Lincoln University President Resigns After Backlash From Rape Lecture to Female Students

Lincoln University President Robert R. Jennings resigned on Monday morning several weeks after a video went viral that showed Jennings giving a controversial lecture to female students in September about sexual assault prevention, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

The Daily News is also reporting that the university “announced the appointment of a task force on sexual misconduct composed of faculty, students, and staff.” 

During the September speech, Jennings described how the school would have to go through the arduous process of investigating sexual assault accusations—in such a way that many believed he was discouraging female students from reporting such incidents—and spoke about how male students are falsely accused of sexual assault when a relationship “didn’t turn out the way [the female] wanted it to turn out.” He also issued recommendations on how female students should dress and conduct themselves if they wanted to be courted and taken seriously by men.

The university’s general counsel, Valerie Harrison, will serve as acting president in the interim and described what the new task force hoped to accomplish. The task force will “develop recommendations for educational programs and other measures to further the university’s commitment to providing a healthy and safe learning environment. We will be inviting thought leaders in the areas of gender equity and sexual violence to address our community as well,” Harrison explained.

Read more at the Philadelphia Daily News.