In Dallas Breck's letter last week, she stated that she is confused about the events that occurred in Snyder Hall and she is unable to understand why the women that were assaulted didn't scream or immediately call the police.

Breck states that "things are not adding up" in stories being told and she directs our attention to the behavior of the young women assaulted by asking questions such as "What were these girls doing? Why didn't they make a noise the moment they awoke or warn their friends?"

In response, I want to talk about empathy.

Empathy is the ability to emotionally identify with another person. I don't know specifically what happened to each of those young women in Snyder Hall, but I can empathize with them. I can attempt to set aside my assumptions and beliefs about "my world" in an attempt to understand from their perspective what happened to them and why they reacted as they did.

Those who have never been sexually assaulted often assume that they will fight, that they will have the strength to stop the attack, or that they will call for help once the attacker is gone.

From my experience working with women who have been assaulted, this is often not the case. In response to fear, women are hesitant to come forward out of fear, guilt or shame.

It took courage for each of these 13 women to break the silence and to report what happened to them because each woman knows at some level, whether it be conscious or unconscious, that we, as women, are often blamed for the crimes that men perpetrate against us.

I encourage each of us to extend empathy, love and compassion to the 13 victims.

Furthermore, it is my hope that President Spanier will show his human side and convey the concern of the university community by issuing an official response to the sobering events that occurred last weekend at Snyder Hall.