Students at Spelman College, a historically Black women’s college in Atlanta, are pressing the administration for more decisive action after a series of sexual assault allegations and what they describe as a pervasive culture of sexual violence across the Atlanta University Center.
Allegations spark campus debate
In October, a Spelman student posted on social media that she had been sexually assaulted by a Morehouse College student. The claim intensified this week when student Azali Fortier confronted President Ayanna Howard during a book‑signing event on artificial intelligence, questioning whether the event was appropriate given the pressing issue of campus safety.
Fortier recorded herself accusing Howard of “silencing students” and protecting alleged sexual predators by failing to take responsibility for student safety.
Institutional response
Last month, Spelman College, Morehouse College and Morehouse School of Medicine issued a joint statement acknowledging concerns about sexual harassment and misconduct within the Atlanta University Center community. The statement read, “We as members of the Atlanta University Center Consortium are aware of concerns regarding sexual harassment and misconduct within our community. We take every concern seriously. Sexual misconduct, nonconsensual behavior, online harassment and cyberbullying have no place on our campuses.”
Howard’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Faculty and alumni weigh in
A separate statement from faculty, staff and students of Spelman’s Women’s Research and Resource Center and Comparative Women’s Studies Program urged the college to “name and address rape and all forms of sexual violence on our and all college campuses.”
Spelman alumna and social‑media influencer Lynae Vanee shared a video from a recent Morehouse forum on rape culture, describing her own experience of what she called rape culture while attending Spelman and a sexual assault by a Morehouse graduate less than a year after her own graduation.
Broader context
Issues of sexual violence and institutional accountability are not new to higher education. Ongoing investigations at Cornell University and Louisiana State University continue to attract national attention.
At Spelman and across the Atlanta University Center, there is little indication that calls for greater accountability, thorough investigations and enhanced safety measures will subside soon.
Original reporting: SaportaReport — read the source article.
