UNC-CH Rape Victim Speaks Out on Delays in Her Case

and Attempts to Hold Her Attacker Accountable

Media Availability: Delaney Robinson and her father Stacey Robinson and counsel
Denise W. Branch will be available to meet with the media on Tuesday, September 13, at
2:00 pm at 1033 Wade Avenue, Suite 202 Raleigh, NC.
UNC-CH sophomore Delaney Robinson will share her ordeal about being raped and assaulted
by another student in Ram Village on the UNC campus on February 14, 2016 and the struggles
she has faced in bringing her attacker to justice.
Robinson will address the ineffective investigation by University of North Carolina Department of
Public Safety and University violations of its new Title IX regulations.
Today Robinson requested self-sworn warrants for misdemeanor assault on a female and
misdemeanor sexual battery as a result of the Orange County District Attorneys refusal to
prosecute this case despite sufficient physical evidence. These warrants have been issued for
Allen Artis.
***
Statement of Attorney Denise W. Branch
Thank you for coming this afternoon. I am Denise Branch with Stuart Law Firm. I am joined by
my client, UNC student Delaney Robinson and her father Stacey Robinson.
My client was raped on the UNC campus on Valentines Day. For more than six months we
have asked the University and the Orange County District Attorneys office to hold Delaneys
rapist accountable for his actions. At every turn we have been met with discouragement and
delay.
My client has cooperated fully with the investigations conducted by the UNC Department of
Public Safety and the Title IX office of the University. Despite her cooperation and strong
physical evidence, no action has been taken against the student who raped her.
The Title IX office has refused to render a decision in this case, despite concluding their
investigation nearly three months ago. The Orange County District Attorneys has pronounced
that unconsciousness is rape, black out drunk is not rape. Therefore, because my client did
not drink to the point of unconsciousness before she was raped, the Orange County District
Attorney has declined to prosecute this case.

Delaney has given the University and the Orange County District Attorneys Office more than
ample time and opportunity to act. Yet both have failed to do so. Therefore, we have just come
from the Orange County courthouse where we met with a magistrate and requested warrants for
the arrest of the UNC student who raped and assaulted Delaney. These warrants were issued
for misdemeanor assault on a female and misdemeanor sexual battery. Under North Carolina
law, my client is allowed to swear warrants for misdemeanors. The law does not permit
individuals to swear warrants for felony offenses. She decided to take this extraordinary step to
hold her attacker accountable for his actions. She wants to do all that she can so this student,
this man, does not have the opportunity to rape another student.
We are here today because the events of February 14, 2016 could happen on any college
campus in America. Delaneys story is not unique. She enjoyed a night out with friends. She
consumed alcohol and then found herself alone with someone she did not know and she was
raped.
This case is shocking because of the failure of the University and the criminal justice system to
protect a victim who reported a crime. Unlike so many others, Delaney reported her rape. She
went to the hospital and gave a full report of what had happened. She allowed the hospital to
collect all required evidence for a rape kit. The physical exam revealed vaginal injuries
consistent with blunt force trauma and bruising consistent with a physical assault.
Delaney made the courageous decision to come forward. But that courage was met with
inaction and indifference. Delaney feels betrayed by the University she chose. The very
University that promised to protect her and that lauded a new and improved Title IX process that
was completely revamped to better protect students. She has also been betrayed by the
criminal justice system; by inept law enforcement incapable of properly investigating a sexual
assault case and by a District Attorneys office that misstates the law and ignores physical
evidence.
We are here today to share Delaneys story in the hope that real, effective change occurs . . .
change that ensures that rape victims are treated with respect and understanding and that
rapists are held accountable for their actions.
We have written Chancellor Carol Folt detailing all the delays, errors and missteps that have
occurred including the blatant disregard for the new sexual assault policy the University has
cited as a vital step in taking a wide-ranging approach to ensuring a safe and welcoming
campus. We have expressed our concerns to the office of the Orange County District Attorney,
but that office has declined all opportunities to meet with Delaney.
Now, Delaney and her father will share their thoughts and reflections about their ordeal over the
last six months.

