Content Notice: sexual violence
written by: Lauren Carrasco-Kyllönen
The start of the academic year is a time of anticipation & preparation for both seniors beginning their final year of high school as well as college freshmen embarking on this new chapter of their lives. When planning out their future college experiences, many students research things like: “What academic majors are available for study?”, “Where can I park?”, “What do the meal plans offer?”, “Are there interesting student groups to join?”, “What things are there to do in the local area”... All important questions to find answers to but there’s an entire topic of essential research that’s going overlooked…sexual violence.
Campus sexual violence is a common challenge at colleges & universities across the country, with over 50% of all incidents occurring at the beginning of the fall semester (Aug-Nov) during what’s known as the Red Zone. Although the risks this time period pose apply to all college students, freshmen are the most vulnerable. This is why it is imperative that future students include research on sexual violence when planning their college careers.
Knowing where to start can be confusing & overwhelming, especially with all the other details that need to be settled when planning for college. So we’ve put together a guide on what all students should know about their college/university regarding campus sexual violence before starting their freshman year.
POLICIES
Title IX is a federal civil rights law in the U.S. that prohibits sex-based discrimination (which includes sexual violence) in schools or other education programs that receive funding from the federal government. Although the government sets some minimum requirements that all of these educational institutions must adhere to, the specific policies & procedures will look a bit different from one institution to the next, with some merely meeting those minimum standards while others work to go above & beyond. A campus’ policies & procedures set the foundation for their culture on sexual violence so they’re an important aspect to research. Here are some questions to find answers to:
What is your campus’ Title IX policy?
Is it clearly laid out & easy to understand? Is it able to be quickly & easily accessed online?
In addition to on-campus incidents, does this policy cover off-campus locations as well? (off-campus student houses/apartments, hotels used for school trips, off-campus interactions with campus staff/faculty, etc)
Does this policy cover cyber-harassment?
Who is the Title IX Coordinator?
Their name, office address, phone number, & email address should all be easily found on your school’s website.
How do they class their employees?
Who are mandatory reporters?
Are there any employees who are not mandatory reporters that students can turn to for confidential support? Who are they?
How can someone report an incident of sexual violence?
Information on what the available reporting options entail as well as who/where to make a report should be widely publicized & accessible.
There should be an option for people to make anonymous reports online as well.
Are there “amnesty” policies that protect people who are reporting incidents of sexual violence from being punish for conduct code violations that may have happened in conjunction with the sexual violence incident?
Some schools have “zero tolerance” policies for certain conduct that can result in people facing punishment for violations, no matter the circumstances, which can prevent people from coming forward to make a report for fear of getting in trouble. Does your school have any of these policies?
Are there any additional “non-Title IX” policies that address these topics, such as a sexual misconduct policy?
These policies may outline additional expectations, regulations, accommodations, or survivor rights that go beyond the minimum Title IX standards.
What is your campus’ disability policy?
You may have rights to disability accommodations & supports if you’re experiencing anxiety, depression, or other mental disabilities that have resulted from sexual violence you’ve faced, regardless of whether or not that violence occurred at your current campus or not.
TRANSPARENCY
Having as much transparency as possible on the ways in which sexual violence is addressed is important for campuses to hold themselves accountable, improve their institutions, & build trust with their communities. Besides having clearly defined & easily accessible policies, here are additional steps to look for in colleges/universities that show a commitment to transparency:
Does your school conduct yearly campus climate surveys?
These anonymous climate surveys can give a clearer picture of the prevalence of sexual violence than campus crime statistics do, since so many people don’t come forward to officially report their experiences.
Does your campus publish aggregate statistics on:
The number of sexual violence reports
The number of accommodations requested by survivors that were denied
The average length of time Title IX cases remained open
The number of students who were found responsible in Title IX cases
The ways in which students found responsible were sanctioned
SUPPORTS
Since campus sexual violence is an unfortunately common issue, knowing what resources & supports are available both on & off campus is important knowledge to have, in case you or anyone you know may need it.
What accommodations are available to survivors?
Survivor accommodations may include things such as moving dorms/classes/dining halls/campus workplaces/etc, allowing more time to complete tests/assignments, issuing no-contact-orders, & others.
What medical services are available to survivors?
Do they provide free access to emergency contraceptives to all survivors?
Do they provide free access to HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to all survivors?
Is there a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE nurse) on campus?
If not, is there a medical facility nearby that has SANE nurses on staff?
Is there an office on campus that has survivor advocates & professional staff whose focus is to support survivors & help them access resources/accommodations?
This office should be separate from any offices that receive reports of sexual violence
Is there 24/7 crisis response coverage provided by the school?
If not, are there local survivor support agencies who provide these services?
PREVENTION
Appropriately responding to instances of sexual violence & providing supports to survivors is critical, but it’s only reactionary. In order to make progress in stopping these cases from happening in the first place a consistent & considerable dedication to prevention efforts must be made. Learning more about your school’s prevention programming is important to understanding how dedicated they are to creating safer, more inclusive, campus cultures.
Is there a dedicated staff person or office responsible for leading prevention education on campus?
Does the school require continuous, comprehensive violence prevention education for everyone on campus?
Prevention education should be integrated in multiple different formats, multiple times every year (NOT just a 1 time session during orientation)
Topics covered should include: prevalence & impacts of sexual violence, affirmative consent (a “yes means yes” focus, NOT just a “no means no” focus), boundaries, impacts of drugs & alcohol on sexual violence, bystander intervention, campus policies & procedures, campus resources & accommodations, & others.
Is this education inclusive of all genders, sexual orientations, identities, & backgrounds? (sexual violence is NOT just a “women’s issue”)
REFORM
Along with implementing consistent prevention programming, a commitment to reform is important for colleges/universities to have. Listening to a variety of voices, honestly looking at their shortcomings, & actually taking action to improve their campus is challenging work but so good to see happening.
Do they have an established working group on gender-based violence that meets regularly?
Are students & survivors part of this group?
Are their meeting notes, projects, etc. available for the public to see?
Preparing for college is both exciting & overwhelming at the same time. There’s so much to plan for & research before starting this new chapter & there’s bound to be blind spots you didn’t fully prepare for. Your campus’ culture & resources surrounding sexual violence, shouldn’t be one of them. Finding the answers to these questions & filling out the campus resource worksheet, will help ensure this essential information doesn’t get missed as you embark on your exciting new college experiences.
*SV = Sexual violence* | *IPV = Intimate partner violence*