the rally that the coalition was "here to show 20/20 that students are uniting beyond the details of a particular case to broader issues - addressing sexual assault on this campus."
More than a dozen students sounded the same theme, talking about the diversity of those who attended the rally - male, female, gay, straight, black, white - and the need to present a united front to the Brown administration as students press their demands.
Those demands, which will be presented to a committee now reviewing Brown's policies governing sexual misconduct, include shortening the length of the disciplinary process, expanding education programs on sexual assault and establishing a confidential reporting system for victims of sexual assault.
"This is not just a problem at Brown," said junior Amy Bratskeir. "It's a wider societal issue not being dealt with. Sexual assault occurs in homes, to women going to school at the Citadel. . . . But it's not at the top (that) change is made. It's at places like Brown."
"I was giving out ribbons, and someone said, 'Where else would someone stand on sexual assault? Who would be for sexual assault?' " said Ilana Frankel, a junior. "Well, how many students do we have at Brown? I can't count the people here, but it's not 5,000. That's why it's an issue."
At the end of each speech, chants broke out, among them: "Break the silence, stop the violence," and "Rape is not TV hype. Rape is not TV hype."
Several members of the coalition emphasized that Brown has taken many positive steps in addressing sexual assault, including education programs begun in 1991 and the recent creation of the committee to review university policies, and said their rally was also intended as something positive.
"Brown was at the forefront six years ago in changing policies about sexual assault," senior Megan Behrent said. "We can do that again."
At which point, Stossel asked if he could speak.
"I just want to ask you - I seem to be hearing something is wrong in our reporting. That it's TV hype," Stossel said. "How should we be doing it?"
"It's the way you're reporting it," said Steve Malloy, a 1994 Brown graduate.
"Don't sensationalize," said Erin Bray.
"We are going to be speaking to students," Stossel said. "If some of you want to explain to me the definition of rape - to me it's a man holding a woman at gunpoint or knifepoint. There seems to be a new way of looking at it. I'd like some of you to talk to me about it.
"We're here to do a story," Stossel said. "If you're drunk and seem to be going along, is it rape?"
Stossel was alluding to what has become known as the "Lack case" at Brown. Last year, Adam Lack encountered a woman in a room in his fraternity lying next to a puddle of vomit. According to Lack, he invited her back to his room for a glass of water and asked her if she wanted to sleep in his bed. They lay back-to-back, clothed, he says, until she made sexual advances and asked if he had a condom.
Lack says they had sex and she left in the morning after giving him her phone number. More than a month later, the woman, who said she was drunk and didn't remember anything about her encounter with Lack, filed a complaint with the disciplinary council. Lack at first was found guilty of sexual misconduct and suspended. The charge, after he appealed, was reduced to "flagrant disrespect," and suspension was reduced to probation.
Many at Brown expressed outrage at the reduction of the charge and penalty, while others were equally angry that Lack was found guilty of anything at all.
STOSSEL'S QUESTION apparently touched a nerve. Several students abruptly took the mike from him and told him to wait his turn. As one student began to respond that the issue of sexual assault was bigger than just the Lack case, Stossel and Malloy started to go at it, face to face, a few feet away.
"We know why you came here," Malloy said. "You knew what you were going to report before you even got here."
Stossel responded with an obscenity, and Malloy challenged him to repeat it on camera.
Suddenly, dozens of students closed in on Stossel, while others tried to drown him out with the chant, "Rape is not TV hype."
"Get off this campus," Bray said. "We don't want you here."
"The story is about rape," Stossel said. "What is rape?"
"The Adam Lack case is not a definition of rape," Bray said. "It was not tried as a rape case."
"If I leer at you, is that sexual misbehavior?" Stossel said. "Can rape be words, a look?"
Senior Lisa Sanfilippo began to read from Brown's discipline code.
"I'm glad for $30,000 you've learned to read," Stossel said.
"Do you want to insult us?" a student said.
"Well, you insulted me," Stossel said.
"Part of what we're encouraging is people should have respect for one another," Behrent said.
"I was taught I could do anything I wanted as long as I didn't force a woman," Stossel said. "If a woman is drunk, it's sexual assault? Is every person supposed to be sober when they have sex? There'd be a lot less sex in America if everyone had to be sober."
"How can a woman consent when she's drunk out of her mind?" a student said.
At that point, several members of the coalition had moved to the steps of Faunce Hall.
"Walk away. Walk away," they urged the students surrounding Stossel.
"If I were dating you," Stossel said to Behrent, "and put my arm around you and put my hand on your breast -"
"That is totally irrelevant," Behrent broke in.
"Is it okay to walk up to a woman and touch her?" Stossel said.
"The point is the coalition is working to stop that kind of thing, and the issue is much larger," Behrent said.
"Thanks for telling me what questions to ask," Stossel said. "I'm hearing the speech police here. I'm being told what questions to ask."
"I was just trying to emphasize what the coalition was trying to do with this rally," Behrent said.
"How about drowning us out?" Stossel said. "Is that part of the liberal Brown tradition?"
"Guys, let's leave," a student said. "They're (the TV entourage) loving this."
No one left, and on it went.