Multiple Women Say They were Victims of Horrific Sex Crimes at Hands of Black Professor

WREG
February 17, 2014

"We bouda be doin a hole new typa lernin up in dis muffuggah." -Sylvester Oliver to women before rape
“We bouda be doin a hole new typa lernin up in dis muffuggah.” -Sylvester Oliver to women before rape

New allegations against a Mid-South College professor already facing charges for raping a student.

Now, more women have come forward saying it happened too.

Eight women claim they were attacked by Slyvester Oliver and the former director of enrollment at Rust College.

Attorneys at the Cochran Law Firm in downtown Memphis said these complaints are so graphic and tragic that Rust College tried to seal them.

The reports date back over two decades.

“Absolutely shocking! It’s hard to imagine students could be victimized as they have been,” said Sam Cherry, partner of Cochran Law Firm.

Cherry is one of the attorneys representing nine women who say they were victims of horrific sex crimes at Rust College.

Cherry said most of the women, both students and faculty, were attacked by Oliver.

college-photo_8000._445x280-zmm
The prestigious Rust College is proud to call itself ‘historically Black’. Dr. Oliver was chair of the Division of Humanities and is an avid researcher on African-American history and music in Mississippi. Besides being a multiple rapist he is also the author of Hidden Chronicles and numerous other articles on African-American history in Marshall County, Mississippi.

Oliver is awaiting trial on criminal rape charges for one of the incidents.

“It was not limited to Sylvester Oliver. It was beyond that, and it was systemic,” said Cherry.

Cherry said former director of enrollment services, Johnny McDonald, also sexually assaulted two women on his staff.

McDonald is not facing any criminal charges.

“All of these women reported the behavior. They reported the assaults, and nothing was done in every last one of them,” said Cherry.

Friday in a news conference, Cherry announced he is filing nine lawsuits in the U.S. District Court in Oxford asking for compensation and policy changes at the college.

Cherry added Rust College President David Beckley to every lawsuit.

“He was aware of a lot of the sexual misconduct that occurred and did nothing,” said Cherry.

WREG put in a call to Rust College for a statement, but have yet to hear back.