Summary

Chapter 7 begins with Tolentino’s decision to attend the University of Virginia. It is set in Charlottesville, a college town with beauty, grace, and an appealing intellectual presence. In college, Tolentino found a boyfriend, volunteered, participated in acapella, and joined a sorority. She generally found her college experience to be a delightful one.

Years later, Tolentino encounters a story written by Sabrina Rubin Erdely, featuring “A Rape on Campus”. It centers around Phi Psi and a girl named Jackie, who endured “three hours of agony, during which, she says, seven men took turns raping her” (199). Against her friends wishes, Jackie reported the incident to the dean Nicole Eramo, but refused to take further action. Erdely argued that UVA’s cycle of rape and indifference was wildly concerning - although fourteen people had been found guilty of sexual misconduct, not a...