Ashley Judd posted a video to social media saying women were raped by men at fraternity houses while she was at the University of Kentucky. She addressed the message to other sisters and said, “We are so sorry. You mattered then, and you matter now,” while describing a long-suppressed harm tied to Greek life.
University of Kentucky response
University of Kentucky Vice President for Student Success Kirsten Turner said the university is deeply grateful to Ashley Judd for speaking up on behalf of survivors of sexual violence. UK said it will continue to build a culture where prevention, support, accountability and respect are shared responsibilities across the community.
UK also said sexual violence is unacceptable and has no place at the University of Kentucky. The university said it has made significant investments in survivor support and violence prevention over the past several decades, and it points survivors to the Violence, Intervention, and Prevention Center.
VIP Center access
VIP Center Director Lenzi Dodgen said survivors can confidentially talk about their experiences and discuss their options. Students, faculty and staff can also participate in educational trainings about prevention. The VIP Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. inside the Multidisciplinary Science Building.
Judd’s message drew a line between what she described as past silence and the university’s current response. She said, “The institution may have forgotten you. We have always remembered you,” and added that victims’ pain, trauma, grief, confusion and loneliness were suppressed, hushed and denied.
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Judd attended the University of Kentucky and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma while at UK. Her remarks focused on women who were not named in the video, but whose experiences she said were known within the sisterhood. UK now has to meet the standard it set in response: keep prevention visible, make support easy to reach, and leave survivors with a place to talk without being pushed aside again.
