Stanford University’s commencement was overshadowed on Sunday by a sex assault case that prompted a brief protest by students.
The event kicked off with university president John Hennessy calling for a moment of silence for survivors of sexual assault as well as victims of the massacre in Florida that left 50 people dead.
“As events on our own campus and around the country remind us, violence in all forms has become a scourge on our society,” he said.
Photo: Reuters
A handful of students carried signs that read: “Rape is Rape,” “It doesn’t matter what she was drinking” or “Stanford protects rapists” during the so-called “Wacky Walk” processional into the university stadium.
At the ceremony itself, there was only muted protest, with several students sporting on their caps a message that read “1/3,” in reference to the ratio Stanford students say will be victims of sexual assault by the time they finish a four-year degree.
A plane hired by a women’s activist group earlier flew overhead, trailing a banner that read: “Protect survivors. Not Rapists. #PerskyMustGo.”
The tag referred to Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, who earlier this month sentenced to six months in jail a former student — Brock Turner — who was convicted for the sexual assault of an unconscious woman last year.
The sentence, which gained attention after the victim’s statement to the court was made public, has prompted widespread outrage and calls for Persky to be recalled.
The judge has not commented on the case as Turner’s attorney has indicated he could appeal his sentence.
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