To the Editors:
I wish to address the Loyola community concerning last week’s article entitled “Student arrested on rape charge.” First, I urge everyone to postpone judgment on either Mr. Rosevear or the alleged victim until a verdict has been reached in the case. We ought to remember that the police report, while suggesting that a rape may have occurred, does not conclusively demonstrate so. The article leaves some relevant questions unanswered including: Mr. Rosevear’s level of intoxication, the exact provisions of Louisiana date rape law, and the interactions between Rosevear and the alleged victim leading up to intercourse. We ought to be mindful that we have not heard the testimony of any party-goers besides the friend who asked Rosevear to bring the alleged victim home. I’ll argue that the facts stated in the police report ought to lead us to believe that this, ethically at least, might not be a case of rape. And we need to keep in mind that, just as Mr. Rosevear is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, so he ought to be in our minds.
On the other hand, we should equally refrain from judging the alleged victim. I’m sick of hearing people’s speculations that she just made a drunken mistake and/or is out to get Mr. Rosevear. Very few of us know the identity of this girl and even fewer can comment on her character or reasons for bringing charges against Mr. Rosevear. We ought to remember that very few rape accusations wholly falsified and I’d like to think that most people understand the gravity of making an accusation like this against another person and would not do so if they were not absolutely convinced that what happened was rape. None of us were there to witness this alleged crime.
The bottom line is that few of us are in a place to accurately judge what actually happened that night until a verdict is delivered.
Calvin Monley
English senior
