Sexual Assault on Campus. A Growing Problem?
by Sam Goldstein & Geena Goozdich
STATE COLLEGE, Pa – Alcohol, loud music, and late nights. Sexual assaults on campus don’t always happen like this. They can happen anywhere and anytime, and colleges may not be doing enough.
Stories are popping up at colleges and universities all over the country. Recently the dean of the law school at UC Berkeley resigned when it became public that he had been disciplined for sexually harassing his executive assistant, yet had been allowed to remain in the job.
On the other side of the country, the captain of Yale’s basketball team was expelled in February after a confidential school proceeding found that he had nonconsensual sex with a female student, according to his lawyer.
These are cases not unique to these college campuses. It is clear sexual assault is a rising issue with 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men sexually assaulted while in college according to the national sexual violence resource center. More than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report these incidents.
The federal government recently put out a series of policies regarding sexual misconduct on campus, expanding title 9, the comprehensive federal law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in any educational program or activity that receives federal funding. The push started in 2011 when a federal policy statement clarified that title IX also applies to how universities deal with complaints of sexual assault. There are now over two-hundred colleges and universities under federal investigation for the way they have handled complaints of sexual misconduct, up from fifty-five two years ago.
Colleges and Universities all over the country are being investigated for Title IX policies and how they handle cases of sexual assault.
Here in Pennsylvania, Temple, Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh are all included in these investigations. So what is being done to combat the issue?
State Representative Tina Davis is drafting legislation called “Enough is Enough,” which defines sexual “consent” and provides school guidelines for “appropriate (sexual) behavior.”
Governor Tom Wolf, is also taking action with the “It’s On Us” campaign. The campaign against campus sexual crime, will spend one-million dollars so school administrators can apply for grants to partner with organizations such as the Network of Victim Assistance, tapping into expertise to educate students.
The It’s On Us campaign comes to Pennsylvania.
Looking at Penn State, university President Eric Barron, created the Sexual Assault and Harassment Task Force,which was tasked to “collect, review, and provide an evaluation of Penn State’s activities relating to sexual assault and other forms of sexual or gender-based harassment.” The task force made eighteen university recommendations, many of which are already being implemented.
To start, the university recently appointed Paul Apicella as the new tile 9 coordinator. He has been leading efforts to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct since last November. The hire was one of many efforts to combat sexual misconduct and address the committee’s recommendations.
Other University programs include access to rape related medical care at Mount Nittany Medical Center and the University Health Center, a dusk-to-dawn Safe Walk for a safer alternative to walking alone and other resources through Penn State Police, the Center for Women Students, and the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services.
The next program addressing sexual assault on campus at the University will be two title IX workshops. The first is on April 20th and the second is on April 27th. They will be held 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Hetzel Union Building, in part for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. These workshops will address how the University defines consent in the context of sexual activity the University’s policies and procedures for addressing issues of sexual violence, as well as the resources and support services that are available to survivors.
For 24 hour access to counseling and support for all victims of sexual and physical abuse, at any Penn State campus you can call the Penn State Hot-Line 1-800-560-1637.