She told her Christian college she was raped. Then she was banned from campus.

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/visible-music-college-rape-complaint-rcna26418

When Mara Louk told an administrator at Visible Music College, where she was a senior, that a male classmate had choked and raped her last November, she expected that school officials would help her file a police report and arrange a safety plan.

Instead, she said in a federal complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday, administrators at Visible, a Christian college in Memphis, Tennessee, accused her of breaking school rules against premarital sex with a different student, an ex-boyfriend. She denied having sex with him but said the school threatened to expel her unless she signed a confession and finished the school year remotely.

Visible Music College administrators also told her they would not remove the accused student from her classes because police didn’t arrest him, nor would they conduct a Title IX investigation, because the alleged assault happened off campus. And administrators attempted to bar Louk from telling anyone else at the school that she had been raped, she said.

“I just felt like, why did I even speak up?” Louk, 22, said. “That’s truly how I felt for a long time because everything seemed to keep getting worse.”

*snip*

[RKP5637]

1. This school demonstrates what many of the christian religion are like. Religion can be disgusting

and persecutory for stupid reasons.

[mopinko]

3. that's why i wont go to a catholic hospital, even tho i'm an old lady now.

i dont want the catholic church to even know my name, even tho i was raised one. or is it especially because i was raised one?

unfortunately, ambulances in my area take you to a catholic hospital. which is why if i can breathe, i'm callin a friend. or a cab.

[RKP5637]

5. Yep, I don't blame you at all. Some of these religions now are dangerous. So many are

nothing more than hate groups ... frankly, very evil with delusional and misguided followers.

[mopinko]

13. yeah, it sorta pains me to say that. my mom worked for a catholic hospital for 40 yrs.

it was right down the street til they built a new one. it was like a second home.
my 1st kid was born in the new hospital. so many kind and good people.

but frankly even back then, the misogyny was obvious. every woman knew that if they had an abortion go bad, you had to go to the other hospital.
and i applied once for a job i was absolutely qualified, and should have been a shoe-in, for and didnt get it because i had just gotten engaged.

i dont want people who have to live w shit like that takin care of me.

[RKP5637]

17. So many religions get off into this kind of crap. They could be beneficial, but attract and

condone this type of creepy behavior.

[NullTuples]

26. They own 1 in 6 hospital beds in America & focused on buying regional trauma centers

Part of that was buying many hospitals that are the only choice for a geographical region.

This was done intentionally, to follow the American Bishops Health Care Directive. It boils down to, "if you have the ability to stop someone from sinning and you fail to do so, you carry that sin as well". It's a drastic split from Roman Catholic teachings prior to say, 2000.

They openly bought those hospitals - or formed partnerships with hospitals that didn't want to sell - in order to control the health care choices of anyone of reproductive age or LGBTQ, so they could "prevent them from sinning".

[mopinko]

32. gotta wonder what psyche care is like.

my son got taken to said catholic hospital on a 5150. spent the whole night in the er waiting for a bed in another hospital in the chain. they have none there. why they accepted the ambulance when there were no psyche beds in, i will never know. (ok, that's a lie. i know. $$$. they used to send ambulances to a hospital that was so bad, they were bribing alderman to keep the ambulances coming.)
finally taken to another place in the system where the showers had mold.

[cbabe]

30. Local bishops make medical decisions for

Catholic owned hospitals including women’s health care, sexuality/trans, and end of life.

Catholic Church now owns 40%+ beds in pacific nw including Swedish, providence, Virginia mason, and small regional clinics.

Careful where you go. Consider switching to independent or state facility like UW, if you can.

[mopinko]

34. yeah, no i dont even go there.

in a system w uchicago med school.

[SouthernLiberal]

58. I was raised Roman Catholic

In grade school we got reminders that if a man attempted to rape a woman, she should get him to murder her instead. In high school, they were more direct. If a man raped a woman, her sin was worse than his because she had been an occasion of sin

[maxrandb]

63. I think it was Napoleon who said about organized religion

"Religion is what keeps the poor from eating the rich"

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Typical for private education

[Delmette2.0]

24. And some public colleges.

Especially if it involves a sports figure.

Go to directly to the hospital then notify the police and then the college. I can't imagine what these young women go through. Rape is violence, period.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. AAArrggghh! More Twitter shit. One would think they threw her out because she was raped. But...

read the story and she was thrown out for doing it with an old boy friend. The school is still wrong, but not for the reason Twitter wants you to believe.

