Elizabeth Yu Princeton University students stage a silent protest in front of the president's office.

Princeton University recently ordered a sexual assault survivor to pay nearly $3,000 in restitution to the university after she wrote “Princeton Protects Rapists” around campus. The undergraduate, whom HuffPost is not identifying because she is a victim of sexual assault, said she was raped by a fellow classmate in 2016 during her freshman year on campus. She reported the incident to the school’s Title IX office last year and began the arduous task of seeking justice. Princeton, however, concluded in December that the accused student did not violate the school’s sexual misconduct policy. The young woman lost her appeal of that verdict a month later. “It devastated her, it destroyed her, it changed her,” William Keiser, a Princeton student and friend of the survivor, told HuffPost. It was at that point that the young woman decided to take matters into her own hands. Armed with a Sharpie marker, she wrote the phrase “Princeton Protects Rapists” and “Title IX Protects Rapists” on several different walkways around campus. The lettering was around the size of a standard sheet of printer paper. The university ordered the student to perform 50 hours of community service and pay the school $2,722.58 for the cost of cleaning up her graffiti and replacing parts of the walkway, telling her to make the check out to “Trustees of Princeton University.” Princeton also put her on four years of disciplinary probation even though she is on track to graduate before then.

Anonymous source Photos of some of the graffiti that cost the student survivor over $2,700.

A source with direct knowledge of the case, who asked not to be identified out of fear that the university might retaliate, told HuffPost they were surprised by the school’s ruling on the vandalism. The source said a Princeton administrator who was not involved in the sanction told them the typical penalty for violating the school’s property damage policy, in a case like this, is six months to a year of probation. The university told HuffPost that property damage has resulted in suspensions in the past. Princeton University spokesman Ben Chang declined to comment on any specifics of the student’s case during a Wednesday phone call but said the school “absolutely” supports students’ rights to peacefully protest. “The university takes seriously its mission to support the free expression of all views, and we absolutely support and defend the right of students to participate in peaceful protest activities,” Chang said. “Let’s be clear: Students are not disciplined for participating in peaceful protests or speech ― students are subject to discipline if they deface and damage university property,” he continued. “The range of penalties imposed by the university in vandalism cases may include suspension or probation, campus service, and required restitution, with the amount tied directly to the cost of repairing the damage to university property.” Chang declined to say whether Princeton had considered the effects of fining a sexual assault survivor so much money. HuffPost’s source accused Princeton’s administration and Title IX office of demonstrating a “deep lack of humanity,” and several protesters told HuffPost they felt like the university administration had refused to take any agency in enforcing its Title IX policies.

Elizabeth Yu Student organizers staging a silent sit-in in front of Nassau Hall.

Sage Carson, manager for anti-sexual violence organization Know Your IX, said the penalty was “surprisingly harsh” since the student was a sexual assault survivor and was protesting the administration’s Title IX ruling. Carson said the only other sexual assault survivor to face such an extreme financial penalty from their university was former Columbia University student Emma Sulkowicz, who created the Carry That Weight protest in 2014. Sulkowicz and the other student activists were fined a combined $471.00 to replace the mattresses they took from the dorm rooms, which were used as part of their protest. That example and this one, Carson said, are textbook retaliation. “Not only did Princeton not find [the accused] responsible, they also implemented this extremely harsh sanction in response to her speaking out about her case,” Carson said. “This says to her that if you talk to people about how the school handled your case ― we are going to retaliate against you.” The average lifetime cost for a survivor of rape or assault is around $122,000, according to a 2017 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. The high cost usually consists of medical bills, lost wages, therapy, lost tuition and more. The fact that Princeton is fining a sexual assault survivor, Carson said, speaks volumes. “If she has to pay restitution to Princeton for speaking out, it shows that the administration doesn’t understand the impact of sexual violence on a student,” Carson added.

If she has to pay restitution to Princeton for speaking out, it shows that the administration doesn’t understand the impact of sexual violence on a student. Sage Carson, KnowYourIX manager