US student who claimed she was raped by ex-university basketball players speaks out publicly

News conference will be held on fourth anniversary of alleged incident

A woman who filed a lawsuit against Michigan State University for discouraging her from reporting allegations of rape against three former men's basketball players is to speak out against the school. (Branislav Ondrasik/wikimedia)

A Michigan State University student is speaking publicly a year after filing a lawsuit against the school alleging that three former men's basketball players raped her in 2015 and that she was discouraged by counselling centre staff from reporting what happened.

Twenty-two-year-old Bailey Kowalski came forward in a story published by The New York Times saying she hoped other victims tell their stories.

She will hold a news conference Thursday, on the fourth anniversary of the alleged incident.

The woman and players aren't named in the suit .

It says she met them at an East Lansing bar and was taken to an off-campus apartment where they raped her.

Her lawyer, Karen Truszkowski, said Kowalski's Title IX investigation, initiated by the university last June, is dragging on.

"Bailey graduates this May and so she has been dealing with this for her entire college career," Ms Truszkowski told The Detroit News. "The Title IX case is still ongoing. Her case is extremely important in breaking down barriers victims have had with a very powerful athletic department whose actions seem to reflect that revenue-generating athletes are more important and are afforded greater privileges than their non-athlete counterparts. They have made that a clear distinction."

A university spokeswoman declined to comment on the case but said the school takes sexual assault and Title IX situations "very seriously."

Associated Press