Rape victims face honor code investigations at Brigham Young University

Madeline MacDonald says she was an 18-year-old freshman at Brigham Young University when she was sexually assaulted by a man she met on an online dating site. She reported the crime to the school's Title IX office. That same day, she says, BYU's honor code office received a copy of the report, triggering an investigation into whether MacDonald had violated the Mormon school's strict code of behavior, which bans premarital sex and drinking, among other things. SEE ALSO: Young women are the heroes of campus rape doc'The Hunting Ground' Now MacDonald is among many students and others, including a Utah prosecutor, who are questioning BYU's practice of investigating accusers, saying it could discourage women from reporting sexual violence and hinder criminal cases. Some have started an online petition drive calling on the university to give victims immunity from honor code violations committed in the lead-up to a sexual assault.