The Eagle’s editorial board is composed of its staff but does not represent every individual staffer’s views. Rather, it provides an insight into how The Eagle, as an editorially independent institution, responds to issues on campus.
Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of sexual abuse and may be upsetting to some readers. Please see the bottom of this story for relevant resources.
For the past three years, American University students have learned about repeated instances of voyeurism on campus not from administrators, but from investigative reporting. Since 2022, three students have been charged for secretly recording students on campus. One was found with child sexual abuse material. Another had footage from over 50 separate days of over 100 victims. Despite the severity of these crimes, AU’s response has been abysmal.
Instead of notifying students promptly of these campus crimes, AU has only released vague statements, if any statement at all. When former student Kyle Blanco was sentenced in April 2024 for recording women in campus bathrooms, among other charges, the University only acknowledged the case after a Department of Justice press release. When former student Markus Huerta was charged in July for attempting to record students in shower stalls, AU did not make a campus-wide announcement for a month, but did provide The Eagle with statements when asked. When Kris Estrada went missing on July 25, the University did not initially announce his disappearance was tied to a criminal investigation, and only sent an email on July 28 announcing that they were aware of his disappearance and, on July 29, another asserting that he had been found.
The only clear communication the community had had on these acts of voyeurism was on Aug. 8 in an email from Chief Financial Officer, Vice President and Treasurer Bronté Burleigh-Jones and Vice President of Student Affairs Raymond Ou. The email vaguely referenced the acts of voyeurism from the past three years, stating, “AUPD’s swift investigation led to the arrest of the suspects and their removal from campus. Despite the successful resolution of these cases, the acts are concerning, and we are committed to working with the community to ensure a culture of safety for everyone. Voyeurism–like all other crimes–has no place on our campus.”
Burleigh-Jones and Ou also pointed to the Jeanne Clery Act, stating that AU’s actions over the past years have been in full accordance with the act since “campus alerts are sent for crimes that meet the imminent or ongoing threat criteria.” AU’s identification of voyeurism as a crime that is not “imminent or ongoing” is a subjective evaluation. The University frequently sends alerts about thefts and robberies, but seems to draw the line at voyeurism. AU’s refusal to acknowledge these incidents in real time prevents students from protecting themselves and others. Had students been warned about the first case in 2022, later victims could have been more vigilant. Although it is never the victims’ fault in cases like voyeurism, students should at least be aware of actions by others that put their safety and security at risk.
Even when the University acknowledged the voyeurism cases, it did not provide any meaningful details that could help students protect themselves. The University has never named perpetrators, even after sentencing, and has not outlined what disciplinary measures — if any — are taken against them. The University must also explain to the community why Estrada is still technically a student at AU even though he has a stay-away order from campus. According to AU’s Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy, “The Title IX Coordinator or designee may dismiss a Formal Complaint or any of the allegations within a Formal Complaint, if… the Respondent is not enrolled or employed by the University.” This means that if the person accused is no longer a student at the University, it can decide to stop investigating the Title IX complaint.
Seemingly in response to pressure from students, the University announced in August 2024 that it was forming an unnamed working group to focus on “educating about [AU’s] safety measures, promoting individual and community-wide activities that can help support [AU’s] safety, and developing specific information about preventing voyeurism and protecting privacy.” Six months later, there has been no update on its progress, no list of members and no transparency about its objectives — or even a name. AU has a long history of forming working groups that seldom produce meaningful change with the most meaningful campus stakeholders involved. Without public updates or knowledge of whether students are involved, this latest group appears to be yet another attempt to deflect criticism without taking any real action.
Beyond poor communication and a lack of transparency, AU has also failed to provide support to the campus community and student body overall. There has been no campus-wide outreach to students who may have been affected, no dedicated resources and no real acknowledgement of the harm caused. Instead, survivors and concerned students have been left to rely on organizations like student groups, It’s On Us and No More, and the AU Student Government-created Center for Advocacy and Student Equity — all of which have done more to support survivors than the administration.
Continuing to not fully address these crimes sends a message to the community that AU is more concerned with protecting its image than protecting its students. This needs to change for students, faculty, staff and the entire AU community to feel safe on campus.
First, the University needs to commit to full transparency about voyeurism cases. There need to be timely alerts, just as there are for other crimes. Students have a right to know if a student is arrested or charged with a crime that directly threatens the community. There also needs to be much more transparency, clarity and accountability on the supposed working group focusing on this issue. How many times, if at all, has it met? Who is part of it? What are its goals? This goes beyond just the voyeurism cases and extends to all working groups. To hold itself accountable, AU should implement a section of its website dedicated to regular updates from working groups and schedules of when they meet so that community members can attend the meetings if they want to.
AU also needs to provide real support for survivors. The University should send resources to the entire community to ensure that students who believe they may have been targeted can receive help, support, resources and counseling from AU.
Finally, the University needs to take concrete steps to prevent voyeuristic incidents from happening again. These include improved security measures in residence halls and bathrooms, more student involvement in safety discussions and clear policies prioritizing survivors over perpetrators. AU’s silence thus far has, inadvertently or not, protected perpetrators rather than students and survivors, and there needs to be concrete change for students to begin to feel safe at the University again.
Students who have experienced sexual assault or harassment can seek support through confidential resources such as the University’s Center for Well-Being Programs and Psychological Services, the Student Health Center, the Kay Spiritual Life Center or the following hotlines:
- Collegiate Assistance Program: 1-855-678-8679
- Rape, Abuse, Incest, National Network (RAINN) anonymous chat
- RAINN hotline: 1-800-656-4673
- DC Rape Crisis Center: 202-333-7273
Non-confidential resources include the University’s Title IX Office and AUPD.
This piece was written by Alana Parker and edited by Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella, Emma Brown and Nicole Kariuki.
