EINLET
INSIDE: Jayhawks at the Olympics
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See sports p. 8
MONDAY. JULY 11, 2016 | VOLUME 131 ISSUE 06
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
Alex Robinson/KANSAN
A candlelight vigil was held Sunday in support of the Black Lives Matter social movement. See photos on page 2. Alex Robinson/KANSAN
Community gathers to mourn
▶ CONNER MITCHELL
@connermitchell0
Hundreds, gathered Sunday night in South Park to hold a candlight vigil in support of the Black Lives Matter social justice movement.
The event was held to honor Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two black men who were victims of high-profile police shootings in the past week. Numerous attendees spoke on topics ranging from systemic racism to the violence facing people of color on a daily
basis.
Caleb Stephens, an event organizer and former University student, emphasized community action in addition to events like the vigil which allow communities to heal.
"I'm angry because I am dying next. I am dying next. It doesn't matter the good that I do tonight if I die tomorrow," he said. "The legacy that I leave, I will not go quietly into the night [...] People deserve to be and know that they are good enough, just as you are."
Trinity Carpenter, an
incoming senior at the University, also spoke to vigil attendees, saying it is difficult to go through day-to-day life knowing of the challenges facing people of color. She urged substantive action rather than silent support from white audience members.
"I see you all out here, but I need to see action and outcomes," she said. "Because I cannot continue to go participate at a white system at the University of Kansas and try to earn a degree when I am not valued by my America."
University files motion to dismiss second Title IX lawsuit
CONNER MITCHELL
@connermitchellO
Editor's Note: The University Daily Kansan generally does not name sexual assault victims in accordance with the Kansan's policy guide. However, Sarah McClure disclosed her identity in a video statement during a press conference June 9.
The University filed a motion Friday to dismiss
the Title IX lawsuit filed by Sarah McClure, a former rower. In the motion, the University says that McClure's original lawsuit, which was filed in April, does not present evidence holding the University accountable for Title IX violations.
Though McClure originally filed the complaint as an anonymous plaintiff, her identity was disclosed during a press conference in June. In the original
complaint, McClure alleges the University created a hostile educational environment after she reported being sexually assaulted in Jayhawker Towers. The complaint also says the University violated the Rehabilitation Act by discriminating against McClure due to a disability.
According to the motion to dismiss, a university must be aware of ongoing sexual harassment and remain deliberately indifferent to it before it can be held liable for violations under Title IX, the federal laws for handling sexual assault and gender equity cases.
"Here, Plaintiff suffered one vague event of sexual assault - at the hands of a KU student with no known prior complaints of harassment or assault. Plaintiff's petition acknowledges that after she brought her complaint, KU investigated and expelled her assailant," the motion reads.
"Those are not the actions of a university that is deliberately indifferent to acts of sexual violence. They are the actions of a university diligently working to provide a campus environment free of unlawful harassment and discrimination while balancing the due process rights of the accused student."
McClure's complaint is one of two open Title IX cases against the University. Former rower Daisy
Tackett filed a separate complaint in March after she alleged she was sexually assaulted by the same football player in Jayhawker Towers.
Unless they request an extension, McClure's legal team will have two weeks to respond to the University's motion, at which time the court will decide whether the case will proceed or be dismissed.
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