Megan’s Story

Megan Campeau is a graduate student studying legal work, an advocate, and a survivor of a sexual assault on campus.

As part of Megan’s disclosure journey, she says she encountered both supportive and unsupportive reactions. Living in Arizona where she attended Northern Arizona University (NAU) and far from her supportive family, Megan found an unexpected source of support at work. During the time of her investigation with the university, she worked at a coffee shop where she had a very moving conversation with a customer who showed Megan empathy and encouragement, and reassured her that justice was within reach. This encounter became a pivotal moment for Megan and throughout the investigation process, the woman's continuous check-ins and care provided Megan with a profound sense of hope and support.

“Having a complete stranger care for me during the investigation while she also went through a similar experience really helped me,” Megan said. “It was living proof that I was going to be okay.”

During the campus investigation, Megan was interviewed by the student paper, The Lumberjack. Though she was uncertain how readers would react, she wanted to raise awareness of what she believed to be her university's inadequate and unsupportive response while also sharing her story to extend hope to others.

Before the article was published, Megan spoke at a Greek Life recruitment event about the assault. During the event, girls from her sorority and other sororities shared similar stories. “A bunch of girls from my sorority were there the night [the sexual assault] happened and found me and helped me,” she said. “I do thank Greek life for that; I had a network of sisters supporting me.”

Megan also grappled with the realization that some individuals around her at the recruitment event might be connected to the perpetrator. While reading her story to the audience, she couldn't help but wonder if someone in the room knew the perpetrator's friends or had a personal connection to him.

 

Megan also experienced interactions with advocates that she believed were offering support but later suspected they did not have her interests in mind. This suspicion further damaged her faith in the systems erected to address sexual violence on campus. Megan believes that, “loopholes and vague legislation” resulted in no action against the perpetrator, and she points out the delta between required consent training for all freshmen and the university’s response after an assault has taken place. Today, Megan actively advocates for more action to drive meaningful change and wants others to know the power of disclosure.

“When you finally feel ready to share your story, don’t be surprised to know that you aren’t alone.” Megan discovered this power firsthand.

“At least I know that if someone is going through that same experience at NAU while they are in college, or if they are unsure of what to do after experiencing sexual assault, they can look at my story and know there are people who genuinely care, and [that] others have been in their position,” said Megan.

Megan's story sparked protests and created conversations on campus about demanding more support for survivors. For Megan, seeing the impact of her story and witnessing the push for change was deeply healing.

“I was able to take my story back,” she said. And Megan's message to survivors is clear. “No system, institution, or person’s opinion can determine the value of your story. Your story will always be a valuable opportunity to advocate for yourself and learn to love the strength you may have not known you had before. Your story will always belong to you.”

The rape kit backlog is currently one of the biggest obstacles to prosecuting perpetrators of sexual violence.

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Out of every 1,000 sexual assaults, 310 are reported to the police.

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