[crimycarny]

7. According to the male accused of RAPING her--she denied having sex with old boyfriend

The male accused of raping her is the one who told school authorities she had sex with an ex-boyfriend. She denied the accusation yet the school still threw her out.

That makes the rape even worse in my opinion!

[TreasonousBastard]

9. It makes everything worse. Sex is good but rape is bad-- they have it backwards.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

20. So, you don't think it's kind of a concidence

that after she says a student raped her, they decided to kick her out for alleged sex with an ex-boyfriend. How long do you think they were holding on to that? Did they investigate whether the student she said assaulted her had sex with her, because apparently that is enough reason to kick someone out.

It's bullshit. It's all bullshit, and we know why they handled it like they did.

[TreasonousBastard]

52. Of course it's bullshit. The rapist brought up the old boyfriend to get the heat off of him and...

the pettifoggers at the school went along with the show.

[appleannie1]

25. She denied that.

And how would they even know if she had? Do they have sex detectives following girls around on campus?

[obamanut2012]

39. Her rapist said she told him she had had sex with her ex

THEY BELIEVED HER RAPIST.

[Nevilledog]

42. Twitter shit? It's the fucking headline straight from NBC

[TreasonousBastard]

48. NBC wasn't so slick with the headline, and Twitter didn't have to repeat it. Besides, we're...

reading it here and the story, if anyone reads it, comes later. At first glance, it looks like she was tossed out of school for being raped.

There are enough other similar stories around the world that this is believable.

[halfulglas]

59. Well, in a way they did.

They really kicked her out was for asking for accommodation to not have to come in contact with her rapist but they turned it all back on her, implying that she was the one who broke the reals because she had had sex with her former boyfriend. She was judged guilty by them on the word of her rapist. It doesn't say whether they even asked the former boyfriend.

[kcr]

46. What does Twitter have to do with it?

[XorXor]

47. This entire thing stinks of them going after her for reporting the rape

The article even says that both things took place off campus. They say they don't deal with stuff that took place off campus when referring to the rape, but her alleged premarital sex took place off campus too. She denies having such relations with her ex-boyfriend. The accused denies raping her. So, in the end they take his denials as fact, but they reject her denials. They then use one standard for her and another for him when it comes to their involvement in off campus disciplinary actions. I totally understand calling out knee-jerk social media responses, but I don't think the characterization of this being a result of her reporting the rape is inaccurate. This is regardless if there was or wasn't a rape, or the stupid policies of the school about student's private life.

[TreasonousBastard]

51. The whole mess is mishandled. She accuses the guy of rape, so he denies it and says she's...

fucking around anyway with the boyfriend. That gets the heat off of him with the school and puts the whole thing on her.

So, yeah, the rape accusation is related to her being thrown out of school, but it still stinks to high heaven. The worst part of it is that the identity of rape victims is often withheld to spare them additional harm, but in this case she's being shown as the Jezebel who started it all.

And the NBC headline is purely for instigating hatreds.

[KS Toronado]

68. Welcome to DU !

[XorXor]

69. Thanks...

I mean, it's kind of a welcome I've been around here for awhile, but I had to change my account because I messed up and it became possible to tie the real me to my previous account. Not a huge deal, but I still prefer to be as anonymous as possible. That being said, I'm not making any effort to disguise myself. I doubt I'm relevant or cool enough that anyone here will be able to pick up who I am based on my "voice", though. If anyone wants to know, just send a PM and I will say it there. Saying it here would defeat the purpose.

[kimbutgar]

6. I went to a state college in the 70's

A guy raped a girl I the dorm. A lot of people heard her screams and were waiting outside the door of the rapists room. When he opened the door to push the girl out the crowd outside attacked him and he got beat up pretty bad. The next day he was expelled and kicked out of the dorm. We all watched him do the walk of shame as he packed his car to move.

So I guess it’s only public colleges that care about rapes and not Christian colleges.

[exboyfil]

12. Did they call 911 and attempt to break the door down

I would if I heard a girl screaming.

He shouldn't have been leaving the school the next day. His parents should have been moving his stuff while he tried to make bail.

[Smackdown2019]

18. The 70s

911 was NOT a norm back then, nor was phones.

I grew up in 70 and the 80s as a kid, but one thing I do recall is phones had a line attached and public phones had a coin slot. Not to mention 911 was not universal number to call for help, you had to dial all digits to the police station that you pull from a phone book.

Also, sounds to me these were college kids...

