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Brigham Young University Students Who Report Sex Assault Will No Longer Be Investigated For ‘Honor Code’ Violations [Video]

By Patricia Ramirez
Published on: 13:02 PST, Oct 26, 2016

For months, Brigham Young University in Utah has been under fire for perpetuating what many have called “rape culture.” The reason for the widespread criticism of the Mormon university had a lot to do with the way the school handled students who reported being victims of sexual assault. At Brigham Young University, even rape victims were investigated for possible violations of the school’s so-called “Honor Code.”

The sad and disturbing reality of the situation was that victims of rape and other sexual assault who reported their abuse to Brigham Young University officials could find themselves being kicked out of school depending on the events leading up to their being victimized.

The Brigham Young University Honor Code, which can be seen here, is forced on all students of the highly religious and predominantly Mormon school, which has integral ties to the Mormon Church. The list of restrictions that Brigham Young University students must follow while enrolled at the school includes the following.

  • Be honest
  • Live a chaste and virtuous life
  • Obey the law and all campus policies
  • Use clean language
  • Respect others
  • Abstain from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee, and substance abuse
  • Participate regularly in church services
  • Observe Dress and Grooming Standards
  • Encourage others in their commitment to comply with the Honor Code

At Brigham Young University, the Honor Code is no joke and it is heavily enforced. Students must reside in “BYU Approved” housing, whether they live on or off campus. Brigham Young University officials conduct surprise inspections of residences to ensure that students aren’t engaging in obvious drug or alcohol use, premarital sex, or other Honor Code-violating activities.

Brigham Young University also regularly investigates claims made by students against other students or individuals. This means that if your classmate or neighbor catches you breaking the Honor Code, they can turn you in and you can be subject to an investigation that could lead to punishments up to and including expulsion from Brigham Young University.

In recent months, the university began taking a lot of flak when local media began reporting that students who had been the victims of sexual assault while attending the school found themselves being investigated for potential Brigham Young University Honor Code violations.

Such as, had they been drinking when they were raped? Were they wearing provocative clothing? Had they chosen to be alone in a room with a member of the opposite sex? If sexual assault victims attending Brigham Young University were found to have violated the school’s Honor Code leading up to their assault, they could end up tossed out of school.

In at least one instance, Fox13Now reports that friends of a rape victim’s alleged attacker turned a copy of her police report regarding the alleged rape over to Brigham Young University so that she would be investigated for potential Honor Code violations. Ultimately, the 19-year-old BYU student’s alleged rapist was identified as 39-year-old Nasiru Seidu. He was charged with the additional crime of retaliation for having his friend report his victim to Brigham Young University Honor Code investigators.

“Authorities said because Seidu knew the victim could face disciplinary action, including suspension or expulsion, and still had a friend take the report to BYU, he was charged with retaliation.”

As CBS News reports, after a months-long internal investigation, Brigham Young University announced this week that it will be making sweeping changes to how the school’s Honor Code is applied to victims of sexual assault. After facing mounting allegations of fostering a pervasive victim-shaming rape culture that discourages sexual assault victims from reporting the crimes committed against them, the school has made the decision to cease its practice of investigating sexual assault victims for potential Honor Code violations.

“The Title IX Office will not share information with the Honor Code Office about the complainant without the victim’s consent and it will also create a separate location for the Title IX Office and the Honor Code Office, effective immediately, BYU will also adopt an amnesty clause, which means ‘being a victim of sexual misconduct is never a violation of the Honor Code’ at BYU.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSfIT7z0F2M

Current and former Brigham Young University students are largely applauding the long-overdue decision, but some call it too little too late. Many students call the policy change a step in the right direction, but admit that more work needs to be done to protect potential victims who also happen to be Brigham Young University students.

While the new Brigham Young University sexual assault/Honor Code policy is a done deal and effective immediately, the school is still dealing with serious repercussions from the months of “rape culture” allegations that have been levied at the school. Brigham Young University continues to be investigated by both state and federal agencies for both Civil Rights and Title IX violations related to how it handles sexual assault reports.

[Featured Image by Danny La/Getty Images]

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