From 1990 to 2018, thousands of southeastern Iowa families flocked to an amphitheater south of Kalona for a high-budget, wholesomely patriotic Fourth of July show. The spectators (the vast majority, at least) didn’t know it, but the fireworks bursting in the sky, the near-professional song-and-dance numbers onstage and the very land they were gathered on […]
Sexual Assault
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Insurer rejects liability claim of man accused of sexual assault at UI frat house
An insurance company is asking a federal judge to weigh in on its refusal to cover the liability claim of a man accused of sexual assault at a University of Iowa fraternity house. Allied Property and Casualty has filed court papers in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, seeking a declaratory judgment […]
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Iowa City yoga instructor leads free, anonymous class to help trauma survivors ‘regain a sense of bodily autonomy’
Benders Studio is quiet and bright as Mara Cheney sets up her yoga mat. Her hair is pulled back into a low ponytail, and she places her jean jacket on the floor. It’s a misty Thursday morning. The sound of Iowa Avenue traffic doesn’t carry past the lobby. Inside, the studio is small but cozy, […]
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UI student sues two former FIJI members she accuses of sexual assault, as well as the fraternity’s UI chapter and its national organization
A University of Iowa student has filed a civil lawsuit against the university’s Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, or FIJI, alleging that two members of fraternity raped her at a party on Sept. 4, 2020. Makéna Solberg filed the lawsuit in Johnson County District Court on Tuesday. It alleges two members of the fraternity “planned and […]
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Lessons on consent, every Thursday on the Pentacrest
Like the thousands of people who protested at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, or Fiji, house on Aug. 31, the members of U for Us want “to end sexual misconduct at the University of Iowa, and hold the University accountable for the safety of its students,” as their Facebook page explains. U for Us is […]
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‘We won’t go back’: Reproductive rights advocates rally on the Pentacrest
Parents, grandparents, college students, sexual assault survivors, LGBTQ individuals, Christians, women’s health clinic workers and more gathered on the University of Iowa Pentacrest Friday, May 17, in support of abortion access. The demonstration, titled We Will NOT Go Back — Rally to Protect our Reproductive Rights, was organized by Liana McGowan Reimer and Nicholas Schnerre […]
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The issue of accountability
From the election of Donald Trump to the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to a seat on the Supreme Court, I and other assault survivors have been deeply triggered and overwhelmed by recent and ongoing national rhetoric. Kavanaugh’s angry denial of all impropriety — except the occasional overuse of beer — was perhaps the most disheartening aspect of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the allegations against him, during which his accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, recalling her assault decades ago, was dignified and credible.
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Ernst: Democrats who voted against Kavanaugh were ‘reprehensible’
Sen. Joni Ernst called North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp’s vote against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court “reprehensible,” during an interview last week on North Dakota television.
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Iowa lawmaker explains why she wants to make it harder for victims of domestic and sexual abuse to get protective orders
During a meeting with constituents on Saturday, Rep. Sandy Salmon claimed the two bills she introduced in the Iowa House of Representatives this month that would make it harder for victims of domestic and sexual abuse to get temporary protective orders were just attempts to “explore some options that curb abuses in the system.”
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Iowa lawmaker wants to make it harder for domestic and sexual violence victims to get protective orders
Two bills recently introduced in the Iowa House of Representatives would make it harder for victims of domestic and sexual abuse to get temporary protective orders. Both bills, HF 2214 and HF 2246, were both introduced by Rep. Sandy Salmon, a Republican from Janesville. She is also currently the sole sponsor of both bills.
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The Me Too domino effect in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and beyond
“This fight is for all of us. It is not a fight for just survivors,” said Katryn Duarte, assistant director for sexual assault services at the Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP). “If we really want to eliminate sexual violence, it is our responsibility to educate ourselves on what that means and how to stop it.”
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Three programs for sexual and domestic violence survivors defunded
Three programs have been defunded among other cuts to services for individuals who have experienced sexual and domestic violence following the Iowa Legislature’s decision to decrease funding for victim services by 26 percent. Additional funding cuts at the federal level also contributed to the shortfall.