Either way, it's 2022 and seems that any organization that has church, football, or Trump involved, it's not holy as they make themselves out to be.

There are good church's out there, but money or their power over you should not be their calling.

[NullTuples]

27. I this era and also remember that none of us trusted the campus cops

They'd be 40 feet from a non-white kid getting beat up and just keep chatting then claim they didn't see it.

Pretty much like cops today. There's a reason they gained the moniker, "pigs".


(I understand the sentiment and agree with them regarding law enforcement but when the Revolutionary Black Panther Party coined the term in contemporary usage, they really did actual porcine mammals a disservice with their description)

[Warpy]

43. Phones back then were pay phones in or near the common room

or even outside the dormsl, altogether. There was no 911, you had to look up the seven digit number for the local police station, if you called the wrong one, no dice.

As for breaking the door down, kids typically didn't keep B&E tools in their dorm rooms, not even the engineering students.

[obamanut2012]

40. Something similar happened to someone when I was in college, too

Except, she didn't scream because he smothered her half to death. When she went into the hallway (this was a men's floor), with a black eye and blood running down her leg, some guys she knew took her to the RD, who called the campus cops, who did nothing. Because she was kinda drunk and had "willingly" went into his dorm room. They didn't even tell the college's leadership.

Next week when he went into the shower room, the lights were cut, and he was beaten severely enough to put him into the hospital. He never came back to school, and no one had any idea of how it had happened, and all the guys on the floor showed how a window had been "broken," and someone from outside must have done it.

I do not agree with vigilante justice, but often I understand it.

on edit: this was the mid 80s. So, also why there was no real CCTV.

[gratuitous]

8. "I just felt like, why did I even speak up?"

Oh good, you got the lesson the school was trying to teach you.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. "Why don't victims report??" Example 13847189374109

[Johnny2X2X]

11. "And they dare call themselves Christian?"

"And they dare call themselves Christian?"

Well yeah, this is absolutely typical of Christianity and consistent with the teachings of their scripture. It's a sick religion who has punished rape victims since its inception.

To treat rape victims with compassion and caring is to reject Christianity.

[exboyfil]

14. I wonder about the Memphis Police

An attack reported effectively the next day and no charges? I wonder how well they investigated the attack.

If the school had just taken prudent measures to protect her, it would have been the Christian thing to do. I would be very uncomfortable with punishing the accused student if the police failed to charge him though. A school is not an investigative body. They can take actions to minimize the interactions between the two (effectively a restraining order).

She should have filed for a restraining order detailing the particulars of the attack.

The accused student and his buddy ex-boyfriend are slime in the highest degree though. Don't kiss and tell for the useless ex-boyfriend. It is none of the accused business (or the school) who she slept with.

Anyone with a daughter should think twice about supporting her to go to this college. Go to Sewanee instead.

[MagickMuffin]

15. I would not have signed anything and gone to the hospital for a rape kit, DNA evidence

What happened to Mara is a crime.

Mara's "christian" college covered it up. Mara should sue the school for being complicit in the crime and cover-up and tell everyone who the rapist is. Doxx that rapist.

She should thank her lucky stars she didn't get pregnant, she would be required to carry to full term and either keep the baby or turn it over to Visible Music College for rehoming to a good "christian" family.


Mara sorry for your experience but you still hold power over the situation. Turn the rapist into a pariah!

[NullTuples]

29. That's you. She was clearly raised in a conservative Christian world. It's...very different.

I grew up in that world in my childhood, off and on. I'm guessing the very idea of doing what you described didn't even - couldn't even - occur to her. It's such a different worldview, being taught that any other way of thinking simply is not legitimate and does not really exist. It's brainwashing.

[MagickMuffin]

37. Some might say grooming and indoctrination

As most Americans I too grew up with Christianity.


But I learned at a very early age it was magical thinking to believe in God, when my Sunday school teacher told me at 6 years of age there was no such thing as Santa Claus.

My 6 year old brain equated that with this simple phrase: God is everywhere and sees everything you do, just as Santa Claus does there's even a anthem stating just that.

So, Santa God it is!


Indoctrination is hard to break. I hope Mara can move past this but I'm afraid she'll live with this the rest of her life, speaking from experience.

[NullTuples]

60. Really? Did you have to?

'Cause now I have the tune, "Santa God is coming to town..." running through my head endlessly and it's almost May.

[Native]

16. "It's the complete opposite of what Jesus would do."

