1970s
A grassroots movement of both students and staff led to the development of UD’s SOS (Sexual Offense Support) program in the 70s. The late Dr. Marjorie McKusick, then director of Student Health Services, was a driving force behind the idea to provide services to survivors of sexual assault, while Dr. Marge Kingdon of what is not the Center for Counseling and Student Development played an important role in the development of SOS training. On September 15, 1976, former Vice President for Student Affairs John Worthen approved the formal plan for SOS, and the Support Group for Victims of Sexual Offense began operation. Now, SOS has grown within the Division of Student Life to include 40-50 advocates from all sectors of campus and community life (faculty, staff, graduate students, undergraduate students and residents of Newark and the larger community), addressing all forms of sexual misconduct: sexual harassment, dating and domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault.
1980s
The 1980s saw the passage of Women’s History Month through both houses of Congress in 1987. On UDs campus, there were several assaults reported on in the UD Review, including two in November of 1982. In April of 1985, 120 people from UD marched to “take back the night” to protest crimes against women. Then, in December of 1989, students demanded a full time salaried employee to be appointed as an SOS Coordinator for the college.
Images from a sexual climate survey in the Review in 1986
1990s
In 1990, after being arrested for sexual assault, a “lack of evidence” leads to two Kappa Alpha members being found not guilty. The trend of Greek life being tied to sexual assaults continued throughout the 90s, with the connection between Sigma Kappa hazing in 1995 and sexual assault leading to the loss of the sorority’s chapter as well as two UD rugby players being arrested and charged in connection to two rapes and sexual assault that occurred during a toga party with Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority in 1998. A Peeping Tom was also arrested on campus in 1994 and led to students expressing concerns about the safety of UD buildings after discovering that he was a former student who was able to gain access to dorm buildings. Amidst these assaults and arrests, 1997 witnessed the creation and promotion of Sexual Assault Awareness week from October 3rd to October 9th, which includes general information about sexual assault as well as resources for survivors.
2000s
2010s
On September 19th, 2014, University students gathered on the Green to show support for survivors of sexual assault after sociology professor Eric Tranby was accused of quid pro quo sexual harassment. An investigation by the University followed after a student confided in Dr. Chrysanthi Leon, joint faculty in Sociology and Women & Gender Studies, that Dr. Tranby made repeated unwanted sexual advances towards her. These advances occurred over text and in person, which involved Dr. Tranby inviting this student to his office late at night to show her how he had sex with other students. Dr. Tranby told this student he was attracted to her because of what she wore. Later, Dr. Tranby threatened the student with failing his course to prevent her from graduating in addition to offering her an A in exchange for sex. The University left both the student and Dr. Leon in the dark regarding any advancements in the investigation, despite the student’s willingness to testify. Dr. Tranby later expressed in an email to the sociology department that he would resign following a leave of absence, which called into question whether he entered an agreement with the University. He was listed as faculty at Cambridge University following this leave of absence, but seemingly removed after Dr. Leon expressed her concern to the University’s department chair. Various officials at UD commented on the matter, such as the University Provost and Vice Provost, although their comments were vague and did not address the community’s demanding questions.
End the Silence, End the Shame Rally, 2014. Several hundred students gather on the steps of Memorial Hall to honor sexual assault survivors and protest the University’s handling of sexual harassment perpetrated by former faculty Dr. Tranby.
UD’s office of Equity and Inclusion launched the kNOw MORE campaign during the Fall semester of 2016 after students and faculty pushed for more discussion surrounding gender-based violence. This program aims to create an environment in which sexual misconduct is unacceptable and survivors of sexual violence are supported. In a letter dated on October 24th, 2016, President Assanis encouraged students to sign the kNOw MORE pledge, which is done after completing the online training, and attend a booth held by Jackson Katz, a gender-based violence activist and author, to discuss domestic and sexual violence prevention. Assanis concludes his letter by empowering students to play an active role in prevention: “Learn how to spot potentially inappropriate behavior, how to intervene safely, how to report misconduct and how to direct victims to helpful resources.”
On October 8th, 2021, a University of Delaware student was brutally assaulted by her ex-boyfriend in their Newark apartment. Brandon Freyre, then a member of Kappa Delta Rho fraternity, was charged with strangulation, second- and third-degree assault, terroristic threatening, second-degree kidnapping, and criminal mischief. Although the survivor lived, University of Delaware students became outraged by the University’s slow response to this incident. Additionally, Freyre was not expelled from the University, only removed from his fraternity and banned from visiting campus or participating in any classes or activities. Protests organized by Kiera Spann, a sophomore, allowed students to collectively voice their frustrations and concerns. President Assanis met personally with students the following day and emailed all students and staff to apologize for the University’s delayed response as well as to propose the assembly of a task force to mitigate violence on campus.
2021 IPV Protest
The Center for the Study of Gender-Based Violence held a Teach In and Listening Session on October 19th, 2021. Dr. Angela Hattery and Dr. Jennifer Naccarelli, Co-Directors of the Center, gathered students, professors, and members of the community, such as Sue Ryan from the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence, to discuss intimate partner violence and sexual assault on campus. This space allowed for the creation of a list of student demands to improve safety and IPV prevention at the University. The demands included more education, increased resources to the counseling center, addressing Greek life, structural safety, and campus communication.
A student-organized candlelight vigil was held on October 21st to honor survivors of gender-based violence, including intimate partner violence and sexual assault. President Assanis attended and listened to survivors stories about their trauma and resiliency on campus. One student who was sexually assaulted by a member of Greek Life in 2020 expressed how this incident may have been prevented or handled differently if the University’s response to her assault had been more appropriate: “If UD had taken me more seriously when I reported being raped, would this have happened? The answer is I don’t know, I truly don’t. Because people always do bad things, but that doesn’t make it be okay for the University of Delaware’s response to our concerns to be ‘I don’t know.’”
Additionally, staff and faculty, such as Angela Seguin and Dr. Jennifer Naccarelli, offered support to survivors by highlighting what resources are available. Despite the vigil being held in response to trauma and violence, the gathering served to provide a safe space for discussion as well as empower survivors on campus.
