Talking Stick - January/February 2015 - 46

t's not a new subject, unfortunately, but sexual assaults on students are a
dominant topic of news headlines, government reports, student protests,
and campus conversations more than ever before. Backed by - or spurred
by, based on your point of view - government initiatives as well as the
court of public opinion, campuses are re-evaluating existing policies and
programs. New steps are being implemented, and new measures are
being taken. As legal mandates for education and resources related to
sexual assault prevention continue to be issued, institutions scramble to
maintain compliance and, in some cases, get ahead of the curve.
Because of their role on the front lines and their access to large
numbers of students, residence life departments are a logical venue to
deliver these programs and services. It's not an undeserved burden.
Protecting students from harm is one of the most basic and critical
responsibilities housing departments must shoulder. Whether that occurs
via reinforcing due process in disciplinary proceedings, implementing
programming and resources, or responding to actions and policies that
harm their success, campus housing employees have a universal charge
to ensure that students can live safely and strive for success without
unnecessary obstruction.
This onus has surfaced in very profound and public ways in recent
years. A 2007 report funded by the United States Department of Justice,
The Campus Sexual Assault (CSA) Study, concluded that 19 percent
of women who enter college as undergraduates will experience actual
or attempted sexual assault, as will 6 percent of undergraduate men.
Nationally, women on college and university campuses also face the
highest rates of stalking and the highest risk of non-fatal intimate partner
violence. In addition, the survivor typically knows the perpetrator, and
the majority of those who commit the violent act do so to individuals who
are intoxicated, drugged, or even unconscious. This creates a scenario
where survivors may be less likely to report the assault or to take steps to
prosecute their assailant.
Campus housing and residence life programs are not immune to this
issue. In 2013 alone, more than 3,600 reports of forcible sex offenses in
on-campus residential facilities were reported to the U.S. Department
of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education (http://ope.ed.gov/
security/). Professional and paraprofessional housing staff have assumed
a tremendous amount of accountability in the response to sexual violence
on campus, often being the first to receive reports of incidents, provide
preliminary crisis triage and referrals, and furnish continued support and
follow-up as student survivors receive assistance from on- and off-campus
practitioners.
While the numbers alone are staggering, interest in the topic has
also been heightened by a number of high-profile incidents in the media
as well as protests and movements such as Carry That Weight, Know
Your IX, and End Rape on Campus. In Canada, last year, a three-monthlong investigation by the Toronto Star newspaper found that only 9 of
78 Canadian universities had created specific sexual assault policies.
This came a year after a collaborative report from the Ontario Women's
Directorate (a group that addresses violence against women); the Canadian
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities; and other groups
recommending that formal policies are vital in "creating an environment

TAlkiNg STick

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Talking Stick - January/February 2015

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