Columbia rape accuser brings mattress to graduation, defies administration

Taylor Maycan | USA TODAY

Emma Sulkowicz, the Columbia University senior who made headlines starting in September for carrying her mattress around campus in protest of the administration’s handling of her alleged rape, brought the mattress to her Columbia College graduation on May 19 despite an administration email forbidding large items at the ceremony.

Walking mattress down ramps in Lerner for #ccclassday pic.twitter.com/lRT13hbZcZ — Teo Armus (@teoarmus) May 19, 2015

According to the Columbia Spectator, the university sent seniors an email on May 18 with provisional guidelines barring such items from their respective ceremonies — a mandate that was not issued in 2013 or 2014.

“Graduates should not bring into the ceremonial area large objects which could interfere with the proceedings or create discomfort to others in close, crowded spaces shared by thousands of people,” the email read.

The email, which created speculation as to whether it was aimed at Sulkowicz, did not specify the reason for the policy change, according to the Columbia Spectator. The newspaper's request to a university spokesperson for comment went unanswered. In the end, the administration appeared not to try to stop Sulkowicz from carrying it when she received her degree.

Emma Sulkowicz carrying her mattress across the stage at #ColumbiaCommencement pic.twitter.com/oF9sYwVYKX — Tess Koman (@tessie_the_mess) May 19, 2015

Sulkowicz, a visual arts student, said she would carry her mattress around campus until Paul Nungesser, the Columbia senior who Sulkowicz has accused of raping her, is expelled, graduates or otherwise leaves campus. That pledge became her senior thesis, “Carry That Weight,” and garnered nationwide attention.

Nungesser has since sued the university, saying it failed to protect him from harassment when Sulkowicz went public with her claims, which were dismissed by law enforcement. According to the suit filed April 23, Nungesser's “day-to-day life is unbearably stressful, as Emma and her mattress parade around campus each and every day."



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This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.