Latest news with #UniversityofLouisianaSystem
USA Today
07-08-2025
- USA Today
Woman gets settlement in case alleging Louisiana colleges ignored rape reports
A woman who sued the University of Louisiana System for failing to protect her from a student she and others accused of rape agreed to settle the lawsuit Aug. 1, days before a trial was set to begin. The woman, who filed the federal lawsuit in the Middle District of Louisiana in May 2022 under the pseudonym Jane Doe, is one of eight women who said that they were sexually assaulted by Victor Daniel Silva. The woman's settlement comes more than four years after a USA TODAY investigation revealed systemic failures by university and law enforcement officials to connect the dots on Silva, who from 2014 to 2020 transferred from Louisiana State University to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, then to Louisiana Tech University, then back to UL Lafayette – racking up sexual misconduct allegations at every stop. A Louisiana law enacted in 2015 was supposed to help the state's public universities root out sexual offenders on their campuses. Called Act 172, it required colleges and law enforcement agencies to communicate with each other about reports of sex crimes involving students. It also ordered colleges to notify other colleges when students disciplined or under investigation for sexual misconduct tried to transfer. But campus officials repeatedly failed to follow the law. Because they did not communicate with police and each other, they viewed nearly every allegation against Silva as an isolated incident in an otherwise clean record. They closed each complaint against him, sometimes without investigating, allowing him to continue his education without interruption. 'Were it not for the rigorous and deeply compassionate work of investigative journalists and the ineffable bravery of the other victims, my story may have ended the night I was raped, kept in the dark by challenges that make it almost unimaginable to come forward for fear of unbelief and inaction,' the woman, who attended Louisiana Tech, said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY. 'Instead, because of their unrelenting commitment to truth and their courageous vulnerability, I have been fortunate to see my case through to settlement. I hope that our voices ensure that future victims might not have to rely on fortune in order to be heard.' It is USA TODAY's policy not to publish the names of people who allege sexual assault without their permission. 'The University of Louisiana System will continue to prioritize Title IX inquiries and respond with the seriousness they demand,' university system spokesperson Katie Dawson said in an emailed statement. 'Our focus remains on establishing and maintaining safe, supportive campus environments across our institutions within the UL System. 'Our institutions are staffed by professionals who are expected to uphold university policies and contribute to safe and respectful campus environments. While we do not comment on individual personnel matters, we remain committed to supporting our universities as they implement established processes to address concerns and promote accountability.' Silva, who has not responded to requests for comment from USA TODAY, has never been convicted of a sex crime. He was arrested for forcible rape in 2015 but prosecutors did not move forward with the case. He has told police that the allegations against him are false. UL Lafayette and Louisiana Tech are both part of the UL System. The woman also sued LSU and the Lafayette Police Department for negligence. Federal judge Brian Jackson dismissed those claims, leaving two Title IX claims against the UL System. Title IX is the federal law banning sex discrimination in education. A different federal judge in March dismissed another lawsuit filed against the same agencies by three other women, who also alleged Silva sexually assaulted them. Although the woman could have pursued her negligence claim against LSU in state court, the settlement now precludes her from doing so. Court records do not reveal the dollar amount the UL System agreed to pay her, and her attorneys declined to provide it. However, an affidavit her attorney filed shows the woman reduced her demand to less than one-third of her prior ask the day before the settlement was reached. 'We are pleased this case was resolved to our client's satisfaction,' said Monica Beck and Jeff Green, the attorneys representing Doe, in an emailed statement. 'We are honored to have represented Ms. Doe and are committed to fighting for survivors in what often seems like a very steep uphill battle.' Missed opportunities Over his six years in college, at least six women at three universities had reported Silva for alleged sexual offenses to four police agencies across three parishes. He had been banned from LSU's campus, arrested but not prosecuted, and placed on probation by UL Lafayette. But Silva never missed a semester of classes. In depositions taken as part of the lawsuit, numerous campus officials admitted that they had never even heard of the law intended to prevent that exact situation, court records citing their deposition testimony show. UL Lafayette student conduct director Carl Tapo testified that he did not know that the university and its campus police department had entered into a memorandum of understanding – required under Act 172 – with the Lafayette Police Department to share information about student sex