SD19 - Second Report on Sexual Assault and Rape on Virginia's Campuses

  • Published: 1993
  • Author: State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
  • Enabling Authority: Senate Joint Resolution 46 (Regular Session, 1992)

Executive Summary:
In response to Senate Joint Resolution No. 46, the Council of Higher Education submits to the Governor and General Assembly the appended document. This report completes the report on the 1991-1992 activities, specifically on the focus groups and statewide conference. It also contains a description of the Council's 1992-1993 activities in three areas: assisting institutions in the development and implementation of programs, coordinating with the Department of Education to address sexual violence throughout the curriculum, and encouraging training and information-sharing among the institutions.

A brief summary of the report follows.

Part I: Statewide Activities, 1991-1992

After the last report (Senate Document No. 17) was submitted to the Governor and the General Assembly, the Council and a task force continued to address campus sexual assault by holding eight focus groups on campuses to further discuss issues raised by the fall 1991 student survey and holding a statewide campus sexual-assault conference attended by 250 persons in April 1992. This year the Council has established five regional consortia to address sexual assault and substance abuse on campus; held five regional rape trauma syndrome training sessions; and conducted a follow-up survey of institutions about their policies, programming, and treatment and support of survivors of sexual violence.

Students are telling us the following things about sex and sexual violence on campus in 1992: that men and women need to become more fluent in each other's languages and that Virginia's colleges and universities need to help their students develop the kind of values, skills, self-esteem, and empathy that will prevent sexual violence from occurring, as well as deal with it when it has.

Recommendation for Part I

The Council recommends that campus mandatory and optional programming efforts about relationships and about sexual violence be increased on Virginia's college campuses, especially for residential students.

Part II: Assisting Institutions in the Development and Implementation of Programs

Council staff surveyed institutions about programs and services for students on the subject of sexual assault in both 1991 and 1992. The major findings of the 1992 survey are that institutions have responded to last year's report and that of the Governor's Task Force on Substance Abuse and Sexual Assault by developing sexual-assault policies, designating sexual-assault offices on their campuses, and appointing persons to coordinate the sexual-assault-prevention and response efforts. Security measures and educational efforts have remained constant. There was a 50 percent increase in the number of students seeking assistance about sexual assault from the institutions' counseling centers, primarily the result of increased student reporting to the counseling center at one institution. There was no increase in the number of counselors available to serve those students.

Recommendations for Part II

1. The number of persons seeking counseling related to sexual assault has increased, while the number of counselors serving these students has remained constant. Sexual assault is an experience that has strong ramifications for all areas of a person's life, including her or his ability to function academically. The Council recommends that institutions monitor students' requests for sexual-assault-related counseling and attempt to provide it either on campus or through special arrangements with groups off campus.

2. As Virginia campuses serve a population of increased diversity, they must respond to the needs of more students who are disabled or from different ethnic backgrounds. The Council recommends that institutions be particularly sensitive to the special needs of disabled students and those of different ethnic backgrounds who have experienced sexual assault.

PART III: Coordinating with the Department of Education to Address Sexual Violence Throughout the Curriculum

According to the 1991 student survey about campus sexual assault, about three-fourths of the students in Virginia's colleges participated in family life education in high school and considered the classes helpful. Through a review of the family life curriculum, Council staff learned that sexual violence is addressed at each grade level.

On November 12 the Council received a national teleconference on campus sexual harassment and invited area public schools to join in viewing the event. Plans are also underway to invite public school personnel in the Charlottesville area to attend the Second Campus Sexual Assault Conference in Charlottesville, February 9-11, 1993.

Recommendations for Part III

1. The Council recommends that all public school personnel be trained about sexual assault, specifically about rape trauma syndrome.

2. The Council also recommends that training about sexual harassment be included in the in-service education for all public school personnel in Virginia.

PART IV: Encouraging Training and Information-sharing Among the Institutions

Three training programs have addressed campus sexual-assault issues. The programs were about Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), sexual-assault victimization, and rape trauma syndrome. Assistance for campuses that are developing polices and judicial procedures continues, and Council staff members have conducted numerous workshops related to campus sexual assault. The Council's task force is also working to develop a model for accurately collecting and reporting incidence data concerning campus sexual assault.

Recommendations for Part IV

1. The Council recommends that campus judicial boards receive training to prepare the members to hear sexual-assault cases.

2. Because they offer important networking and program-sharing opportunities, the Council recommends that the regional consortia for substance abuse and sexual assault continue to meet.

3. The Council recommends that the rape-trauma syndrome workshops be repeated during 1993 and that additional workshops concerning campus sexual assault be offered regionally.

4. Several institutions, including the University of Virginia, The College of William and Mary, and Mary Washington College, contract with the local rape crisis centers of Virginians Aligned Against Sexual Assault (VAASA) to provide programming and support services. The Council recommends that more institutions contract with VAASA for these purposes.