Long time lurker, Finally decided to post. Been kind of loosely following the HCO stuff the past couple weeks. I have to disclaim i am pretty biased against the honor code i think there are some fundamental flaws with it, that I may post a little bit later, but in regards to the specific stuff with the rape I think there is a drastic need for change. This guy honestly asked a question about it and i feel the need to clarify some things about rape cases.

Rape differs from other honor code related things in that it is often a life altering experience for the victims. Drugs, drinking, and even consensual sex are sins, but it doesn't often have the life altering aspects of a rape that happen in a singular event. When someone is raped they lose their agency in a situation, one of the most important things to a person's well being and control in their lives. This is particularly amplified in the LDS culture where so much of one's self worth is preached hand in hand with chastity (think chewed up gum lesson in girl's Sunday school, which i don't agree with).

When rape happens the girl is often shamed, hurt, and vulnerable. They lose a sense of self worth and often have the attitude, well i'm not worth anything now I might as well go out and and do whatever because what i had is gone now. Also a very normal reaction for rape victims is to spiral terribly. If they weren't doing drugs/drinking alcohol before this may lead to experimenting in order to cope with and deal with these psychological effects. A very common reaction is to also go out and have sex, this is a response to try and gain control and correct something that was traumatic and awful in their lives. They try to correct have it be on their terms make it something in their lives that is right. This is not as much a conscious decision as it is a subconscious drive. This doesn't seem to really work though but they often keep trying.

This leads me to the HC office and their stance on investigating subsequent infractions along with rape. A person who has been raped need all the help they can get and IMMEDIATELY! The person has had a terrible experience that can be damaging for life, and the actions that often follow are self-destructive unless they get help. There are not many people that can self-cope and get over a rape, in almost every case it requires professional help. Until they start to heal it permeates and taints many aspects of their lives and character/personality. The honor code office needs to get rid of negative consequences for getting that help and starting the healing process. At this point their concern should not be a person's sins but getting them back on track to functioning and processing things healthily and on a daily basis.

Like the savior who caught the woman in adultery, he didn't hold an investigative council to find all the sins that led her there, nor did he condemn her for the sins, he simply gave her hope saying she is forgiven, and told her to go on her way. The policy at BYU needs to take the merciful more gospel related approach. Have compassion on somebody who has had a paradigm shifting ,psychological, and traumatic experience, sympathize with their circumstances, and then get them all the help they can as immediately as they can and take on the role of the savior and help them in every way possible. No need to focus on the past, but rather what can they do to help moving forward. The person raped is already in a heightened and scared state of mind and needs all the encouragement they can get to bring their experience to light and get the professional help they need. Also the faster someone is reported for rape the less time he has to ruin other's lives ( and trust me it often ruins their lives for a time).


TL:DR version. Rape is a life altering experience for the victim that can often send them in a spiral and cause them to lose all sense of control and self-identity in their lives, which leads to more destructive behavior. The HCO needs to remove the negative reinforcement for coming forward about rape in order to help these individuals who are in desperate need of help sooner than later and start to get their lives back on track, and get the professional help they need and get the rapers out of people's homes as soon as possible so they can stop destroying people's lives.

Possible philosophical thread regarding my views about the HCO to follow later ha.