The Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault organized a rally at the south steps of the Utah State Capitol on Thursday, Oct. 8, with the gathering scheduled for 5:30 p.m., according to Telemundo Utah. Attendees gathered to support survivors and discuss preventing sexual violence, as KSL.com reported.
Prevention and survivor support
Speakers argued that prevention should not rest only on women learning how to protect themselves, and called for men to take part in challenging harmful conduct and changing social norms, according to KSL. Reporting from ABC4 Utah described the UCASA executive director urging people to speak up and stressing that survivors deserve support and dignity. Those remarks are paraphrased here; the rally details rely on the outlet’s reporting.
The Cornell case and its status
The rally took place amid renewed attention to a civil lawsuit filed Sept. 16 by a Cornell student identified as Jane Doe. The complaint alleges that seven members of the university’s Chi Phi fraternity drugged and sexually assaulted her on Oct. 19, 2024, according to CNN. These are allegations in a civil complaint, not criminal findings.
Reports give different dates for Doe’s contact with Cornell police: CNN said the complaint states that she reported the incident on Nov. 8, 2024, while NBC News reported that she gave campus police a sworn statement on Nov. 14. NBC also reported that prosecutors did not pursue criminal charges in 2024, citing insufficient evidence.
No criminal charges had been filed against the accused men, according to CNN. The outlet reported that New York prosecutors reopened the investigation after the lawsuit was filed and that a grand jury would review the case to determine whether charges are warranted. CNN also reported that Cornell said its police followed protocol and shared their investigative information with the district attorney’s office.
