St Andrews students urged to report assaults to police
VICTIMS of sexual assault at the University of St Andrews have been urged to contact the police immediately by Nicola Sturgeon’s government following a Daily Telegraph investigation.
At least a dozen claims of rape and sexual assault have been levelled against members of a Us-style fraternity at the university, and the group has suspended a number of members.
More allegations have been made against other students at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s alma mater, with an Instagram page for survivors to share their stories receiving more than 100 submissions in less than a week.
After the The Telegraph’s report, St Andrews responded by introducing a compulsory module on consent and sexual assault, which all 9,000 students will be required to take before starting the next academic year.
Now, the Scottish Government has said that “anyone who has been the victim of any such crime” should contact the police immediately.
A spokesman said campuses should foster “a culture that is clear in its condemnation of gender-based violence” and gives students the confidence to report such behaviour.
“We would encourage anyone who has been the victim of any such crime, or has information relating to any allegations, to contact the police immediately as these are criminal matters.”
At least nine allegations of rape have been made against students in the St Andrews branch of Alpha Epsilon Pi – a global fraternity with more than 170 groups in seven countries.
One female student told The Telegraph she was raped by a fraternity “brother” in February after he offered to walk her home from a party. She was put to bed but woke up to find him raping her. She has not yet reported the incident to police but says she would like to take the matter forwards.
The fraternity, which is not recognised as an official society by the university, said: “We find the contents of these allegations abhorrent and are taking them extremely seriously.”
A spokesman for St Andrews said: “The university will always act when incidents are formally reported and is committed to working collaboratively with students to promote a culture of responsibility and respect.”