YPSILANTI, Mich. (WXYZ) — Eastern Michigan University is now being accused of dismissing allegations by a male student who said he is the victim of sexual assault on campus. He says his attacker was a female student who then stalked him and the school failed to take appropriate action.
For months, dozens of women have been accusing EMU of dismissing sex assault complaints and leaving them to fend for themselves. Now, a male student is telling a similar story.
The former student says he's battling PTSD, severe anxiety and depression from the alleged assault. We're not identifying the alleged victim, but he says he knows all too well that sex assault can happen to anyone.
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In the fall of 2019, he says he was inside his own dorm room when a female student began removing his clothes without his consent after he was taking Ambien to help him sleep. The medication rendering him helpless in his position, and unable to fend off the sex assault.
“She took advantage of me, and in a very vulnerable state. I had trusted her,” he said.
The former student, who was a sophomore at the time, says he was living at Wise Hall on campus when things escalated to that female student raping him, and him being unable to stop it. After that night, he says his attacker, who lived in the same dorm, would go on to stalk him by phone and in person.
“She said she was in love with me, and I told her I wanted nothing to do with it,” he said.
He says complaints made to EMU weren't successful in making it stop, and when the female student refused to switch dorms, the school told him to find another place to live at an added cost to him. In the meantime, he claims Title 9 investigators and EMU police downplayed what took place.
“They didn’t take anything I said seriously. It’s not even just that I’m a guy. It’s a culture of campus,” he said.
Now working with an attorney, he's considering his next step with a desire to change the culture on campus. 7 Action News called EMU for a response and received the below statement.
"We take all reports of sexual assault or any form of sexual misconduct seriously and work diligently and compassionately to support survivors.
The individual contacted our police department about this matter in September 2020, reporting an assault that he stated had occurred in December 2019. The EMU police department immediately launched a thorough and timely investigation. When the investigation was completed later that same month, the report was submitted to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office with a request to pursue charges. The prosecutor's office declined our request."
The Washtenaw County Prosecutor says the case was denied under a previous administration because evidence could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. However, they would always consider reopening a sex assault case if there's new evidence.
Currently, more than 30 women are alleging sex assaults for years and a cover-up by EMU, school police and fraternities as part of their lawsuits.
