On the morning of Dec. 14, Bradley University’s President Gary Roberts appeared on WMBD News to discuss campus safety.
During the segment, Roberts commented on a Dec. 8 safety alert notifying the Bradley community of a female student who reported being sexually assaulted at an on-campus residential facility.
While on air, Roberts said the incident involved “students who knew each other, who got very drunk.” He then continued, saying “Teenage kids sometimes behave in stupid ways, and that’s basically what happened this time.”
After viewers reacted negatively on social media to the interview, Roberts sent a campus-wide email apologizing for the remarks. He said he acknowledges his comments may have been interpreted as him implying that he does “not regard sexual assault as a serious crime” and that he may have been “excusing criminal behavior.”
Senior health science major Amanda Fuller said while Roberts was talking about a specific case in which he had details of the event, he should have realized he was speaking to an audience without that information.
“The mention of intoxication and acquaintanceship comes across as victim blaming,” Fuller said. “This may not have been his intent, but the power of language should never be ignored.”
Roberts said he was shocked by the reaction from the public.
“I was completely caught by surprise [by the negative reactions],” Roberts said. “I am so committed to this cause. I wouldn’t think anyone would doubt it.”
However, after watching himself on television, Roberts said he “immediately understood how people could interpret things they way they did.”
In response to the situation, Roberts said he is in the process of forming a committee of students, faculty and administrators that will consider ways to improve policies and take action to improve any weaknesses in Bradley’s efforts to combat sexual assault.
“By opening up this dialogue and potentially leading to improvements in how we do things, my gaffe may turn out to have been for good,” Roberts said. “In the meantime, nobody should ever think that Bradley is not firmly committed to doing everything possible to make our campus safe from all forms of criminal activity, including and especially sexual violence.”