crimes. He said he never communicated with any police officials about any alleged sex crimes involving students. Tapo also said he had been unaware of a statewide Louisiana Board of Regents policy – adopted in response to the same state law – that required universities to inform each other if a student attempts to transfer to another university in the state after being disciplined for a sexual offense. Multiple officials at Louisiana Tech University, including assistant vice president Dickie Crawford and student conduct director Adam Collins, also said they had never heard of Act 172, court records citing their deposition testimony show. Title IX coordinator Carrie Flournoy said she could not recall any steps she had taken to ensure the university complied with its requirements. Those officials each missed multiple opportunities to stop Silva before he allegedly raped Doe in September 2018. Tapo received two concerning emails about Silva – then a UL Lafayette student – in April 2015, court records show. The emails said that Silva had been arrested on an active fugitive warrant, charged with forcibly raping a student on LSU's campus. Tapo did not recall asking the campus police department for a copy of the police report, according to court records citing his deposition testimony. Nor did he ask the LSU administrator for any additional information about Silva. When Tapo met with Silva nearly three months later, he did not ask Silva any questions about the alleged rape, nor about his disciplinary or criminal troubles at LSU, the records show. Instead, Tapo placed Silva on disciplinary probation for two years and ordered him to attend one behavior management session with the school counseling office. From 2016 to 2018, Lafayette Police Department and UL Lafayette police received seven reports about Silva. Among them, he was accused of blackmailing a woman with a sex tape he recorded without her knowledge, sexually assaulting a student he met through a UL Lafayette tutoring program, and sexually assaulting two girls when he was 14 years old. Some of those offenses, if investigated and substantiated by the university, could have gotten Silva suspended or expelled. Yet UL Lafayette took no additional disciplinary action against Silva. Tapo testified that he did not recall asking any campus or police officials to keep an eye out for Silva or inform him of any reports involving Silva. Nor did he recall asking anyone at the university to notify him if Silva attempted to transfer to another college, according to court records citing his deposition. Jane Doe and Louisiana Tech Silva transferred to Louisiana Tech in 2018. Within his first two weeks of classes at Louisiana Tech, court records show Silva met a female student later known as Jane Doe through a dating app. After studying together twice, Silva invited her to his apartment, where they drank heavily with his friends and roommates. Text messages show Doe texted Silva, "I'm incredibly drunk," before passing out clothed on his bed. The woman said she woke up multiple times throughout the night to Silva groping and sexually assaulting her, despite her repeatedly telling him "no." She reported the incident to Flournoy that December after seeing a tweet by a UL Lafayette student that identified Silva as an accused serial rapist. Without requesting legal advice, Flournoy concluded that Title IX did not apply because the alleged assault occurred off campus and did not involve a student group – despite federal guidance saying otherwise. The next day, then-Louisiana Tech President Les Guice received an email from a student voicing concerns about Silva. The email, citing the tweet Doe had seen, mentioned alleged rapes involving Silva at LSU, UL Lafayette and a third university. Guice responded, "I assure you that our folks are on top of this." Guice forwarded the email to Flournoy. Yet neither Guice nor Flournoy followed up with any of the three universities to try to corroborate the information. No one at Louisiana Tech investigated Doe's complaint or the allegations that Silva had sexually assaulted other people. Nor did they inform UL Lafayette – or Doe – when Silva transferred back there the following month. During her deposition, Flournoy said that the allegations that Silva had sexually assaulted numerous women made her "worried" for students' safety. "What, if anything, did you do to assuage your – or to, you know, satisfy your worry?" an attorney for Doe asked Flournoy. "Just hope and pray that he did not," Flournoy said. "I did not do anything specific." Kenny Jacoby is an investigative reporter for USA TODAY. Follow him on X @kennyjacoby and on Bluesky @ Email him at kjacoby@
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Q&A with University of Louisiana System President Rick Gallot on higher education
