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Cornell case spotlights 'confusing' web of systems for reporting campus assaults
Mary - whose name has been changed to protect her identity - says the process of finding some measure of justice was oftentimes confusing and disappointing.
"Even though it was a positive outcome, it was still so emotionally exhausting and draining, because I had to do all of this in tandem with getting used to being a college student for the first time," said Mary.
How both universities and the criminal justice system respond to these types of assaults on college campuses is once again under the spotlight, after a former student at Cornell University filed a civil lawsuit alleging she was raped by several members of a fraternity two years ago, with prosecutors declining at the time to pursue a case.
But advocates for survivors of sexual assault say her case, and the Cornell allegations, are emblematic of the larger challenges in responding to sexual assault claims on college campuses specifically.
"These processes are hard to navigate if you aren't in trauma," said Nancy Chi Cantalupo, an associate professor of law at Wayne State University who has represented victims on college campuses.
Earlier this month, the former Cornell student known only as Jane Doe filed a lawsuit against the Ivy League university, alleging she was drugged and raped by several men at a fraternity house at the university in 2024.
Jane Doe said she had reported the alleged assault to campus police, who interviewed her, and provided information to the district attorney's office.
In a statement, external, the university said it had "conducted an extensive investigation and adjudication over several months and imposed different sanctions based on the findings and circumstances involving each student" in addition to creating a new framework for addressing sexual assault on campus.
Cornell has said it followed the procedures outlined in a federal civil rights law called Title IX.
Cornell said its investigation resulted in the fraternity involved being barred from campus, and that students involved were suspended or expelled.
Typically, after a student reports an assault on campus, the university's Title IX office determines whether the alleged behaviour could constitute a violation of policy.
One of the biggest challenges sexual assault survivors face is simultaneously navigating the university and the criminal justice system, which "serve different purposes, operate under different rules and timelines, and lead to different outcomes", said Zoey Scheinblum-Brewer, a policy coordinator at the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, a nonprofit anti-sexual assault organisation.
Mary said this process at her college was not clear to her when she made the decision to report the assault.
Mary's lawyer says there was surveillance footage from the night showing her alleged rapist carrying her "slumped" over, and she had pictures of her bruises and bite marks.
But police told Mary they did not have probable cause for an arrest, and that the district attorney wanted to leave it to university administration.
The local police department told the BBC it did not have the details of this particular case.
University investigations are done behind closed doors, said Helene Weiss, a lawyer who has represented several victims of sexual assault on college campuses.
Michael Diamondstein, a Pennsylvania attorney who has represented those accused of sexual misconduct on college campuses, said the secrecy helps protect both the victim and the accused.
Cornell students have criticised the university's handling of the woman's claims.
The Cornell Daily Sun, a student newspaper, published the names of the accused under the headline: "Cornell won't, we will."
In a criminal trial, a prosecutor must convince a jury "beyond reasonable doubt" that the accused is guilty.
Under Title IX, the university is also required to offer solutions that local law enforcement cannot, like ensuring a student is not in the same class as their alleged abuser while the investigation is ongoing and offering homework extensions, said Scheinblum-Brewer.
This is one of several reasons why victims and advocates for survivors say there are benefits to having two separate avenues, through the university and the criminal justice system.