Last week a student filed reports with both University and Metropolitan Police claiming she had been assaulted in a Mitchell Hall community bathroom. The student said an unknown individual turned off the lights while she in the shower and threw a knife and two bricks into the shower stall. Immediately, the incident sparked concern among Mitchell Hall residents and other GW students about their safety and what UPD was doing to ensure it.

It turns out students have nothing to fear. The story the “victim” told was just that – a story. She admitted to having invented the whole thing because she wanted to move out of Mitchell Hall. Her safety was never at risk. Indeed, her actions have hurt the credibility of future crime victims. It is like the fable of the little boy who cried wolf – when a real wolf appeared, no one believed him because he had lied in the past. This case of invented crime could make people think twice about future crime reports.

The University enforces strict policies regarding filing false crime reports. The penalties include a slap on the wrist, expulsion from the residence halls, suspension from classes and outright expulsion from the University. While the female student’s future at GW is a matter for the University to decide, GW must send a clear signal that it will not tolerate similar hoaxes in the future.

The student in question may not have intended to hurt any specific person with her fake story, but students were saddled with unnecessary worries about their safety. The student acted irresponsibly by abusing the system to the detriment of others. Her punishment should be more than a simple slap on the wrist.

Filing a false crime report may have been an “innocent” attempt to change an unsatisfactory living situation, but this invented crime could have negative long-term effects the student never anticipated.