Dear Kid,

There was a rape at Vanderbilt University. That in itself is horrible. What’s even worse is the conversation that followed the rape.

Andre Rouillard, editor-in-chief of The Vanderbilt Hustler, did an outstandingly honorable thing by discussing the vilification of the rape victim and condemning those who hold Greek life so sacred they believe its members should be allowed to act without censor or morals. Here is his article, ROUILLARD: The girl that ratted—How one online thread brought out the worst in Vanderbilt.

The problem is that while Andre picked up a rock so we could see the slimy things crawling underneath, there are far more rocks at far more universities where no one is brave enough, interested enough, honorable enough to expose the ugliness to the light

The only way to stop this sort of behavior is to refuse to tolerate it. That is what Andre did in his column. That is what everyone on a college campus must do. Refuse to tolerate the culture of rape. Refuse to tolerate the vilification of victims. Refuse to turn a blind eye to things you know are wrong.

There are only a few weeks left of this semester. But for people who are being mistreated there is no time to waste.

Love, Mom