2022 LSU Gumbo - Book - Page 121
About 100 students marched on LSU’s campus in protest of
the university’s handling of a former French graduate student
accused of raping multiple women, fleeing to France and
avoiding trial for the third degree rape of a former UL Lafayette
student.
The “March in Action” was organized by student
organizations Feminists in Action with Le Cercle Français, where
students chanted and hoisted signs in anger.
Among the speakers included Le Cercle Français president
Miranda Albarez, who recounted to the crowd her years of work
in student organizations with the 31-year-old graduate student
Edouard d’Espalungue d’Arros. She said she felt threatened by
him, calling him a “manipulative monster” in an Instagram post
earlier this month.
“That is the culture that LSU has created—a rape culture
where predators are victimized and survivors are villainized,”
Albarez, a music, French and digital art senior, said at the march.
Students demanded the university do a better job of
prioritizing safety on campus following an Oct. 5 article by The
Advocate detailing d’Espalungue’s alleged crimes.
The article recounts d’Espalungue’s prominent participation
at the university as he awaited trial for the third degree rape of
a woman after an arrest in 2018. The French graduate student
participated in Student Government and started a French journal
funded by the university. He was no longer allowed to teach
freshman-level courses, but he stayed in touch with students.
LSU gave him little to no punishments until he was given
a one-year suspension in 2020 for allegedly raping another
student. Eventually a Rapides Parish judge granted him
permission last year to return to France for Christmas—and
he hasn’t returned since. Since his indictment, six women have
accused d’Espalungue of rape.
Flyers distributed at the Parade Ground prior to the protestors’
march read “We want to feel #SafeNotSilenced.”
As the protest began in front of Memorial Tower at the Parade
Ground, professor of history and women’s gender and sexuality
studies Catherine Jacquet expressed her support for the students
organizing the protest. She has participated in similar protests
herself for decades, she said
“It’s hard to be surprised because this has happened so
often at LSU. We expect this but it’s still every time absolutely
infuriating,” Jacquet said. “It makes my head want to explode.”
Protestors wielded a sea of colorful signs displaying messages
like “protect survivors, not rapists” and “Blanchard knew, Russo
knew,” referring to administrators in the French Department.
When the marching started, students roared chants throughout
the trek to Hodges Hall and turned the heads of bypassers.
“Hey hey, ho, ho, Dr. Russo has got to go,” protestors chanted.
“Shame on you LSU, victims we believe you.”
French Department Chair Adelaide Russo was removed from
her position Oct. 13 after six women filed a lawsuit accusing LSU
of failing to conduct a proper investigation into d’Espalungue.
Russo reportedly defended d’Espalungue on several occasions
following his multiple rape accusations.
Students unaffiliated with the protest stopped dead in their
tracks on their way to class to watch the stream of protestors as
they chanted.
“Stop the violence. We want to be safe, not silent,” they
repeated.
Kayla Meyers, political science and psychology senior and FIA
secretary, came with a list of demands. Chief among these was to
support and believe survivors.
“I was at the [Title IX] protest last year in 2020, and we
are having these issues still,” Meyers said. “Nothing has really
changed.”
Upon hearing of the protest, Civil Rights and Title IX Interim
Vice President Jane Cassidy expressed her support for the
protestors and their mission.
“This protest is a reminder of our accountability to the
students and employees at LSU and provides yet another
opportunity for us to reflect and improve upon past practices,”
Cassidy said.
However, students still feel LSU has not lived up to its
promise of a safer campus, even after the recent reorganization of
the Title IX office.
Political science senior and FIA Planned Parenthood chair
Isabel Sauviac wants more transparency on top of student
outreach from the LSU Title IX office.
“They should actually listen to their students,” Sauviac said.
“They re-did Title IX, sure, but they didn’t talk to anyone. I feel
like they should actually talk to the students and see what we
want because it’s about us.”
International trade finance sophomore and political director
of LSU College Democrats Cooper Ferguson not only believes
the Title IX office isn’t properly funded but that it hasn’t
accomplished its promise of hiring 18 new Title IX investigators.
“They’re more concerned about protecting their pocketbooks
than actually protecting LSU students,” Ferguson said.
Even though President William Tate IV has only served at
LSU for three months, Ferguson was furious at his response to
the allegations against d’Espalungue.
He said the president attempted to abdicate himself in an
email sent to the LSU community by saying he was not serving
when the allegations occurred. Ferguson believes Tate and the
Title IX office are directly responsible for the continued sexual
assaults on campus.
“[LSU’s Title IX office] needs to hire more staff, and they need
to be serious about addressing allegations against the university,
not just covering their asses,” Ferguson said.
Social work senior and FIA vice president Gabriella Turner
repeatedly announced her irritation for having to protest
something that should not be happening in the first place.
“When we make our voices heard, that’s when we get change
done,” Turner said.
Upon reaching Hodges Hall, the final destination of the
march, the floor was opened up to protesters who wanted to
share their thoughts and feelings.
Emotional students echoed Ferguson’s frustrations that LSU
has not done enough. One speaker directly addressed Tate,
saying his efforts of creating advocacy groups is not enough.
“None of that matters if you don’t do the hard work of actually
enacting the legislation that is there to protect us,” one protestor
said.
Student after student came up to the microphone and
announced their experiences with sexual assault as busses
whizzed by on the street and protestors freed space on the
sidewalk for people walking past.
of silence.
“LSU, you need to look in the mirror, find the problems and
fix them. We are done asking,” Albarez said. “Changes start now.”
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