UNIVERSITY TASK FORCE ON SEXUAL VIOLENCE 2014 REPORT

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Transcript UNIVERSITY TASK FORCE ON SEXUAL VIOLENCE 2014 REPORT

Dr. Carol Collard, LMSW
Pamela Braxton, MSW Candidate
Anna “Katy” Miller, MSW Candidate
Mia Wolfrey, MSW Candidate
To implement and deliver a multi-faceted approach to addressing
sexual violence on our campus by providing services and training
opportunities for students, faculty, and staff who have been
victims of sexual assault, domestic/dating violence, stalking,
harassment, and all other forms of interpersonal violence, and to
prevent further violence from occurring.

Establish an effective response to campus sexual assault that INCLUDES
comprehensive polices and procedures for campus police, student affairs,
counseling and psychological services, and health services as well as
advocacy staff

Train every member of our Response Team (to include Campus Police,
Counseling and Psychological Services, Health Services, and Student
Affairs) in best practices

Ensure that campus and local officials, health care professionals, and
advocates work together proactively to help victims and hold offenders
accountable

Meet our legal obligations under the Clery Act as well as other federal and
state laws
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Make our community a safer place for students, faculty, and staff
CORRECTING MYTHS AND ADDRESSING FACTS
Because many adult learners acquire a preference for learning that is based on
childhood learning patterns (Edmunds, Lowe, Murray, & Seymour, 1999), and
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WARNING: Some of the content contained in the following video are very
graphic.
EDUCATING OUR STUDENTS,
FACULTY AND STAFF
MYTH
 Sexual misconduct is only
conducted by a creepy stranger
lurking in the bushes.
 Men are not victims of sexual
misconduct; OR sexual assaults
rarely happen to men or boys.
 Sexual assault is caused by the
victim; due to their actions,
behaviors or the way they dress.
FACT
 Statistics have proven that the common
instances of sexual assault on this
campus fall into the following categories
- Acquaintance Rape and Date Rape.
 Statistics indicate that 1 in 6 men are
sexually assaulted or abused in their
lifetime and the sexual assault of males is
greatly underreported.
 By definition, rape is an act committed
against someone’s will and no one
WANTS to be sexually assaulted.
Offenders will use this excuse to justify
or rationalize their crimes by stating the
victims wanted it.
EDUCATING OUR STUDENTS,
FACULTY AND STAFF (cont’d)
MYTH

Only women who are promiscuous or flirty are
sexually assaulted.
FACT
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Most gays and lesbians would change their
mind regarding their sexuality if they had sex
with someone of the opposite gender.
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Anyone can prevent themselves from being
sexually assaulted if they try hard enough.
Sexual assault occurs in all segments of our
society. Most rapists choose their victims
because they have access to them—same
neighborhood, school, or employer.
A sexual assault against someone gay or
lesbian because they are homosexual is still a
sexual assault and a hate crime. Anyone who
is sexually assaulted will experience the
psychological effects of the trauma regardless
of their sexual preferences.
Sexual assault is a crime of violence, control
and power. In some cases the offender will use
force such as choking, beating or using a
weapon while committing the crime or the
victims life will be threatened. While being in
fear, a victim may not fight back while the
assault is occurring but this should not be
equated to the victim giving consent.
 20% - 25% of women will experience a completed and/or attempted rape during their college career.
 80% of sexual assault and rape victims are under the age of 30.
 Only 2% of all sexual assault accusations reported turn out to be false.
 Victims were on a date with the perpetrator in 12.8% of completed rapes and 35% of attempted rapes.
 84% of the women who reported sexually coercive experiences experienced the incident during their
first four semesters on campus.
 38% of college women who have been sexually assaulted while in college have history of a sexual
assault prior to college, making past victimization the best predictor of future victimization.
(Campus Safety Magazine, 2012)
 66% of female victims and 41% of male victims of stalking are stalked by a current or former intimate
partner.
 More than half of female victims and more than 1/3 of male victims of stalking indicated that they
were stalked before the age of 25.
 Using a less conservative definition of stalking, which considers any amount of fear (i.e., a little fearful,
somewhat fearful, or very fearful), means that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 13 men would report being a
victim of stalking in their lifetime.
 Students living on-campus are 1.4 – 3 times more likely to be raped than students living off-campus
(The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Summary Report)
PREVENTION
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) - 1994
“Under the leadership of then-Senator Joe Biden, Congress recognized the severity of violence
against women and our need for a national strategy with the enactment of the Violence
Against Women Act in 1994. This landmark federal legislation’s comprehensive approach to
violence against women combined tough new provisions to hold offenders accountable with
programs to provide services for the victims of such violence.” (whitehouse.gov)
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA ) Reauthorization - 2013
“On March 7, 2013, President Obama signed a bill that strengthened and reauthorized the Violence Against
Women Act. Included in the bill was the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (Campus SaVE), which
amends the Jeanne Clery Act and affords additional rights to campus victims of sexual violence, dating violence,
domestic violence, and stalking.” (clerycenter.org)
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act - 1991
“Landmark federal law, originally known as the Campus Security Act, that requires colleges and universities
across the United States to disclose information about crime on and around their campuses. The law is tied to an
institution's participation in federal student financial aid programs and it applies to most institutions of higher
education both public and private. The Act is enforced by the United States Department of Education.”
(clerycenter.org)
The Clery Act of 1991 (amended through 2013) requires all colleges and universities to:
 Publish an Annual Security Report (ASR)
 To have a public crime log
 Disclose crime statistics for incidents that occur on campus, in unobstructed public areas
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immediately adjacent to or running through the campus and at certain non-campus
facilities including Greek housing and remote classrooms
Issue timely warnings about Clery Act crimes which pose a serious or ongoing threat to students and
employees
Devise an emergency response, notification and testing policy
Compile and report fire data to the federal government and publish an annual fire safety report.
Enact policies and procedures to handle reports of missing students.
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Develop a task force to address sexual misconduct on college campuses and prevention measures tailored to that
campus based on the President’s initiative, “The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault.”
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The task force will include representatives from the following departments: Dean of Students, Counseling and
Psychological Services, Human Services, Public Safety/Campus Police, Student Affairs, Resident Life, Greek Life,
Athletics, DisAbility Services, Diversity/Multicultural Affairs and the Health Department

