SD17 - Sexual Assault on Virginia's Campuses
Executive Summary: FIRST REPORT ON SEXUAL ASSAULT AND RAPE ON VIRGINIA'S CAMPUSES In response to SJR 194, the Council of Higher Education submits to the Governor and General Assembly the appended document. It consists of four parts: the results of a survey administered to over 5,000 students, a description of programs and services on Virginia's campuses, guidance to institutions in revising or developing sexual-assault prevention and treatment programs, and a description of the work yet to be done. In brief, the conclusions of the report are as follows: I. The Student Survey • The great majority of men and women students in Virginia exhibit attitudes and behaviors that bode well for responsible relationships. But there remains a need for educational programs designed to deal with sexual violence. • Women in the sample reported that 15 percent of them had given in to unwanted sexual activity because of emotional pressure, seven percent had experienced sexual assault, five percent had been the victims of attempted rape, and two percent had experienced a rape. Most of their assaulters were men whom they knew. Alcohol was a factor in most of these incidents. • Very few of these women reported their experiences to anyone in authority. • Women and men have different perceptions about the frequency of the various forms of sexual assault, suggesting important differences in perception and definition that should be addressed in educational programs and further studies. II. Programs and Services • Statistics kept by law-enforcement officials and counseling centers do not accurately reflect the numbers of sexual assaults and rapes on campus. Students need to be encouraged and informed how to report such incidents, and on- and off-campus agencies need to cooperate in recording and reporting incidence data. • Specific policies and procedures dealing with sexual assault and rape are not as pervasive on Virginia's campuses as they should be. Most campuses are addressing this problem through the creation of sexual-assault task forces. • The most common educational programs are those offered at new-student orientation and resident-assistant training. Various groups on campus and among campuses need to be better aware of each other's educational activities. The effectiveness of programs should be monitored. • The professionals who deal with sexual assault victims, while well-credentialed, are often not specifically trained in sexual-assault counseling. The general strain on professional psychological counseling staff is acute, with only 249 full-time counselors to serve 350,000 students. This situation can only be aggravated by the current fiscal situation of colleges and universities. • Consequently, many campuses look to the local communities for help in providing services. Such cooperation is essential, but care is needed to avoid putting undue strain on community resources. • Security on campus consists primarily of safety lighting, security offices, and, on residential campuses, controlled access to dormitories. Other services like night security, escort services, emergency telephones and hotlines -- are currently available at some institutions. III. Program Guidance Campuses are offered the following recommendations for improving their programs and services: • Recommendations about policies and procedures By September 1992, all colleges and universities should have completed their review of existing policies on sexual assault and rape. If necessary, a separate policy should be adopted and widely distributed. All students, faculty, and staff should receive a copy of the policy each academic year. By September 1992, each campus should designate a single office or individual employee as the "sexual assault coordinator" for the campus. This individual should draw upon campus and community resources for program delivery and services. • Recommendations about physical security By September 1992, all campuses should incorporate crime prevention through environment design into the campus master plan and architectural design of new facilities and planned renovations. Campuses should incorporate such concepts into facilities currently being planned. Each campus should examine services currently being provided by other campuses and those already implemented to determine if new or changed services could be provided in a cost-effective manner. All residential facilities should provide necessary entry, security systems, internal and external lighting, and routine security coverage to establish a safe environment for students and their guests. Institutions should have maximum flexibility in determining how to pay for such systems. • Recommendation about information By fall 1993 each campus should provide information to each student annually on campus policies, procedures, and services available on and off the campus. Informational posters and other materials should be used immediately to maintain awareness of the potential risk of sexual assault. • Recommendation about reporting Each campus should implement appropriate data collection procedures and systems for incidents of sexual assault and rape on campus, in conjunction with the annual crime and student right-to-know reporting requirements. Provisions should be made to protect confidentiality of accused and accusers. • Recommendation about judicial systems By September 1992, each campus should have examined its judicial system to be sure that it addresses sexual assault and rape in the ways suggested in this section. • Recommendation about educational programs By fall 1993, each campus should develop a plan for campus educational programs related to sexual assault that reflects the institutional mission and includes specific goals and measurable objectives for each major component of the program. The plan should include an evaluation component. • Recommendations about treatment and support All colleges should have plans for providing treatment and support services to victims of sexual assault or rape who are students, employees of the institution, or guests on campus. Institutions should decide if these services should be provided by institutional staff, volunteers, community-based organizations or groups, or through a combination of providers. IV. Next steps In the remainder of the study year, the task force working with the Council staff proposes to • Further refine the student survey information by conducting a series of focus groups on campuses, and • Hold a conference in the spring to present the results of the student and program surveys and to discuss elements of good programming. If funded to do so, the Council will • Continue the study in 1992-93 by working with campuses as they develop their programs. • Work with the Department of Education in an effort to ensure that the problem of sexual violence is addressed throughout the curriculum. • Coordinate training and information-sharing among institutions to use institutional resources most effectively. • Report to the Governor and 1993 General Assembly on the further analysis of the student survey, coordination among institutions, and what campuses are doing to strengthen their programs. |
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