In early September at the University of Kansas, a student went to officials to report a rape.

Her memory of the night before was not crystal clear because she had been intoxicated, according to court documents.

The student had a rape examination and kit performed and stowed away. The student did not want to press charges for fear of damaging her career, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Officials proceeded to go through the student’s phone without her knowledge and concluded she was making false allegations because of text message exchanges that occurred the morning after, which led to her arrest on Sept. 6.

Instead of properly investigating the situation and making sure the victim was OK, authorities brushed off the case without getting to the real root of the problem.

The student had the rape examination conducted and planned on not turning it over to officials; yet when she was arrested, authorities had no knowledge of said rape examination kit.

This is an example of how these types of cases need to be examined and re-examined until there is no shadow of doubt of who is deemed responsible.

It is of utmost importance that both parties are fully investigated and both sides of the story are heard before pressing charges.

Let’s utilize “he said” and “she said” instances but also let evidence play a role in solving the case. It can be hard to distinguish what a victim is truly trying to say because we weren’t there when it was happening — we don’t know what was going through their mind.

Most victims do not accept and come to terms with what has happened to them until after the fact.

That is why it is so crucial to listen, to be empathetic and to get the full story before assuming what took place.

With these types of cases, there is no black or white answer — there is a gray area that must be looked into in order to rightfully serve justice.

We cannot continue to dismiss instances like this. It can happen to anyone.   

It is important to be aware and fair.