BATON ROUGE -  A small gathering of about 30 LSU students rallied together Monday night to discuss what to do about a police officer's comments about rape they found offensive.

They're frustrated by this quote from LSU spokesman Lt. Kevin Scott in the student newspaper "The Reveille":

"If you surveyed 100 girls, or 1,000 female students on LSU's campus, will you really see one in five that say they've been sexually assaulted, if they're really being honest?" Scott said. "Is that accurate? I mean, look at the numbers."

The students claim he questions the seriousness of rape allegations. They're worried their concerns will be swept under the rug but claim they're prepared to do what it takes to get their point across, including the disruption of other campus activities.


"When students speak, we tend to listen," Kevin Ellis, a sophomore, says. "I'm sure the staff would be more than willing to listen to anything the students have to safe."

Specifically, the students mentioned protesting at things like campus tours and other on-campus activities.

The University released the following statement on Lt. Scott's behalf Monday night:

"Sexual assault is something that we take very seriously at LSU, and I'm glad to see that the LSU community is concerned about this issue. As I said previously, I have worked throughout my career to encourage the reporting of crimes such as sexual assault and to make the LSU campus a safer place for all, and I would never question the honesty of a victim. The way I was quoted in the Reveille is not at all what I was trying to say, and while I certainly didn't mean to create a misunderstanding, I am glad that so many are speaking out about this issue and taking a stand."