Luther College alumna Alberty and author to speak on campus Oct. 18

Luther College alumna Alberty and author Luther to speak on campus Oct. 18

Pulitzer Prize winner and Luther alumna Erin Alberty and award-winning journalist and author Jessica Luther will share their experiences reporting on sexual assault claims at several major universities, including Brigham Young University and Baylor University, respectively. They will discuss what they have discovered during their investigations, and what needs to happen to slow down the trend of sexual abuse on campuses. Their presentation takes place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18, in the Center for Faith and Life Recital Hall on the Luther campus.

Following the presentation, Luther will sign copies of her book “Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Campuses and the Politics of Rape.” Both events are open to the public with no charge for admission.

Luther and Alberty received national recognition for their reporting of sexual assault claims at Baylor University and Brigham Young University, respectively. Their presentation includes what they’ve discovered during their reporting and what needs to happen to slow the trend of sexual abuse on campuses.

Copies of Luther’s book are currently available at the Luther Book Shop.

“Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape,” is Luther’s first book. It explores common practices regarding sexual assault charges on university campuses, particularly those involving male athletes. Luther examines reactions to these charges by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, athletic offices, universities, media and even the fans respond to the accusations. She uncovers a circular pattern of dissimulation and suggests that there is a “playbook” that universities and athletic departments use to handle such situations and argues that that playbook contributes to the continued prevalence of sexual assaults on campuses.

Luther is a 2002 graduate of Florida State University with majors in classical civilizations and Greek/Latin. She earned her master’s in Latin literature in 2004 from the University of Texas. Luther’s work focuses on sports and violence off the field, specifically involving college football players. Her stories have appeared in ESPN Magazine, New York Times Magazine, the Texas Observer, Sports Illustrated, BuzzFeed and more. She broke into the national scene in 2015 when she and freelance journalist Dan Solomon reported on a Baylor football player who was on trial for sexual assault.

Alberty is a 2001 graduate of Luther College, where she majored in English. She spent two years teaching English in China following graduation and then returned to the U.S. as a full-time newspaper reporter. She has been with the Salt Lake Tribune for 10 years. In spring 2017, Alberty’s team at the Tribune, Utah’s largest daily newspaper, won a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting of sexual assault and campus safety at Brigham Young University. Of the 10 stories submitted to the Pulitzer Prize contest, Alberty was included on seven of the bylines, with three stories sporting her byline alone. Her work received national honor from the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, the GLAAD Media Awards and Raliance””a collaboration for sexual violence prevention. Alberty recently switched beats at the Tribune, moving from crime reporting to outdoor recreation.

A national liberal arts college with an enrollment of 2,050, Luther offers an academic curriculum that leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree in more than 60 majors and pre-professional programs. For more information about Luther visit the college’s website: http://www.luther.edu.