Why hasn’t Bill Cosby’s honorary degree been rescinded?

Is this a joke? Are we all being Punk’d? I’m half expecting Ashton Kutcher to pop out from my makeshift Sleeper Hall closet and tell me that this isn’t real.

Bill Cosby still holds an honorary degree from Boston University that he received in 2014. If you’ve been completely unplugged from civilization then please burn all of your ironic Cosby sweaters you bought in 2009 and allow me to explain.

Over 35 women have recently accused Bill Cosby of incidents of sexual assault that took place in the 60s and 70s. He allegedly drugged and raped countless women, some of which were under 18 at the time.

Some universities have done the right thing and rescinded his degree or cut ties.

The list of universities with a working fucking brain include, but aren’t limited to: Fordham University, Brown University, Marquette University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Temple University, Spelman College and High Point University.

BU is nowhere on that list, but I can’t say I’m surprised.

Current students might not know our university’s troubling recent history in this area. But the Cosby issue raises the question again: does BU care about sending a strong message on sexual assault, or not?

Rape allegations against Bill Cosby had already been made public long before he had even been chosen to speak at the University’s 2014 Commencement ceremony. How the hell could that have been overlooked? Am I supposed to believe that they actually had no idea? No one did a freaking Google search before picking the speaker?

Honestly, the more I think about it, the more I want to run into a wall.

I contacted Colin Riley, the Executive Director of Media Relations at BU, and his only comment was: “You may have read that the university is monitoring developments in the allegations against Bill Cosby. That remains the case…”

What does ignoring the issue say to victims of sexual assault? That their attackers can and will be glorified by well-respected universities, all while they are silenced and ridiculed for speaking up? Does BU really think Bill Cosby is deserving of praise? If even half of the allegations are proved, he’s deserving of a life sentence.

I am angry. We all should be fucking pissed. Why do I feel unsafe walking down the street past sundown while the piece of trash Bill Cosby is rewarded for perpetuating my fear? I know we’re not the only university that hasn’t rescinded his degree and I know it wouldn’t entirely solve the campus rape problem to rescind it, but it is without question a step in the right direction.

Let’s shame the son of the bitch into oblivion. Let’s actually give the group of victims a voice. What the university has done, or rather what it hasn’t done, is an appalling display of absolute disregard for rape victims everywhere. They can so easily make things right and yet they haven’t. “Monitoring developments” doesn’t really cut it anymore.