***
Statement of Delaney Robinson
When I entered Carolina as a freshman a little over a year ago, I was excited about new
experiences, new friends, great faculty and classes. That all changed in February when I was
assaulted and raped on campus.
I did not realize that rather than receiving support and concern from the University, I would only
be further victimized by the people who should be working to keep us safe.
Yes, I was drinking that night on Valentines Day. Im under age, and I take responsibility for that.
But that doesnt give anyone the right to violate me. I did not deserve to be raped.
My life has changed forever, while the person who assaulted me continues as a student and a
football player on this campus.
After I was raped, I went to the hospital and gave an account of what I could remember to the
sexual assault nurse. Then I was again quizzed by the DPS investigators, who consistently
asked humiliating and accusatory questions. What was I wearing? What was I drinking? How
much did I drink? How much did I eat that day? Did I lead him on? Have I hooked up with him
before? Do I often have one night stands? Did I even say no? What is my sexual history? How
many men have I slept with? I was treated like a suspect.
My humiliation turned to anger when I listened to the recorded interviews of my rapist by DPS.
Rather than accusing him of anything, the investigators spoke to him with a tone of comradery.
They provided reassurances to him when he became upset. They even laughed with him when
he told them how many girls phone numbers he had managed to get on the same night he
raped me. They told him, dont sweat it, just keep on living your life and playing football.
This man raped me and the police told him not to sweat it. How can this happen? Wheres the
protection for students? Why does the University not care that this rapist is free and could
possibly harm another student?
And if this happened to me, who else has been hurt and been too scared to come forward? And
what other cases are being swept under the rug by the University?
I did everything a rape victim is supposed to do. I reported it. I allowed the rape kit to be taken.
I gave a statement. I cooperated with law enforcement and the Title IX office. But six months
later the University has done nothing.

Im taking this public stand not for me, but for the other students on campus who are not
protected, despite what the University tells us. I love this University. Its my home. I plan on
graduating. But I expect the University to fulfill its promises to me and to all students.
***
Statement of Stacey Robinson
My daughter Delaney was raped and sexually assaulted on campus by a by a UNC football
player on Valentines Day. Immediately she did the right thing and reported her rape. She was
subjected to an extensive, invasive physical exam, but she never imagined she would then be
treated by investigators with suspicion and disrespect.
For more than six months, we have waited for the man who raped my daughter to be held
accountable. We have had to endure delays, red tape and bureaucracy by both the UNC
Department of Public Safety and the Title IX office while the University has ignored its own
guidelines.
We have watched with dismay as the UNC Department of Public Safety and the Title IX office
spent far more time investigating my daughter rather than her rapist. DPS even went so far as
to reassure my daughters rapist by telling him that there was nothing to worry about, and one
investigator participated in an event where he was socializing with the football team.
Nowhere in this entire process have DPS investigators, University leadership or the Orange
County District Attorneys Office expressed concern for my daughters well-being. What
happened to my daughter is a crime and should be investigated by a professional and capable
police force. UNC parents should know that their children are vulnerable and at risk. We are
standing up today to demand better treatment from the University.
***
Key statistics on campus sexual assault

23.1% of female and 5.4% male undergraduate student respondents reported experiencing
sexual assault since enrolling in college.
Source: David Cantor, Bonnie Fisher, Susan Chibnall, Reanna Townsend, et. al. Association of
American Universities (AAU), Report on the AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault
and Sexual Misconduct (September 21, 2015).

11.7% of student respondents across 27 universities reported experiencing rape or sexual

assault through physical force, violence or incapacitation (among graduate and undergraduate
students).

Source: David Cantor, Bonnie Fisher, Susan Chibnall, Reanna Townsend, et. al. Association of
American Universities (AAU), Report on the AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault
and Sexual Misconduct (September 21, 2015).

College women are twice as likely to be sexually assaulted than robbed. Source:
Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Rape and
Sexual Victimization Among College-Aged Females, 1995-2013 (2014).
Retrieved from www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence.

Only 20% of female college student victims, age 18-24, report to law enforcement.
Reasons given included belief that it was a personal matter, fear of reprisal, belief that not
important enough to report, did not want perpetrator to get in trouble, belief that police would not
or could not do anything to help.
Source: Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Rape
and Sexual Victimization Among College-Aged Females, 1995-2013 (2014). Retrieved from
www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence.