My name is Darci Jenkins and I am a second year master’s student at the School of Social Service Administration (SSA) at the University of Chicago. My concentration is social administration and I am interested in research, policy, and advocacy work on anti-violence issues, particularly sexual violence. I am also in the Violence Prevention program of study at SSA, which is the only graduate-level Program of Study in the nation. My alma mater is the University of New Hampshire where I received a dual bachelor’s in Psychology and Justice Studies. I volunteered at the rape crisis center at UNH for three years. I also interned and worked for a year and a half at the local rape crisis center serving the seacoast in NH. I am extremely passionate about eliminating sexual violence in our communities. I intend to work hard at providing preventative tools to communities in order to prevent sexual violence from plaguing society.

Marquette University, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, traditionally holds its Sexual Assault Awareness Week during the third week of September. University health educator Becky Michelson told WISN news that, “the reason is because first-year students are at the greatest risk for being sexually assaulted typically within their first six weeks on campus.” This year, the Week, which kicked off on September 18, 2011, fell at a particularly important time. The University was investigating an alleged sexual assault that occurred during Sexual Assault Awareness Week in Schroeder Hall. Furthermore, last year, there was a high-profile investigation of student athletes who were allegedly perpetrators of sexual assault; however, no charges were filed. The University received great criticism because they neglected to inform the police of these allegations. The District Attorney then claimed that too much time had elapsed to conduct a proper investigation. You can read more on these issues in a previous post by Megan.

Given the recent spotlight on the University’s sexual violence policies, the University has developed training videos in an effort to continue to make the campus safe. According to an editorial written by Maria Tsikalas in the Marquette Tribune, the videos are narrated by two “pseudo-college students.” The narrators participate in a conversation that relays information on sexual assault. These conversations are intermingled with testimony from students who have experienced sexual assault.

Although the videos were developed to provide sufficient information addressing sexual assault, as well as ways to recognize and prevent it, Tsikalas notes that “the valuable parts are juxtaposed with off-putting moments and absurd ideas.”

For example, the role of the “typical male college student” was fulfilled by an actor who comes across as offensive and absolutely ignorant of the issues surrounding sexual violence and why they are important to a college community. I agree with Tsikalas that this is indeed an off-putting moment. Portraying males in such a way portrays a generalization that all males are rapists. Male college students who watch these videos are not going to be empowered or inspired to take action against sexual violence. Instead, they may buy into the stigma of sexual assault. It is important to remind students on college campuses that not only can perpetrators be acquaintances, but they are not always male. Also, all males are not rapists.

Despite this crude depiction of college males, the University has showed efforts to incorporate males into the fight against sexual violence. During Sexual Assault Awareness Week, male students at O’Donnell Hall were participating in a teeter-totter marathon, in which they teetered and tottered for three days straight. The students raised money for the Aurora Sexual Assault Treatment Center. They also raised awareness of the issue of sexual violence on their campus. The residential hall director, Deandre Taylor told WISN news that, “sexual assault is not a woman’s issue. It’s not a man’s issue. It’s a human being’s issue.” I think Taylor’s response is important and should be echoed in the training videos and educational programs that the University is developing.

Additionally, the educational videos suggest tricks, for lack of a better word, to prevent a potential rape. Students are advised to claim they are HIV positive and to either urinate, defecate, or regurgitate to prevent being raped. Not only are these suggestions most likely going to be laughable among a student body, but they tend to send the message that ‘sexual assault is going to happen at Marquette, so here are some tips to avoid it.’

Although these suggestions in the video may not be taken seriously, it is important to keep in mind that although the “-ate” suggestions may be laughable among a student body, they are techniques that are often suggested as part of emergency intervention when students find themselves in vulnerable situations. However, Marquette should continue to take preventative measures to continue to decrease sexual assaults and one day eliminate them altogether.  Finally, I must note that it is troublesome that the University is advising students to claim they are HIV positive because doing so only perpetuates stigma against a marginalized population in our community – it is not an appropriate emergency intervention in situations involving sexual assault.

Marquette has certainly taken strides against sexual violence in the aftermath of negative spotlight following several sexual assault incidents on campus. As Megan previously wrote, they have developed a bystander intervention program that will be taught by peer educators, in hopes that crimes will be prevented as well as reported immediately. The online videos and further educational programs are positive efforts to provide a safe campus and educate students on the issues of sexual violence. Although we applaud their efforts and positive response following a streak of negative attention, we must not forget that sexual violence is still a pervasive issue that requires continued attention, education, and prevention strategies on our college campuses and beyond.

