St. Olaf Student Claims School Failed Her After Rape
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A group of students wearing shirts that read "Ask Me How My College Is Protecting My Rapist" is creating a stir on a Minnesota campus.
Senior Madeline Wilson decided to make the shirts after officials at St. Olaf College determined her sexual assault complaint was unfounded.
She also dedicated a website to getting her message out. As a result, St. Olaf addressed the school community.
"In May of 2015 I was raped in a St. Olaf dorm by a fellow student," Wilson said.
She is not afraid of letting her story be heard.
"I said, 'No,' and I fought back," Wilson said.
Months after the alleged attack, she reported it to the school and filed a complaint. St. Olaf is charged with determining if college policy was violated. Her claim was ruled unfounded.
"I feel they've failed to adhere to their standard of evidence, the preponderance of evidence standard," Wilson said.
She decided to share how she feels she was let down. She launched a website this week, and made shirts to wear daily until the school strengthens the policy.
"There are some students who are making their concerns very publicly known, and we want the community to know first of all, that we're concerned about that," St. Olaf Title IX coordinator Jo Beld said. "But secondly that they can have confidence in what we do."
Beld says the senior leadership team in charge of the well-being of students takes complaints very seriously. And they will take the groups demands, and suggestions, into consideration.
"We think it's important for us to continually be considering alternatives," Beld said.
Wilson has now filed a report with Northfield Police. That case is still open.
"This was my way of taking back my narrative," Wilson said.
St. Olaf has a meeting scheduled for students Wednesday night, in part, to discuss recent enhancements to the sexual misconduct policy.
WCCO does not have the name of the accused in Wilson's case, so we were unable to reach out for comment.
Click here to view Wilson's website, and click here to read St. Olaf's policy.