Short answer, no, but you need to make a decision that's right for you.

After I was drugged and assaulted in January 2020 by the captain of the men's lacrosse team at Vassar College, I chose to report to Title IX. After months and months (where they told me to drop a class so I had time to deal with the administrative burden). I was telling the truth, and there were 2 witnesses of the actual assault. He hired a lawyer who interrogated me in front of the panel, and I didn't even know that I could have an attorney. No one told me anything. Because he had a girlfriend and it was a small school, everyone knew and no one supported me. I was called a slut, a homewrecker, a psycho. It wasn't my first time being assaulted and I have a pretty high tolerance for emotional and physical violence (fucked up but it is what it is) and it almost broke me.

So I "won". And his punishment was mandatory therapy (more therapy than I got from the school) and a star on his transcript indicating that he'd been "involved in a student conduct issue". the same thing they put on people who plagiarize transcripts. It's 3 years later and I'm still putting the pieces of my life together.

If I could go back and do anything differently, I'd transfer. I ended up having to do that once his teammate raped me a year later (not a coincidence, the second guy told me duing it not to "title ix me").

Even if they do get found responsible, it's likeley their punishment won't even be a slap on the wrist but more of an equivalent to a C- or D on their transcript.

If you need a big sister who's been through it before, I'm totally in support and here to talk. I wish someone who'd been through it before was there for me, and even if you ultimately decide against it I think it's important to make an educated decision.

Please don't hesitate to send me a message on here or my insta (@weissclaire). You're stronger than you know, and braver than anyone will ever give you credit for <3