Help Elayna Get Justice for Sexual Abuse
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On March 17th, 2018, two of my close friends and I were sexually harassed by someone who was also a very close friend at the time. The incidents occurred within the University of Michigan's dorms and on campus.
On March 19th, 2018 and in the subsequent days, we reported the harassment to the University, their investigation office (OIE), the residential hall, and all other appropriate offices/leaders.
We chose not to file a police report because we believed the University's process would be fair and completed more quickly than a report filed through the police would have. Unfortunately, we were incorrect. Despite their 45-60 day promised investigation period, the process took 69 weeks (483 days), involving a complete disposal and rewrite of their sexual misconduct policy and investigation procedures in the process.
Our entire case was supposed to be settled by May, 2018. It was dragged on for as long as possible for reasons that have yet to be given to us, bringing it to the point where Doe v. Baum required the University to trash their investigation process and create a new one that required us to be cross-examined by the man who sexually harassed us. The old policy would not have required that, and had our case been completed in a timely manner, the new process would not have applied to us at all.
After the new policy was implemented, they restarted the entire investigation. Apparently the 9 months of investigating prior to that no longer mattered, so we were stuck waiting an unknown amount of time for our result... again.
Despite not being able to afford it as a single, full-time college student who works as a waitress, I hired an attorney early this year to aid me throughout this process and ensure that I didn't put up with anything that I didn't have to. Still, the hearing officer concluded that our harasser was innocent because I have multiple anxiety disorders. Apparently that means that I have no credibility. According to this hearing officer, I'm too crazy to be listened to.
That decision was only for my individual case and does not include her biased and uninformed responses to the other women.
Now that we've gotten this result that is blatant discrimination against those with mental illnesses such as anxiety disorders, it's clear that this process is going to last much longer than we thought. I've already been on the brink of giving up and letting the University and our harasser win due to the emotional and financial stress, but if I'm somehow able to receive some relief for the financial stress I'm facing as a waitress in college full time, I can continue to fight their decision and bring justice to myself, the other women involved in this case, and any future individual who finds themselves needing to file a sexual misconduct complaint through the University.
I struggle with accepting money from anybody, so creating this and writing all of this is incredibly difficult for me. Still, I'm at the point where I have to accept that I need the help and the support.
If you can donate, it would mean more to me than I could possibly put into words. It would help prevent me from giving up and being defeated by both my harasser and the University. As it stands today, my harasser could end up being placed in the same classes as me, and I and the other women involved will always face the risk of running into him on campus, around Ann Arbor, in classes, etc.
Any and all donations are greatly appreciated, big or small. Even if you can't donate but you still read this, I appreciate your time.
On March 19th, 2018 and in the subsequent days, we reported the harassment to the University, their investigation office (OIE), the residential hall, and all other appropriate offices/leaders.
We chose not to file a police report because we believed the University's process would be fair and completed more quickly than a report filed through the police would have. Unfortunately, we were incorrect. Despite their 45-60 day promised investigation period, the process took 69 weeks (483 days), involving a complete disposal and rewrite of their sexual misconduct policy and investigation procedures in the process.
Our entire case was supposed to be settled by May, 2018. It was dragged on for as long as possible for reasons that have yet to be given to us, bringing it to the point where Doe v. Baum required the University to trash their investigation process and create a new one that required us to be cross-examined by the man who sexually harassed us. The old policy would not have required that, and had our case been completed in a timely manner, the new process would not have applied to us at all.
After the new policy was implemented, they restarted the entire investigation. Apparently the 9 months of investigating prior to that no longer mattered, so we were stuck waiting an unknown amount of time for our result... again.
Despite not being able to afford it as a single, full-time college student who works as a waitress, I hired an attorney early this year to aid me throughout this process and ensure that I didn't put up with anything that I didn't have to. Still, the hearing officer concluded that our harasser was innocent because I have multiple anxiety disorders. Apparently that means that I have no credibility. According to this hearing officer, I'm too crazy to be listened to.
That decision was only for my individual case and does not include her biased and uninformed responses to the other women.
Now that we've gotten this result that is blatant discrimination against those with mental illnesses such as anxiety disorders, it's clear that this process is going to last much longer than we thought. I've already been on the brink of giving up and letting the University and our harasser win due to the emotional and financial stress, but if I'm somehow able to receive some relief for the financial stress I'm facing as a waitress in college full time, I can continue to fight their decision and bring justice to myself, the other women involved in this case, and any future individual who finds themselves needing to file a sexual misconduct complaint through the University.
I struggle with accepting money from anybody, so creating this and writing all of this is incredibly difficult for me. Still, I'm at the point where I have to accept that I need the help and the support.
If you can donate, it would mean more to me than I could possibly put into words. It would help prevent me from giving up and being defeated by both my harasser and the University. As it stands today, my harasser could end up being placed in the same classes as me, and I and the other women involved will always face the risk of running into him on campus, around Ann Arbor, in classes, etc.
Any and all donations are greatly appreciated, big or small. Even if you can't donate but you still read this, I appreciate your time.
Organizer
Elayna Swift
Organizer
Ann Arbor, MI
