The below is an article posted in Feb 2004 edition of the Stony Brook Statesman, campus newspaper (reprinted with permission of the author):

Student Sex Abuse On Campus
By Maury Hirschkorn

In the late evening on Feb. 10, Tuesday, a female student made a complaint to the university police that a male student was abusing her sexually or touching her inappropriately.

The students met though e-mail, went on a date and were in a room in the Toscanini College when the incident occurred, according to Douglas Little, deputy chief of the university police. "She refused to press charges against him," Little said. "But she can always press charges against him later." Little wouldn't release the students' names, citing confidentiality. Little said the police report didn't state which e-mail "dating" website the students used to meet each other.

Stony Brook University has one e-mail "dating" website called Stony Brook LoveShack, which was officially launched last year. One of the founders of LoveShack, Joe X., a Stony Brook graduate, said he didn't know if those students met through his website. "I am unaware of the situation you mentioned," Joe X. said. "It does raise concern, but I cannot verify if these people or anyone else ever met through LoveShack. LoveShack is one of thousands of 'singles' websites available on the internet."

LoveShack is an addition to Joe X.'s other website called Stony Brook Sucks (www.stonybrooksucks.com), which has news and information about the college, some of which is critical of the administration.

Joe X. admitted there are concerns with meeting people through "dating" websites but added that problems occur when meeting people by other ways too. "[The LoveShack] site is no more dangerous than meeting singles at a bar, a classified ad, a classroom, a dorm party, or the cafeteria," he said. "Unfortunately, we live in a world where there are enough wackos out there that we all need to 'proceed with caution'."

Joe X. said there are good and bad qualities to "dating" websites. "Running this site for over two years now, I've seen it all from my web visitors," he said. "I've seen the worst of human nature, the profanity, racism and perversion. And I can honestly say I've seen the best of it as well. Just a few weeks ago, a string of messages showed up on my site, a frustrated freshman on the verge of depression in deep consideration of suicide. This message was followed by over thirty replies, fellow students who showed her that she had friends she hasn't met yet. [On a side note, she thanked everyone for the support and written off the idea of suicide.]"

Carol Carlson, academic advisor in the undergraduate office of the department of psychology, questioned the judgment of the female student who made the sex abuse complaint. "The girl should have known better," she said. "She should have met him in a public place, such as a mall or diner. It had nothing to do with common sense."

Laura Kathleen Williams, director of the Wo/Men's Center agreed in part. "It's a good idea to meet in a neutral space," she said. "But it's dangerous to blame the victim." Williams added, "We're asking the wrong question. We should be asking 'Why do some men rape?' or 'Why do some men not hear, 'No.''?"