Looking Forward

Despite all circumstances, Sweeney remains determined to be part of the national movement toward a fairer handling of sexual assault.

“There’s a list of universities that are under investigation for their handling of sexual assault,” she said. “The list does not cover anywhere near the schools that handle it poorly, because nobody wants a scandal. This is an issue that everyone should be talking about.”

If given the option to reopen the case — though under current NYU policy, cases cannot be reopened — Sweeney said she would not.

“I wouldn’t reopen the case, probably specifically because NYU didn’t kick him out,” she said. “I think that it should be known that NYU found him guilty of rape and only kicked him out for a semester, because I don’t want to offer them the chance to fix the mistake that they made.”

A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, Dec. 4 print edition. Additional reporting by Emily Bell, Nicole Brown and Dana Reszutek. Email Felipe De La Hoz at [email protected].