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Date Rape Column at AU Earns Ire, Vandalism
An unidentified student or students at American University removed copies of the campus student newspaper after it ran a controversial column dealing with sexual assault.
The Eagle column, by AU student Alex Knepper, argued that feminists who rally against rape are detrimental to sexual encounters.
"Sex isn’t about contract-signing," Knepper wrote in the piece, which was published Sunday. "It’s about spontaneity, raw energy and control (or its counterpart, surrender)."
Afterwards, copies of the Eagle were removed from several newsstands across campus and replaced with signs reading "No Room for Rape Apologists." In one instance, the papers were strewn across the floor in front of a stand.
“A few people had taken probably several thousand copies and threw them over against our door,” said Editor-in-chief Jen Calantone.
AU student K. Travis Ballie, also a feminist and LGBT activist, claimed the action was not associated with or endorsed by any student group on campus. Ballie also faulted the Eagle for failing to show sensitivity to rape victims in its editorial decisions.
Students debating the issue on Facebook expressed some disapproval of the protest methods, claiming that the paper's right to free press meant it was justified in publishing even unpopular opinions like Knepper's.
“It’s upsetting, because our general purpose as the campus newspaper is to start these types of discussions,” Calantone said. “We were happy when people started talking about and criticizing this column, but it’s upsetting when it devolves into a kind of vandalism situation.”
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