On October 29th, 2024, the “howmanyhavetoknow.bc” Instagram account made its first post featuring two images: the front and back of a custom-printed shirt. The front reads: “Berea ❤️s Rapists.” The back reads: “This shirt makes you uncomfortable? I have to see him every day.”
Since late October, the “Berea ❤️s Rapists” student advocacy campaign has been in full swing, with numerous outspoken advocates contributing to the campaign via social media, printed zines left in buildings on campus, and custom-printed clothing with an array of impactful statements and pressing questions.
Berea College has numerous resources available for students who experience sexual and physical violence on campus, from the Title IX office and Student Life to Public Safety, each tasked with safeguarding the well-being of students and handling legal processes in such cases of sexual and physical violence.
However, Grace Mullins, ’27—among other students—maintains that these resources are only doing what is legally required rather than handling these situations with greater care and concern like other institutions nationwide. This is an approach that these student advocates call “the Berea bare minimum,” and part of their goal is to illuminate Berea College’s shortcomings and hold it to a higher standard in reporting instances of sexual assault on campus.
“It’s to get your attention,” Mullins says regarding the slogan “Berea ❤️s Rapists” and other attention-grabbing statements featured in this student-led movement. “But the real problem is that victims deserve better than the bare minimum.”
This is not the first time that concerns with the way campus resources handle cases of sexual misconduct have been brought into the conversation. Following a particular case in 2015 in which the victim was not given proper justice in their case, an article released by the Lexington Herald-Leader—a news and media company—reported on the situation the following year and brought Berea College under scrutiny. While the College could not comment on the case due to FERPA laws and policies in the Title IX handbook, former College president Lyle Roelofs has cited the case as the inspiration behind a burst of awareness around sexual misconduct on campus that soon prompted a campus community forum on the subject.
Reporters here at BCNR have reached out to each of the campus resources mentioned previously, but as of writing, none have given a formal statement concerning the handling of Title IX complaints to us specifically. However, on November 14th, an administrative staff member sent a campus-wide email in direct response to these concerns:
“We take these concerns seriously,” the staff member wrote, “and are conducting a thorough review to identify potential revisions to our reporting procedures and the No Contact Order policy.”
The staff member reassured readers that such cases were taken very seriously and invited the campus community to direct their comments and suggestions to lsl@berea.edu.
This is all we at BCNR have on the situation, but we will keep the campus community updated as the story develops!
If you have any suggestions or questions about the situation, as mentioned above, please direct them to lsl@berea.edu.
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