SALT LAKE CITY ― Madeline MacDonald says she was an 18-year-old freshman at Brigham Young University when she was sexually assaulted by a man she met on an online dating site.
She reported the crime to the school’s Title IX office. That same day, she says, BYU’s honor code office received a copy of the report, triggering an investigation into whether MacDonald had violated the Mormon school’s strict code of behavior, which bans premarital sex and drinking, among other things.
Now MacDonald is among many students and others, including a Utah prosecutor, who are questioning BYU’s practice of investigating accusers, saying it could discourage women from reporting sexual violence and hinder criminal cases. Tens of thousands have signed an online petition calling on the university to give victims immunity from honor code violations committed in the lead-up to a sexual assault.
This week, BYU announced that in light of such concerns, the school will re-evaluate the practice and consider changes.
“I hope we have a system that people feel they can trust, particularly again the victims of sexual assault,” BYU President Kevin Worthen said in a video released Wednesday. “And that we have one that creates an environment in which we minimize the number of sexual assaults on campus.”
BYU would not say how many students who complained of sexual violence have been investigated by the honor code office or whether any of them have been punished.
In MacDonald’s case, she said BYU eventually called to tell her she hadn’t violated the code. But she said she was made to feel guilty by the university.