Here’s some more campus news for you! Lots of promising changes are happening on campuses all over the country right now, including Marquette University. And I’m thrilled to hear that Marquette’s new program will focus on primary prevention strategies such as bystander intervention. Here’s an overview of the components of program:

The three parts include an online educational program, faculty-led education on sexual assault at Marquette and bystander intervention strategies led by student peer educators.

Daood [Assistant Director of Marquette's counseling center] said the primary objective of all programming efforts is to help students define sexual assault, recognize predatory behavior, intervene as a bystander and be compassionate to peers who have been sexually assaulted.

It’s also noteworthy that the university’s latest prevention efforts target athletes and members of Greek Life—groups that, based on research, are more likely to subscribe to rape-supportive attitudes and beliefs.

He also said it would make a statement if every individual in a fraternity or a sorority went though the training because that would mean over 700 students committed to receiving education on sexual violence.

The decision for Greek Life to join the initiative was made because fraternities specifically received media attention regarding the issue and the council leaders wanted to show that Marquette Greek Life is taking action against sexual violence, he said.

Earlier this week, I also learned that Marquette invited alumna and survivor Nancy Donoval to deliver the keynote speech during the school’s Sexual Violence Awareness Week. This sort of event, which taps into something researchers call “victim empathy,” can be a powerful primary prevention tool when it comes to reaching perpetrators and potential perpetrators.

What steps are your schools taking to prevent sexual assault on campus this fall?

I’m swamped this week between work and school, but I would like to bring a recent sexual assault-policy development to your attention. The University of Notre Dame has overhauled its sexual assault policy to reflect the guidelines set forth by the Office of Civil Rights in April. These revisions come on the heels of the Lizzy Seeberg tragedy and a subsequent investigation by the OCR into the school’s Title IX compliance. Here’s a quick look at the changes that have been made to the university’s policy:

(1) “Allegations of sexual harassment are evaluated using a ‘preponderance of the evidence’ standard;”

(2) “Complainant’s option to pursue a criminal complaint with the appropriate law enforcement agency, to pursue the University’s disciplinary process or to pursue both processes simultaneously will be stated more prominently;”

(3) “Complainants are advised that the University will investigate allegations of sexual harassment, and take appropriate action, even if the complainant does not wish to pursue the disciplinary process, but that any response by the University may be hindered by the complainant’s wishes for anonymity and/or inaction;”

(4) “‘No contact’ orders are issued in writing to all parties to an alleged sexual assault promptly after the University receives notice of a complaint;”

(5) “Both the complainant and the accused in sexual harassment cases have the opportunity to present witnesses and other evidence, and both receive equivalent notice of the process, access to peer support, information about procedures and written notice of the outcome;”

(6) “The Code will be amended to provide for alternative arrangements for complainants who do not want to be present in the same room as the accused during the disciplinary hearing;”

(7) “Except in extraordinary circumstances (notice of which will be provided to all parties), case reviews will be resolved within 30 days of receipt of the request for review.” (All citations from RES).

The student journalist who authored this article also preempts complaints regarding the “preponderance of the evidence” standard, which has caused a stir since the release of the OCR guidelines last spring.

Preponderance of the Evidence Standard: This is the standard used in the majority of civil cases. By this standard the criteria are met if the alleged action is more likely to be true than to not be true. One concern about using this standard for judgment is that persons falsely accused of sexual misconduct or assault could more easily be found responsible. However, “both the complainant and the accused in sexual harassment cases have the opportunity to present witnesses and other evidence, and both receive equivalent notice of the process, access to peer support, information about procedures and written notice of the outcome.” The preponderance of evidence standard does not mean that the alleged perpetrator is guilty unless proven innocent. It does, however, lessen the requirements from the “clear and convincing standard” because the “clear and convincing standard” does not appropriately address the Title IX prohibition on “discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program” (OCR). The OCR Report further states, “sexual harassment of a student creates a hostile environment if the conduct is sufficiently serious that it denies or limits a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the recipient’s program.” The preponderance of evidence standard makes the process easier for the alleged victim in a process where previously “clear and convincing” might have been too difficult to prove when some cases have limited evidence or no witnesses.

Nora, SAFER’s brilliant blogger and former Board Member, also had a few things to say about the controversy surrounding this evidentiary standard in a post that she published last month, which is definitely worth a second look if you have a spare moment!