Transcript Title

Grants to Reduce Violent Crimes Against
Women on Campus
U.S. Dept. of Justice
Model Policies:
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Background and Overview
Other Universities’ Efforts
Why Campus Policy?
With faculty numbering more than
900,000 and enrollments of more than
15 million students (including more than
2 million in graduate and professional
schools), these institutions are at the
center of our social system.
-(Ausubel J., 1998)
Why Campus Policy?
Unique Challenges:
A victim of intimate partner violence or sexual
assault may continue to live in danger if the
perpetrator resides in the same dormitory or
attends the same classes.
Why Campus Policy?
Unique Challenges:
A victim may wish to remain anonymous but
may find this to be virtually impossible in such
an insular environment.
Why Campus Policy?
Unique Challenges:
A victim may be harassed by classmates, or
by an assailant’s friends who claim that the
victim “asked for it” or “provoked” the crime.
Why Campus Policy?
Unique Challenges:
Stalking victims may find it difficult to escape
their tormentors because the stalker may
have a seemingly “legitimate” reason for
remaining in contact with or in proximity to the
victim. (e.g., attending class or studying in the
library).
Why Campus Policy?
Unique Opportunities:
Special environment in which young people
can explore ideas and learn about the world.
Campuses can provide a venue to raise
awareness and communicate that violence
against women is criminal and will not be
tolerated.
What Guides Campus Policy?
A brief overview of the Clery Act:
The “Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus
Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics
Act” codified at 20 USC 1092 (f) as part of
Higher Education Act of 1965, is a federal
law that requires colleges and universities to
disclose an annual report about campus
crime and security policies.
What Guides Campus Policy?
“Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security
Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act”
The Clery Act has several components, three of
which have particular importance to our task at
hand:
 Annual Report
 Statement of Policy
 Sexual Assault Victim's Bill of Rights
What Guides Campus Policy?
A brief overview of the Clery Act continued…
In order to make more information available
about criminal activity on college campuses
in the United States, President George Bush
signed he CSA into federal law in 1990. The
Campus Security Act was the first inclusive
attempt by Congress to regulate campus
safety and it remains the foundation of
campus security policy mandates today.
What Guides Campus Policy?
What you should know about the Clery Act:
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Secondary institutions receiving federal
assistance must report
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Sexual assault is among the offenses that
must be reported
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Statistics
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Who must report
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Security crime log
What Guides Campus Policy?
Clery Act Wrap Up: True or False?
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There is a penalty for non-compliance with the
Clery Act.
There is no relationship between the Family
Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and the
Clery Act.
Faculty members are required to report campus
crime statistics.
A crime must be investigated in order to be
included in the statistics.
Only crimes against students must be reported.
What Guides Campus Policy?
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Violence Against Women Grants Office
What Guides Campus Policy?
The Grants to Reduce Violent Crimes
Against Women on Campus Program
(Campus Program) is designed to
encourage institutions of higher
education to adopt comprehensive,
coordinated responses to violent crimes
against women on campuses, including
sexual assault, stalking, domestic
violence, and dating violence.
What Guides Campus Policy?
What have we agreed to in our “SpecialConditions”?
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The grantee agrees to establish and maintain
a coordinated community response to
violence against women on campus. This
multidisciplinary response should involve the
entire campus and the larger community in
which the campus is located, including local
nonprofit, victim advocacy organizations,
criminal justice partners, and civil legal
agencies.
What Guides Campus Policy?
What have we agreed to in our “Special Conditions”?
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The grantee agrees not to offer perpetrators the
option of entering diversion programs in lieu of
campus disciplinary or criminal justice proceedings
The grantee agrees not to utilize mediation or
counseling for couples as a response to violence
against women crimes on campus.
What Guides Campus Policy?
What have we agreed to in our “Special Conditions”?
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If graduated sanctions include offender intervention
programs, the grantee agrees to utilize programs that
use the coercive power of the criminal justice system
or campus proceedings to hold perpetrators of
violence against women accountable for their behavior.
