On April 18, 2017 the Ashesi Judicial Committee (AJC) ruled on a case of alleged sexual assault that took place off campus. The AJC established that the male student repeatedly groped and touched a female student without her consent. The male student ignored verbal and physical communications to indicate that his advances were inappropriate and unacceptable.
The AJC concluded that the male student, a member of the Class of 2017, was guilty of sexual assault. According to the male student, he was intoxicated and has no recollection of his actions. The AJC established that actions taken under the influence of alcohol do not preclude an individual from bearing severe consequences for any form of assault on a student.
As stated in Ashesi’s student handbook:
Students are prohibited from engaging in sexual assault or abuse of any kind. Those who do will be subject to serious sanctions, which may include adjudication by the AJC or suspension by the Executive Committee, as described under the Campus Safety decision (Section 10.2).
Definition: Sexual assault is defined as any sexual contact that occurs without the consent of the other person. Specifically, it is intentional physical contact with an intimate part of the body or with clothes covering intimate body parts without the consent of the person touched. When sexual assault occurs repeatedly between individuals, it is referred to as sexual abuse. - Section 10.14.
After deliberating, the AJC concluded that the student will be expelled from Ashesi immediately.
Advice to the Ashesi Community
The AJC encourages the Community to take matters of consent, respect, and accepting responsibility for one’s actions very seriously. Failure to do so can have severe repercussions. The AJC would especially like to advise the Ashesi community on the following:
Ashesi has zero tolerance for any form of abuse. Respect yourself and others always.
- Being under the influence of alcohol will not justify any actions that contravene the rules and regulations as stipulated in the Student Handbook.
- Students should be reminded that actions that impact on the wellbeing of our students on and off campus shall be dealt with accordingly.
- Students should see a counsellor if they have issues with alcoholism and stress management.
- As a community, let’s be each other’s keeper. We have a responsibility to look out for our colleagues and serve as positive influences to others around us.
We trust that this case will serve as a learning experience for our community. As reflected in our mission, may we work harder to develop ourconcern for others and the courage it will take to transform our continent.