University of Louisiana System President Rick Gallot speaks at the Baton Rouge Press Club (Piper Hutchinson/Louisiana Illuminator) This is an interview with University of Louisiana System President Rick Gallot that took place earlier this month about how the legislative session and federal changes will impact higher education in Louisiana. It has been edited for length and clarity. You can also listen to a version of this interview on our new podcast The Light Switch. Piper Hutchinson: What do you think is coming for higher education this session? Rick Gallot: I think certainly starting with a standstill budget is always better than starting with a proposed cut. So, you know, we're certainly very grateful for that. I think there's a lot of uncertainty, coming out of Washington and with the constitutional amendments that did not pass, obviously that has created some angst in terms of what do we do now, right? And so I think there is, again, just an overall level of uncertainty that we'll see it … kind of play out over time. I think if you look at the increased revenue from the sales, sales taxes and other things, we're certainly not in a real bad spot right now as a state in terms of our finances. So I'm still optimistic that we will work through the challenges in the session, and we will come out good on the other side. Hutchinson: Looking at the bills that we have so far, what do you think is going to be the most impactful for higher education? Gallot: It's hard to say, and when you look at what's filed versus what ultimately makes it through the process; all bills filed on the front end don't always make it. Rep. (Emily) Chenevert has come back with another diversity, equity and inclusion bill. We will certainly have to see how that plays out. The bill she had last year started one way and ended up another. … Certainly with all other higher ed leaders, she was very receptive to meeting with us and working through some of those challenges last year. At the end of the day, I think the budget is always going to be the main focus that could impact the trajectory going forward. Hutchinson: There's one bill that's going to have a big impact for your system, talking about transferring UNO back to the LSU System. What should we expect on that front? Gallot: For me personally, it's a full-circle moment. I was in the house when UNO was transferred from LSU to the University of Louisiana System. You know, I just want what's best for the students, for the campus community at the University of New Orleans. It is a legislative prerogative. They have the authority to transfer universities from one system to the other. So if this legislation is successful, we will certainly do our part to ensure that it is a seamless transition. We will work with LSU, with Board of Regents and with the legislature to ensure that the transition is as smooth as it could possibly be. Hutchinson: What's that like for you [as a former legislator] during the legislative session, being kind of outside the rails? Gallot: Well, I certainly have a lot of respect for our legislators and the sacrifices they all make in serving. I'm a huge fan of Stephen Covey's 'Seven Habits,' and one of those is: 'Seek, first to understand then to be understood.' And so I think that's helpful to understand the pressures that our legislators are under, knowing that there's a lot that they have to balance. I think it's helpful, quite frankly. And I don't think I burned any bridges while here. I mean, I did oversee redistricting, so maybe I did [burn] one or two. But for the most part, I still have good relationships with many of my former colleagues … who are still there. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of the process but from this side. Hutchinson: There has been a little bit of controversy in the LSU System lately, that's reignited these conversations about curbing tenure. What are you hearing on that front, and what would that mean for higher education as a whole if they did take an axe to tenure? Gallot: Going back to COVID, and you think about faculty members, who go through the process of, not only a bachelor's and a master's and a terminal degree. You know, they get hired, they're on a tenure track, they're researching, they're writing, they're building their portfolio, and at the appropriate time they apply for tenure. I think we have to respect that process. I think it is one that is deeply rooted in higher education, and so I think we certainly have to respect faculty and that they have earned this. Now, having said that, it's always one or two bad apples that will spoil the barrel, as they say. I don't know that simply doing away with tenure is the answer. If the legislature passes something, then we, as a state system, will certainly abide by whatever changes may be made. I think we want accountability at all levels, that we want our students to be in the best position to learn. We want our faculty to be in the best position to teach, and that our students would graduate and go out and make a difference in society. So we'll certainly be watching it closely, and hopefully we will see thoughtful debate throughout the process. And again, with whatever the ultimate result is, we will work with it. Hutchinson: I can't not talk about what's going on at the federal level. We're talking about cutting research funding. There are concerns about immigration and graduate students, and certainly tariffs could increase expenses for higher education. How is the UL System adapting to all of this? Gallot: Right now there's so much uncertainty just across the board. Whether it's the potential loss of research funding and indirect cost, for instance, universities build their budgets based upon what they believe the revenue stream will be from these research grants. I'm hopeful that we will sort of get through this period of uncertainty, and we will see things sort of settle down to be a little more predictable. But you know, at the same time, we will have to adjust if the rules are changed. If the funding formulas are changed, we will just have to adapt. We always have and we always will. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
