Liberty University- Sexual Assault Cases

Presented by: Whitney Ballard

(she/her/hers)
Liberty University Quote: Liberty is committed to
developing tomorrow’s leaders- men
● Founded in 1971 in Lynchburg, Va
and women of character whose impact
by the Christian evangelist Jerry will extend beyond their professions
Falwell Sr. to change the world around them
● Accredited in 1985
● Its a Christian liberal arts university
with 15 schools and colleges
● Offer more than 700 programs such
as medicine, biology, religion,
music, etc
● Went from 154 students into a
university with a residential student
body of over 15,000
Case- 12 Jane Doe’s
● Former students and employees of the university filed a lawsuit claiming
that the school made serious errors in its handling of harassments, sexual
assault, rapes and pregnancies of students and employees of the
university, some dating back to 2015
Three Key Points
1.The Liberty Way
2.Tacit policy that condones sexual violence,
particularly by male student athletes, by
weighing a denial more heavily than an
allegation, the lawsuit claims.
3.The plaintiffs claim in the lawsuit that the
school engages in public and repeated
retaliation against women who have reported
sexual violence.

The Liberty Way
● Honor Code- requires students to
abstain from sex before marriage, as
well as drinking alcohol or
smoking. Violating the rules can
result in consequences
● Codes of conduct like this are likely
to be found at conservative faith-
based colleges
● Their honor code which makes it
difficult to report sexual violence
because it doesnt clearly shield
students making the reports from
punishment for infractions, including
being at a place where alcohol is
served- or being alone with a member
of the opposite sex” ( Silverman,
2021).
● Even though this code is suppose to
reflect their strict adherence to
religious morals other faith-based
instructions have recognized that it’s
more important to encourage students
to report sexual misconduct than to
silence them
Jane Doe #3 Story
● Once she told her resident advisor about what happened she was told
she would suffer consequences for reporting being sexually assaulted
by a student athlete after a party because she was drinking.
● Spiritual guidance
● The student had included photos of bruising she suffered during her
alleged attack in her report, which she later discovered had been
removed from her Title IX investigative file for being "too explicit,"
according to the suit.
 Ethical Implications
● ACPA 3.2- Seek resolution when
they and their institution encounter
substantial disagreements
concerning professional or
personal values. Resolution may
require sustained efforts to modify
institutional policies and practices
or result in voluntary termination
of employment.

● ACPA 4.2 - Demonstrate concern

for the welfare of all students and
work for constructive change on
behalf of students.
Ethical Implications- CAS Standards
● Principle I - Autonomy
○ We take responsibility for our actions and both
support and empower an individual's and group’s
freedom of choice.
● Principle II – Non-Malfeasance
○ We pledge to do no harm.
Justice for Janes
● Liberty University should hire a third party to audit its Human Resources and Title IX offices to investigate
potential areas of corruption and mismanagement
● The university should encourage students to report alleged Title IX violations and affirm that they will not
face disciplinary consequences.
● All faculty and departments of the university must be informed of their duty to forward all reports of violations
to the Title IX office.
● No policy or procedure that discourages reporting may exist.
● Blue Emergency Lights around Campus
Recommendations
● Rebuild their honor code like Brigham Young University
● Fix their internal structure to tear down the walls of silence they created within the
environment
● Shift to an institutions that is student focused and for the students
● Create a safer campus environment internally and externally (policies, emergency
blue lights around campus)
References
Kelderman, E. (2021, October 26). Does the 'liberty way' discourage reports of sexual assault? The Chronicle of Higher
Education. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://www.chronicle.com/article/does-the-liberty-way-discourage-students-from-
reporting-sexual-assault?bc_nonce=mlclm48y32cp2choh0cj9d&cid=reg_wall_signup&cid2=gen_login_refresh.

Liberty University Sexual Assault Victims. Justice for Janes. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2021, from
https://www.justiceforjanes.com/.

Silverman, H. (2021, July 21). Liberty University sued by 12 women claiming school policies made sexual assault and rape more
likely. CNN. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/21/us/liberty-university-sexual-assault-lawsuit/
index.html.

Staff, W. D. B. J. (n.d.). 12 women file lawsuit against Liberty University, claiming failures of Title IX Office.
https://www.nbc12.com. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://www.nbc12.com/2021/07/20/12-women-file-lawsuit-against-
liberty-university-claiming-failures-title-ix-office/.