Yesterday, The Washington Post published an article by T. Rees Shapiro reporting on UVA Dean of Students Nicole Eramo's public attack via a letter to Rolling Stone. In the letter, she criticizes journalist Sabrina Erderly's deceitful portrayal of Eramo in the November story, "A Rape on Campus."

Following the publishing of Erderly's article, Eramo has experienced a profusion of horrifying personal attacks. Some expressed that they wished she would be raped or killed, while protesters outside her office demanded that she be fired. The University immediately removed her from working with her students, with whom she had formed close relationships and invested immense amounts of her time.

In her letter, she asserts that the Rolling Stone retractions are "too little, too late" after all the damage that has been done to her professional life and the University as a whole. She sides with the many students, faculty, administrators, and alumni who believe that a retraction is not enough. Some people who feel unjustly affected such as Eramo are taking additional action against Rolling Stone, including Phi Kappa Psi fraternity who is pursuing legal action against the journal.

Eramo slams Rolling Stone's poor journalistic practices and outrageously careless reporting. She says, "Rolling Stone has refused to hold anyone accountable," claiming that the apology they issued after the Columbia Journalism Review published its investigative report on the story, "suggests that the magazine is more interested in currying favor with its friends in the media than truly making amends with those of us who have been hurt."

Many students at UVA, particularly survivors of sexual assault and rape, can attest to the fact that Dean Eramo has done more to listen, provide resources, and lead progress on these issues than any other member of the UVA administration. The way she was falsely portrayed by Erderly almost immediately sparked anger amongst these students who had worked closely with the beloved dean.

A simple apology cannot make up for the significant damage that Erderly and Rolling Stone have done to the dean's career over the past five months. Says Eramo in her letter, "The University — and those of us who work for the University supporting victims of sexual assault — deserve better."

Eramo believes that Rolling Stone has a long way to go in recovering its actions that have severely affected survivors of sexual assault and rape. Perhaps one place to start, as the dean suggests, is to begin holding people accountable.