Rolling Stone published an article last month detailing the gruesome and horrific gang-rape of a University of Virginia student, known as Jackie, when she allegedly attended a fraternity social event the evening of Sept. 28, 2012.

The story, entitled “A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault and Struggle for Justice at UVA,” proved to captivate other news sources as well as social media audiences.

Since its initial publication on Nov. 19, it generated additional hype when Rolling Stone issued an apology announcing many of the story’s numerous discrepancies. Many publications, namely The Washington Post, have responded with criticism regarding the story’s credibility.

Primary complaints focused on the journalist’s failure to contact Jackie’s assailants and that components of Jackie’s story did not match details later revealed via subsequent interviews with the fraternity in question, Jackie’s friends, etcetera.

Presently, people questioning Jackie’s credibility and story have been criticized across the Internet, deemed “victim blamers” and “rape apologists.”

I think that this opposition to speculation regarding Jackie’s story is ridiculously misplaced, and achieves little in the realm of ending campus sexual assault.

While it’s not OK to minimize and doubt the validity of an alleged victim’s story, it’s also not appropriate to minimize the importance of hearing the other side of the story.

Before anybody accuses me of being a malicious victim-blamer, let me give the full disclosure that Jackie’s story matters very much to me. I am an undergraduate, female student of a slight, non-threatening build. I feel uncomfortable walking back to my off-campus apartment at night. I hear every day of sexual assaults that occur on college campuses across the country. And the fact that they occur and often go unreported and unpunished infuriates me.

But that doesn’t mean that I can’t critique and question the way we think about and handle sexual assault cases.

It is of the utmost importance that the victims of sexual assault live in a world where they can feel safe and encouraged to come forth with their stories and receive respectful, just treatment from the authoritative figures to whom they disclose their plea.

But campus assault cases will never be taken seriously if they are not treated with the same level of scrutiny as other serious allegations. Casting the “victim blaming” label upon those wishing to ask questions and learn more about this situation silences the conversation and does little to bring campus sexual assault to an end.

The fact is, there were discrepancies between Jackie’s story and responders to the article. The accused UVA fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi, said they did not host a “date function or formal event” on the night of Jackie’s alleged assault. Also, reportedly, Jackie’s date for the party was not a member of the fraternity, as she had told Rolling Stone. According to a friend and witness, Jackie did not appear physically injured the night of her alleged attack, albeit quite “visibly shaken.”

Silencing those wanting her story fact-checked does not support an open environment. It makes cases of sexual assault seem unapproachable and invalid.

Demonizing anybody who questions the facts of a sexual assault case reeks of Salem Witch Trial-esque fumes.

It evokes the misconception that sexual assault cases consist less of tangible facts worthy of investigation and re-investigation — for example, whether there was actually a party at the aforementioned fraternity — and more of subjective and emotionally driven, unquestionable “truths.”

This only further discredits sexual assault cases.

Until this trend stops, we won’t make much progress toward ending sexual assaults on campus.

With regard to university crime in particular, all cases should be investigated thoroughly before they are awarded any sort of conclusion. It puzzles me that Jackie’s case should be treated differently.

As stated by Alex Pinkleton, a friend of Jackie’s and a fellow sexual assault survivor, “While the details of this case may have been misreported, this does not erase the somber truth this article brought to light: Rape is far more prevalent than we realize, and it is often mishandled by peers, institutions and society at large.”

So instead of canonizing Jackie, instead of attaching insults to those who question her story, instead of deeming her a liar — let us learn from the mishandling of her case and her published story. Criminal investigations on campuses should not be about quickly picking a side; they should be about utilizing our resources to come to a researched, just conclusion.

Carly is a junior in FAA. She can be reached at [email protected].