In Wake of Friend’s Death, Feminist Students File Title IX Complaint
“Despite being put on notice that the students feared for their safety and were unable to concentrate on their school work or otherwise enjoy the benefits of the university’s educational programs, the administration took no action to protect them,” according to the Title IX complaint.
The complaint comes on the heels of the death of outspoken Feminists United member Grace Rebecca Mann, who was murdered in her apartment on April 17 after attending a day of silence event raising awareness about bullying of sexual minorities on campus. Mann, like other members of the group, had repeatedly voiced concern to school administrators, including UMW’s Title IX officer, about the threatening messages being posted on Yik Yak—for example, “Gonna tie these feminists to the radiator and grape them in the mouth” (using “grape” is presumably a way to get around the app’s filters, which block certain words including “rape”)—though the complaint does not blame the university for Mann’s death. The man charged in her murder, Steven Vander Briel, was a housemate of Mann’s and a former member of the school’s rugby club.
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