Former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner served three months in jail after a jury convicted him of sexually assaulting a young woman
Stanford University is canceling plans to put a plaque on the campus site where a woman was sexually assaulted by a former school swimmer after the two sides failed to agree on a quote for the marker.
University spokesman Ernest Miranda said on Tuesday that the university is deferring to the woman, who decided not to participate after the school rejected two quotes she offered from a statement she read during the June 2016 sentencing of Brock Turner.
Miranda said the victim rejected three alternative quotes the university suggested from the same victim impact statement.
Stanford law professor Michele Dauber, a family friend of the victim who suggested the marker, said the university’s ‘poor handling of the situation’ scuttled a plaque meant to acknowledge the sexual assault.
She said the plaque was intended to recognize the victim’s ‘voice and experience.’
The first quote suggested by the victim read: ‘You are beautiful, you are to be valued, respected, undeniably, every minute of every day, you are powerful and nobody can take that away from you.’
The second read: ‘On nights when you feel alone, I am with you. When people doubt you or dismiss you, I am with you. I fought every day for you. So never stop fighting, I believe you.’
Miranda and the victim’s lawyer, Michele Dauber, responded with a different quote, which Stanford considered but ultimately rejected because a sexual assault counselor reviewed it and ‘felt that it would be triggering to some sexual assault survivors.’
At this point, Dauber again rejected the quotes Stanford had suggested, and ‘subsequently communicated that she did not want any quote to be used.’
Stanford University says it will defer to a victim sexually assaulted on campus by Turner and scrap plans for a plaque to mark the spot where she was attacked, above
Dauber said the university offered unacceptable alternatives, including a quote that reads: ‘I’m right here, I’m okay, everything’s okay, I’m right here.’
She said the quote the university suggested was an out-of-context reference to the victim trying to comfort her sister upon their first meeting after the assault.
Dauber said the decision to reject the original two quotes the victim suggested ‘was a very poor choice.’
The victim was referred to as Emily Doe in court to protect her identity. Her statement was circulated widely on social media.
‘Emily Doe’s impact statement inspired millions around the world,’ Dauber said. ‘It would have been a real benefit to the Stanford community to have a quote from this important piece of writing selected by the author for that location.’
The woman who was sexually assaulted by Turner, pictured outside court in 2016, will no longer participate in the creation of a plaque after the university rejected her quote suggestions
Turner served three months in jail after a jury convicted him of sexually assaulting the unconscious woman after a fraternity party in 2015. He also is required to register as a sex offender.
Turner’s relatively light sentence prompted nationwide protests and criticism over how sexual assault victims are often treated by the justice system.
Dauber is leading a campaign to remove Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky from office because of his sentence of Turner.
The campaign gathered enough signatures to place the recall election on the June ballot.
Stanford law professor Michele Dauber speaks at a rally in San Francisco. Dauber, who publicly represents the victim who wishes to remain anonymous, said that the university rejected quotes for the plaque from the statement the victim read during the January 2016 sentencing