The “disorientation guide” passed out to freshmen on Sunday should not have included fraternity rape accusations.
Late Sunday night, we reported that Ohio University Student Union members spent Sunday afternoon distributing tip sheets meant to offer advice to Athens’ newcomers.
Welcome Weekend and the first week of classes are a hectic and confusing time for freshmen, and printing a guide of sorts can help alleviate the anxiety and stress that comes with being the new kid on campus. Pointing freshmen to organizations that can genuinely offer help and advice is a good thing.
Pointing them to a blanket accusation — like the one that men in the Acacia fraternity rape women — isn’t.
The Ohio University Student Union’s “disorientation guide” wasn’t without any help at all. New students should know where organizations like the Latex League and Ohio University Survivor Advocacy program are located. Additionally, to pay your student legal fee is not a bad idea.
The guide was a good opportunity to start a conversation on campus and help students. By placing an accusatory statement about “Blue House” in its text, it drew away from what should’ve been the original message: Help and support all students.
It’s not that these accusations of sexual assault shouldn’t be taken seriously and explored. But for now, these accusations are just that — accusations. The proper forum for that isn’t in the way of a pamphlet passed out to the freshmen class, it’s in a police report filed with the Athens Police or Ohio University Police Department.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editors: Editor-in-Chief Emma Ockerman, Managing Editor Rebekah Barnes, Opinion Editor Will Gibbs and Digital Managing Editor Samuel Howard. Post editorials are independent of the publication's news coverage.