Sexual misconduct brochures will be placed throughout the university campus to inform students of potential risks of
sexual assault. The university is to make every effort to educate students so that they have a responsibility to learn
about sexual assault in an effort to prevent its occurrence and protect themselves.

The University will conduct sexual misconduct trainings for staff and faculty, including Campus Police and students
(to include online webinar trainings for distance learners) on topics such as dating violence, healthy relationships and
sexual assault.
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The University will publish an annual safety report of campus crime statistics that include crimes of sexual
misconduct and make it available to all students, faculty and staff on college campuses. This report will also include
security policies and procedures and information on the basic rights guaranteed victims of sexual assault (Clery Act).
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Adopt the “Bystander Program,” initiating a shift in social and cultural norms to occur and allowing the community to
become involved to reduce sexual misconduct. The goal of this program is to educate students to recognize situations
that promote sexual violence and to intervene in a safe and effective manner. Other benefits to this program are the
reduction in victim blaming, including everyone as part of the solution, and giving the community an opportunity to
foster social change.
(Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs)
General
Be alert and aware of your surroundings
Avoid alcohol and drug use
Avoid dark areas; try not to walk alone; pair up, walk in groups or call University Police for an escort if you must walk alone
Learn self defense
Males can attend workshops to discuss the awareness and the impacts of aggressive behaviors and how they can help to
reduce aggression and violence
Remember NO means NO even if prior consent was given
Off Campus
Ask for identification whenever a repair person comes to your house prior to them entering
Trust your intuitions; if you feel uncomfortable in a situation get out of it
Always walk with confidence
When going on dates, pick a public place
Always walk with confidence
On Campus
Do not let strangers into your room
Use your peephole and do not open your door if you are unfamiliar with the person
Lock your room at all times, when you leave, are taking a nap, or even using the bathroom
Sign in guests and register overnight guests with the Resident Hall Director
Report lost keys/key cards to your Residence Hall Director or University Police at once
Report any suspicious persons or activities to your Residence Hall Director or University Police at once
Do not prop any outside doors open
(Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs)
ACCOMODATIONS AND RIGHTS
Appropriate Accommodation
In order to provide appropriate
accommodations for survivors of sexual
assault, the following must be taken into
consideration:
In an effort to address these considerations,
the following programs will be implemented:
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Students are the ones who will be directly
impacted and involved regardless of whether
they are a survivor, someone accused, a
volunteer, mentor, family member or friend.
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Student Peer Group that students can seek
advice and assistance from in the event of an
assault if they are not immediately
comfortable with going to campus
police/public safety, counseling and
psychological services or other resources as
outlined. In addition, it is essential that at
least one member of the Student Peer Group
be a survivor of sexual assault (either through
direct incident or relationship to someone who
experienced a direct incident). In order to
advocate for rights of the accused, there will be
one peer group member associated with Public
Safety/Campus Police.
All services are confidential
Appropriate Accommodation
In order to provide appropriate accommodations for
those accused of sexual assault, the following must be
taken into consideration:

