Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is alleging that a former student who was raped while studying abroad was partially responsible for the assault.
Lawyers of the Massachusetts school said the student, referred to as Jane Doe, was partially to blame because she was drinking on the night of the attack and chose to follow a stranger to the rooftop, according to court documents obtained by the Boston Globe and revealed on June 7.
Doe was raped by a security guard in April 2012 at a university-leased apartment building in Puerto Rico. She was completing a research project during her time overseas.
The court battle comes at a time when rape on college campuses are in the national spotlight. A sexual assault at Stanford University’s campus involving a student on the swimming team has gripped people’s attention nationwide.
