(Photo by Ted Eytan)

Update 6:20 p.m.: Catholic University is suspending the dean of its social work school, William Rainford, for the remainder of the semester after he disparaged a woman who has accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault on Twitter, the school’s president said in a statement.

“Rainford’s tweets of the past week are unacceptable. We should expect any opinion he expresses about sexual assault to be thoughtful, constructive, and reflective of the values of Catholic University, particularly in communications from the account handle @NCSSSDean,” writes Catholic University President John Garvey. “Of deepest concern to me is that they demonstrated a lack of sensitivity to the victim.”

Garvey expressed his support for Rainford in the long term, saying that “it is my desire that he continue to lead the school.”

A group of students are still planning to protest on Monday, according to Anthony Hain, a second-year student in the social work masters program.

“This is a fine first step, only if Garvey intends to really listen to us,” Hain says via text. “At a time when the church has repeatedly discredited, ignored, and attacked survivors, there can be no equivocations on an issue like this. Every moment that CUA waits before making the right choice sends a message that they still don’t get it.”

Original:

A number of Catholic University students are planning a protest on Monday to call for the resignation of the dean of the social work school.

William Rainford deleted his Twitter account and issued an apology after tweeting that Julie Swetnick, one of the women accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, should be considered a perpetrator rather than a victim.

Swetnick alleges in a sworn statement that she witnessed the Supreme Court nominee get drunk and behave abusively toward girls at high school parties. Swetnick says she was a victim of gang rape at a party that Kavanaugh attended, but doesn’t accuse him of being a perpetrator. Kavanaugh, a practicing Catholic, has categorically denied Swetnick’s claims, along with those of two other women who have accused him of sexual assault.

Rainford, who heads the National Catholic School of Social Service, the university’s social work school, pointed to Swetnick’s age—she is two years older than Kavanaugh—to both cast doubt on her assertion and paint her as an adult preying on underage boys.

“Since when do senior girls hang with freshman boys?” he asked in a tweet on Wednesday. “If it happened when Kavanaugh was a senior, Swetnick was an adult drinking with &by her admission, having sex with underage boys. In another universe, he would be the victim & she the perp!”

Rainford’s missive drew an outcry on social media. A number of students said they were particularly dismayed that the comments came from a leader in the social work field, which involves working with trauma survivors.

“The student body is obviously really upset,” says Sadaf Lotfalian, a doctoral student in clinical psychology, which is under a different department at Catholic University but shares therapy clients with social work students. “In our field, and just as normal human beings, that’s just unacceptable.”

The following day, Rainford issued an apology. “My tweet suggested that she was not a victim of sexual assault. I offer no excuse. It was impulsive and thoughtless and I apologize,” he said in an open letter released by the university’s communications department.

Rainford also deleted his Twitter account, which was closely affiliated with the university—using the school’s acronym in the handle and a photo of the university as a background image.

It isn’t enough for many students in the social work school, who are organizing a protest on Monday to demand the dean’s resignation.

Dozens of masters students walked out of class on Thursday to discuss their response to the tweet, says Anthony Hain, a second-year student in the social work masters program. They voted unanimously to seek his dismissal.

“The dean’s tweets were not only insensitive, they were traumatizing to people,” Hain says. “It is just not a judgment error, or a one-time thing. This is not the right field for the man.”

Rainford and Catholic University officials have not responded to requests for comment. It is unclear if the university plans to discipline Rainford.

“We are aware that this university, like the Catholic Church, is largely run by a lot of white men,” Hain says. “There appears to be a camaraderie and protection among these men who do not get it, and that is why we are looking at direct action.”

While Monday’s protest is being led by social work students, Hain says they believe it is a campus-wide issue and have invited all to join.

“It’s not just the school of social work. There are students all over the campus who may feel less inclined to report sexual assault,” Hain says. “If it is the head of the school training therapists who respond to trauma that is causing that unsafe environment, then we have a real problem.”