She pretty much summed up all of the "Christian" right.

[Mad_Machine76]

19. "The Future The Right Wants"

literally

[maliaSmith]

21. raped

I don't care what colleges say women should do if they're raped. My advice to anyone who are raped.
Save your clothing.
Go to hospital and have a rape test done
Report to real police, not campus police.
Get your rape on record. If police won't do anything, file a civil complaint.

SAVE ALL YOUR EVIDENCE.
TELL YOUR FRIENDS AS SOON AS IT HAPPENS SO YOU HAVE WITNESSES, TAKE PHOTOS AND HAVE YOUR WITNESSES WRITE STATEMENTS FOR YOU ASAP.

[niyad]

66. Exactly.

[IronLionZion]

22. Sounds like American Taliban

there is no hate quite like Christian love

I think Phyllis Schlafly had a conservative solution to end college rape: women shouldn't go to college.

[LeftinOH]

23. The red flag here: "Christian college."

[lindysalsagal]

28. I've heard many stories from women that sexual assault, including of children, is the norm in church

Ok OK, you don't think it's happening in your church. How would you even know?

Divine coercion is powerful, and used widely. Churches should have all of the regulations, oversight, laws, and TAXES as every other organization.

[RaDaR63]

31. Everything in this story

is told by this young woman, her lawyer, or is in the complaint that they filed. It could all be true, but no one else would talk to NBC. After Duke lacrosse, Rolling Stone's Virginia Tech, Jussie Smollett, and many other false stories, I'll reserve judgement and wait and see.

Oh, yeah, NBC had that exploding GM trucks story, too.

[niyad]

64. What flavour pizza do you like?

[RaDaR63]

65. That's a weird question

It's out of context, the British spelling, and people don't usually associate the word flavor with pizza.

But, I like variety. I don't really have a favorite. My wife likes the veggie supreme from the mom & pop joint down the street. That's probably what we get the most often.

[niyad]

67. Well, who the FUCK else is supposed to tell the story? Most rapes do NOT get

perpetrated in front of independent witnesses. Victim blaming, implying that the victim is lying, ohhhh, we MUST WAIT for independent corroboration, is exactly how rape victims have been silenced in patriarchy.

[Blue Owl]

33. Satan was pleased with their actions

[onecaliberal]

35. American taliban.

We need to take these men out of power.

[RobinA]

50. My Observation

when a girl was raped and held against her will in my dorm at college while we all went about our business was that the females were worse than the men.

[onecaliberal]

55. If they did nothing to help her they are culpable in the rape.

[barbtries]

36. we all should start putting "christian"

in quotes when discussing this heinous bullshit.

[Nululu]

38. Did they expell her ex-boyfriend. Of course not.

It's always the woman's fault.

[hunter]

41. These grifters don't want to scare away the gullible parents who send their kids to these schools...

... so they cover up all manner of horrible things, including rape, often with the cooperation of local law enforcement.

[Celerity]

44. difficult to come down hard on rape when baby jeebus was conceived by the holy ghost raping Mary

according to this fucked up religion

[themaguffin]

45. This is unfortunate to say, but schools can't be trusted & claims need to go straight to the police

[RobinA]

49. "She expected that school officials would help her"

Yeah, well there's her first mistake. Never in 19 years of schooling did a school ever help me, even when asked. Although I understand there are some that do.

[BobTheSubgenius]

53. So, the college is saying that, if the rape happened off-campus, it's none of their business...

...so if consensual sex happened off-campus, that's none of their business either. Right?

[twodogsbarking]

54. Anyone surprised.

Anyone?

[CousinIT]

56. American Taliban. Abort Patriarchy.

"schools ban on premarital sex"?!

1. This "Christian" college ASSumes that this "sex" was a consensual choice for her. IT WAS NOT. SHE did not CHOOSE it.

2. Does that "ban on premarital sex" rule APPLY TO THE GODDAMNED RAPIST - the ONE person involved who had ANY choice in the matter? Apparently NOT. THIS is why I HATE patriarchy. And religions that base their beliefs on it.

[OMGWTF]

57. Ever since that stupid story about a woman, an apple, and a talking snake, it's been non-stop

misogyny in the Xitian world.

[catbyte]

61. They're not called "Talibubbas" for nothing. It's something right out of the Taliban.

"Devout conservative" religions are always dangerous, no matter what their belief systems are.

[OldBaldy1701E]

62. I guess this is the only thing left to do if you were a raped.