President Iuliano sent the following message to the Gettysburg College community on May 18, 2021.
Dear Members of the Gettysburg College Community,
By now, you may have seen the Associated Press story released yesterday that details two sexual assaults that occurred on our campus in 2013. I am deeply disturbed and troubled to read these accounts and to learn more about the continued struggles one of our former students has faced in trying to seek justice through the criminal justice system. I applaud our former students’ bravery in continuing to bring these issues to light.
As the article so poignantly states, pursuing these cases criminally remains an ongoing challenge. The story does an important service in underscoring the work we have as citizens and as a nation to ensure that all victims have access to the criminal justice system. We also recognize the essential work that we have as a community in addressing these problems on our campus—and across all of higher education.
The safety of our students is our highest priority, and we are committed to taking steps to educate, prevent, and adjudicate these incidents at Gettysburg College. Over the past several years, the College has worked to improve its sexual assault awareness and education, reporting processes, and adjudication. These efforts have led to a better-informed campus community and, therefore, a more accessible and thorough reporting mechanism, which is essential in allowing the College to accurately understand and address these issues. I detailed several of these steps in a recent communication to the community during Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April.
We are committed to protecting the safety of our students and to ensuring that every student is able to have a full and robust college experience. We will continue to prioritize our efforts around sexual assault awareness. As a community, we know this work is ongoing and far from complete.
Sincerely,
Bob Iuliano
President