Sexual assault survivors urge ‘Princeton Review’ to highlight rape on college campuses

By Yvette Caslin
May 20, 2014
7:09 am

The Princeton Review is the go-to periodical for potential students to rate colleges offering the best value — excellent academics, generous financial aid and cost of attendance. More than 200 survivors of rape and sexual assault and their family members have penned a new letter to the editors urging them to include schools’ policies toward rape and rape culture in their 2015 college rankings questionnaire. They have been joined by 35,000 anti-rape activists.

More than 700 UltraViolet members have logged calls to the Princeton Review letting their voices be heard. “With epidemic rape on campuses across America, it’s time to make colleges compete to be the best at addressing this issue,” says Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of UltraViolet. “One in five women will be sexually assaulted before graduating. Students and parents deserve to know which schools are addressing this issue, and which are sweeping survivors of rape under the rug. That’s why we are asking the Princeton Review to join us in fighting back.”

Check out the content of the letter.

To the Princeton Review:

We are writing as survivors of sexual assault and their loved ones who want to put an end to the epidemic of rape on campus. With 55 schools under federal investigation for mishandling sexual assault on their campuses, it’s evident that it’s a widespread problem.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of high school seniors consult your guides before deciding where to apply, and ultimately where to go to college. They deserve to know if the schools they pick have a rape problem. Right now, Princeton Review is failing to share critical information about safety that students and parents need to make the right decisions.

For too long, colleges and universities have been able to sweep sexual assaults on their campuses under the rug. It’s time for that to end. As the go-to guide for college-bound students, the Princeton Review must include crucial information about how schools handle the epidemic of sexual assault and if they’re working toward prevention. Students and parents alike look to you for accurate and complete information about what to expect from their college experience.

Thank you for taking this problem seriously. We’re counting on you to do your part to make campuses safer by bringing this issue into the open.

To sign the letter, click here.