She was victimized once when she was sexually assaulted. And she says she was victimized a second time when her attacker and his friends harassed her after she reported the assault to the police.

A lawsuit filed on her behalf last Wednesday alleges that the university's attempts to protect and support her through this trying time were "patently inadequate." It's bad enough that this woman had to endure the trauma of sexual assault. If she also endured harassment afterwards, we should all be outraged.

It takes great bravery to report a sexual assault and follow the complaint through the criminal justice system. No victim should have to shoulder the additional burden of harassment.

The victim was assaulted in August of 1999 at the off-campus apartment of Nathaniel Parker. Parker and Jean Celestin were charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault and indecent assault. Celestin was found guilty of sexual assault in October 2001, and Parker was cleared of all charges.

According to the complaint, after the victim reported the assault to the police, Parker and Celestin "began an organized campaign to harass [her] and make her fear for her safety." The university is accused of "indifference to known, severe and pervasive sexual harassment," a charge that it vigorously denies.

This woman's experience after reporting the assault can send a dangerous message to other victims: You're better off keeping your mouth shut. That is not a message that the university should want to send to its students.

Therefore, we hope Penn State takes this lawsuit seriously. Even if the university did all it could to support and protect this woman -- as it says it did -- perhaps victims of sex crimes may need even more protection. The university insists that it did nothing wrong. But perhaps it could have done more right.

To the university's credit, it issued an administrative directive prohibiting Parker, Celestin and their friends from contacting the victim and her friends in October. The victim, however, believes that the university did not do enough to enforce the order.

As Penn State defends itself against this lawsuit, we hope that it will also critically evaluate its response to this assault and alleged subsequent harassment. Now is the time to act to prevent future victims from enduring needless additional pain after they report a crime.

Whatever the result of the lawsuit, let's hope that the administration takes this opportunity to fine-tune its support network for victims of sex crimes.