Angie Epifano

Angie Epifano, a former student at Amherst College, gained widespread media attention and millions of page views after she wrote an essay on her personal experience of sexual assault that was published in the Amherst student newspaper, The Amherst Student. After the publication of her essay, Amherst College began investigating its sexual assault procedures, and women from other college campuses in the United States came forward to file federal complaints under Title IX and to form groups to reduce sexual assault on college campuses.

Background In 2011, Epifano was a freshman at Amherst College majoring in African Art history. During her freshman year, she told NPR that she was invited to watch a movie by an acquaintance and fell asleep during the movie (she reported she had not been drinking). When she awoke, she reported that the acquaintance was sexually assaulting her; the next morning she left and tried not to think about the assault. Nine months later she went to one of Amherst College's sexual assault guidance counselors. on her personal experience of a sexual assault at Amherst College. She described how the counseling center focused on her apparent psychological instability and placed her in a psychiatric hospital.

Response Immediately following the publication of Epifano's essay, Amherst College began reviewing its policies for handling sexual assault cases, brought in psychological experts, assigned new investigators, and started a "sexual respect" website. of the way sexual assault cases are handled at Amherst. Subsequently, other complaints were filed under Title IX and the Clery Act. The complaints allege that Amherst and other schools violated Title IX by not providing a college environment that protects female students from discrimination and that the schools also violated the Clery Act by not keeping and making public information on campus crimes. After the publication of Epifano's essay, a group of activists formed "Know Your IX" website and group.

NPR contacted Amherst President Martin during the first week of April 2014 for comment and she replied: Angie Epifano's account of her rape, her painful efforts to deal with it on her own, and her subsequent experiences when she sought help on campus are horrifying. She concludes that "I'm not criticizing or judging Epifano for being acutely frightened and depressed" but rather that "I'm simply suggesting that different women react differently, according to their different circumstances, strengths and vulnerabilities."