Programs that focus only on controlling anger and
impulses, addressing alcohol and drug abuse,
managing emotions, developing communication skills,
or dealing with stress are not designed to hold
perpetrators accountable for using violence against
their intimate partners.
What Guides Campus Policy?
What have we agreed to in our “Special Conditions”?
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The grantee agrees not to impose sanctions
against victims of domestic violence, dating
violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Victims
should not be ordered to attend therapy or
penalized for choosing to testify in criminal
cases.
What Guides Campus Policy?
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Violence Against Women Grants Office
What is Coordination?
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Involves determining all the places in the
university community that have contact
with survivors and students at risk.
Each identified department develops
protocols that delineate the steps required
for appropriately responding.
Organizing College Campuses Against Dating Abuse
www.VAWnet.org
Penn. Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Natl. Resource Center on Domestic Violence
Why Coordination?
Effective policy implementation requires
a process for ensuring information flow
and the use of agreed upon guidelines.
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Penn. Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Natl. Resource Center on Domestic Violence
Organizing College Campuses Against Dating Abuse
www.VAWnet.org
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How is Coordination Accomplished?
Coordination requires designation of an
agreed upon entity so that the network
of communication is reinforced and a
forum exists to respond to issues that
arise.
Organizing College Campuses Against Dating Abuse
www.VAWnet.org
Penn. Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Natl. Resource Center on Domestic Violence
What have other universities done?
1996 Survey conducted by
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign of
members of Assn. of Colleges and
University Housing Offices Internat’l:
Revealed that very few campus programs
reported broad based coordination efforts.
What have universities done?
Some universities established committees:
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University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
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George Mason University, Virginia
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Temple University (Presidential Oversight Committee)
What have other universities done?
Some universities delegated the coordination
effort to law enforcement:
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University of California at Berkeley
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Stanford University
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University of Florida
Who has worked together at other
universities?
University South Carolina:
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Student Health Services
Dept. of Student Development
University Housing
Div. Of Student & Alumni Services
Who has worked together at other
universities?
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Berkeley
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Medical and Counseling Service
Campus Police Dept.
Women’s Resource Center
Student Activities and Services
Housing Office
Ombudsperson for Students
Who has worked together at
other universities?
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Stanford University
• Vice Provost for Student Affairs
• Director of Human Resources
• Provost
Who has worked together at other
universities?
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Southern Methodist University:
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Educational programs on interpersonal violence for
students will be conducted by the:
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Victim Services Program via
Wellness Program
Orientation Week Program
Programs in Residence Halls
and seminars for specific groups as requested.
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What was the first step in formulating
policy?
Statements of Purpose:
What they hoped to accomplish by the content
of the policy
Statements of Purpose
To create a caring and effective
university-wide response to students
involved in an incident of interpersonal
violence.
-South Carolina University
Statements of Purpose
Thoughtful persons recognize the critical
need for educational institutions to develop
a comprehensive policy that addresses the
serious national problem of campus
interpersonal violence.
-Temple University
Statements of Purpose
A safe campus environment is one in which
students, faculty and staff are free to conduct
their daily affairs both inside and outside the
classroom without fear of physical, emotional, or
psychological harm. Personal safety is a basic
human need that must be preserved if the
mission of the university is to be pursued.
-National Student Personnel Administration
-Task Group on Safety and Security, 1980
Statements of Purpose
A college is like any other organization that you
freely join. By joining, you agree to abide by its
rules. Just as the college has rules prohibiting
arson, assault and drug sales on campus, and has
disciplinary responses for such infractions, it has a
responsibility to prohibit sexual assault between
students. Without policies in place to deal with
sexual assault, cases brought to the school’s
attention can be badly botched, harming all parties
involved.
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- Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER)
Model Policies
The University of South Carolina
created a Policy Statement asserting:
 that violence will not be tolerated,
 that students are encouraged to use
services of the Ofc. for Sexual Health
and Violence Prevention (OSHVP) and
 that OSHVP manages the policy.
Model Policies
The University of South Carolina cont’d.