Students accused of a sexual assault have the right to
have their side heard and a decision made as to their
academic status at the university.
In an effort to address these considerations,
the following programs will be implemented:

Student Review Group that is charged with reviewing
the facts of the alleged assault and making a
determination about whether or not the accused
student shall remain at the university while the case is
being investigated. This team will be a third party
group (no students, faculty or staff to prevent bias)
from the local community made up of one member of
law enforcement experienced with sexual assault, a
victim advocate, a SANE Nurse(Sexual Assault Nurse),
a medical doctor, and one representative the accused
selects – i.e. an attorney, equal rights representative,
etc.

All reviews are confidential and decisions will be
rendered no later than 7 days after a review has been
held. The right to a review can be waived if the
student accused agrees to sit out a semester – or the
remainder thereof – until the case is resolved.
Accommodations will be made academically (option
of “W” grade without late penalty) if the student is
required to leave mid semester.
PROTECTING SURVIVORS AND RESPECTING
EVERYONE
In order to take the burden of off of
victims, we will create a preventionfocused team of volunteer students,
community members, and violence
prevention professionals. This team will
spend time visiting sororities,
fraternities, sporting events, local bars,
and gyms educating everyone about the
power they possess to prevent sexual
assault, as well as how to no objectify,
and demean others.
This team will work in specific to
demonstrate practical skills that include;
avoiding peer pressure and falling prey
to “group mentality,” learning to take
action when they witness injustices or
the threats of violence, as well as
understanding the dangers of binge
drinking and illicit drug use.
Our initiative will focus on
acknowledging the pressures
and dangers of “masculinity”
in our culture. We will
challenge socially constructed
concepts of gender roles,
femininity, sexuality, and
masculinity. We will promote
these ideas through social
media sites, campus
publications, and peaceful,
organized demonstrations.
As a campus and community, we must
understand and acknowledge that we are
working within a “Rape Culture,” which
normalizes, excuses, and even encourages the
objectification and subsequent assault of
women. This takes the form of victim blaming,
sexual objectification, and trivialization of
rape.
As a university, we must begin to shift a
paradigm which suggests women learn to
protect themselves from attack, rather than
addressing their potential and active attackers.
The message to society and campus is a simple
one: in order to prevent rape – “Don’t Rape.”
http://sguforums.com/index.php?topic=43426.45
WHAT IS IT?
The university wide definition of
consent has been created and
adopted as university policy.
The definition is based on
Antioch Colleges’ 1993 Sexual
Offense Prevention Policy which
stated that, “consent for sexual
behavior must be verbal, mutual,
and reiterated for every new
level of sexual behavior.” The
University has customized and
agreed on this definition as a
whole.
“In a university of 10,000 students, 350 sexual assaults
will occur in the course of the school year.”
(Barry, D. M. 2009)
Barry, D. M. (2009). Campus sexual assault response teams: program development and operational
management. Kingston, NJ: Civic Research Institute.
Burrow, J., Hannon, R., Hall, D. (1998). College Students Perceptions of Women’s Verbal and
Nonverbal Consent for Sexual Intercourse.Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality.
Bystander Intervention Programs. (n.d.).Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs. Retrieved
February 12, 2014, from http://www.wcsap.org/bystander-intervention-programs
Empowering Women Since 1881. (n.d.).AAUW Empowering Women Since 1881 Know Your Rights on
Campus Sexual Assault Comments. Retrieved February 12, 2014, from
http://www.aauw.org/what-we-do/legal-resources/know-your-rights-oncampus/campus-sexual-assault
Gray, R. (2012, March). Sexual Assault Statistics. Campus Safety Magazine. Retrieved February 19,
2014, from http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/article/sexual-assault-statisticsand-myths
Michele C. Black et al., “The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Summary
Report,” (Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 2011).
Myths and Facts. (n.d.). Earlham College Counseling Services. Retrieved February 10, 2014, from
https://www.earlham.edu/counseling-services/sexual-aggression-peer-advocates/mythsand-facts
Sexual assault on college campus. (2010, November 17). YouTube. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT0u02IS8EY
Summary of The Jeanne Clery Act. (n.d.). Clery Center For Security On Campus. Retrieved February
18, 2014, from http://clerycenter.org/summary-jeanne-clery-act