With Stanford rape in spotlight, Minnesota colleges hold sexual violence summit
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - Outrage over the six-month sentence of convicted rapist and former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner has opened a national dialogue on sexual violence. This week, 300 campus staff and sexual assault advocates from Minnesota colleges and universities are continuing that discussion at the Minnesota Campus Sexual Violence Prevention Summit.
The two-day conference runs Thursday, June 9 to Friday, June 10 at Metro State University in St. Paul. Participants will share ideas about “preventing, responding, investigating and adjudicating reports of sexual assault on campus.” The agenda includes 28 different one-hour workshops on preventing sexual violence, dating violence, sexual harassment and stalking. The summit is also aimed at helping college campuses address the requirements of the 2016 Campus Sexual Assault legislation.
Stanford rape in the spotlight
Brock Turner was convicted of three felonies in connection with the attack of an unconscious woman behind a dumpster in January of 2015, but was only sentenced to 6 months in county jail. The district attorney had been pushing for 14 years in state prison, but the judge decided on the more lenient penalty, citing Turner’s age and lack of a criminal record. Judge Aaron Petsky said a lengthy prison sentence would have “a severe impact on him” and “I think he will not be a danger to others.”
The outrage was multiplied when the letter that Brock’s father, Dan Turner, wrote to Judge Petsky was published. Turner complained that his son’s 6-month sentence was “a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life.”
TRENDING - Stanford rape victim's letter to rapist Brock Turner
“The sexual assault had been so clear, but instead, here I was at the trial, answering question like: How old are you? How much do you weigh? What did you eat that day? Well what did you have for dinner? Who made dinner? Did you drink with dinner? No, not even water? When did you drink? How much did you drink? What container did you drink out of? Who gave you the drink? How much do you usually drink? Who dropped you off at this party? At what time? But where exactly? What were you wearing? Why were you going to this party? What’ d you do when you got there? Are you sure you did that? But what time did you do that? What does this text mean? Who were you texting? When did you urinate? Where did you urinate? With whom did you urinate outside? Was your phone on silent when your sister called? Do you remember silencing it? Really because on page 53 I’d like to point out that you said it was set to ring. Did you drink in college? You said you were a party animal? How many times did you black out? Did you party at frats? Are you serious with your boyfriend? Are you sexually active with him? When did you start dating? Would you ever cheat? Do you have a history of cheating? What do you mean when you said you wanted to reward him? Do you remember what time you woke up? Were you wearing your cardigan? What color was your cardigan? Do you remember any more from that night? No? Okay, we’ll let Brock fill it in.” Read the full letter at http://www.fox9.com/news/154540583-story