Other components included:
Definitions for Sexual Assault,
Relationship Violence & Stalking and
separate policies for addressing each.
Model Policies
The University of South Carolina cont’d.
Other components included:
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University definition for each behavior
addressed and
The criminal definition, including state
code citations.
Model Policies
The University of South Carolina cont’d.
Other components included:
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Victim’s Bill of Rights
Discipline Policies and Procedures for
Victims/Witnesses and for Accused
Resources
Model Policies
The University of South Carolina cont’d.
Other components included:
Value statements regarding reporting
sexual assault (encouraged to report to
police, strongly urged to have rape
medical exam…)
Model Policies
The University of South Carolina cont’d.
Other components included:
 Immediate Care and Tx Procedures for
Victims
 Follow-up and Recovery Services for
Victim
 Follow-up Services for Acccused
Model Policies
The University of South Carolina cont’d.
Other components included:
“The university may proceed with
disciplinary action even when the
alleged victim voluntarily chooses not to
participate in the process..on the basis
of statement of relationship violence
from the victim or witness’s statement or
complaint.”
Model Policies
The University of South Carolina cont’d.
Other components included:
.Value statements regarding strongly
encouraging university community
members to report incidents of
relationship violence and
Model Policies
The University of South Carolina cont’d.
as rationale for reporting, cited:
 potential harm to persons
 violations of community standards
 the need to monitor the campus climate.
Model Policies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign:
 Stakeholders formed a Committee, which
sponsored a public awareness campaign and
distributed resource materials.
 Committee evolved into a Coordinating
Committee open to all interested parties.
 Committee developed protocols and
procedures.
Model Policies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign:
Components include:
 Family Housing Office maintains an
apartment for use as an emergency shelter available to students, faculty and staff.
 Established Intervention Group for students
who abuse
 Support groups for women experiencing
relationship abuse
Model Policies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign:
Components include:
 Professional Training
 Peer Education
 Public Awareness
Model Policies
Temple University
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Comprehensive education programs
Procedures sensitive to victims
University disciplinary sanctions for assailants
Presidential Oversight Committee to review
effectiveness of the University’s policy and
relevant programs and procedures.
Model Policies
Temple University contd.
Other components:
Formal & Informal Complaint Reporting Procedures
Informal Complaints
If a person reports to University faculty or staff that
she or he has been assaulted, but chooses not to file a
formal complaint at that time, the complaint will be
referred immediately to the University’s Victims
Services and notified of available services on and off
campus and alternative remedies. Informal complaints
will be treated confidentially.
Model Policies
George Mason University
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Peer Advocates
University protocol requiring notification of
Victims Services - even anonymous reports
Training to faculty
Resource Guide
Team Talks
Model Policies
George Mason University contd.
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Procedures for handling assaults that
represent a potential danger to the campus
community for purposes of creating a
“Campus Alert Notification” such as:
a pattern of acquaintance sexual assaults;
a stranger assault
a violent or sadistic assault; or
a gang rape
Model Policies
Relevant Components From Other University policies:
Filing formal charges through the student
judiciary does not preclude filing criminal
and/or civil charges. Students who wish to file
criminal and/or civil charges may receive
information and assistance from the Office of
the Dean of Student Life and the University
Dept. of Public Safety.
-Southern Methodist University
Model Policies
Relevant Components from Other Universities’ Policies:
University Police Dept. policy members shall:
 Honor a victim’s request to speak to an officer
of the same gender.
 Inform the victim of services available on and
off campus.
 Ensure that the University victims services
coordinator is notified and is aware of the
victim’s location, so that throughout the
process, the crime victim advocate can
address the victim’s needs and concerns.
University of Florida
Model Policies
Relevant Components From Other Universities’ Policies:
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The lead investigator of the University police
department will complete an in-depth interview
with the victim, unless due to injuries or
emotional distress, the interview should be
delayed.
The crime victim advocate should be present
unless there is good and sufficient reason to
conduct the interview outside the advocate’s
presence with the victim’s consent.
- University of Florida