Michigan State University and the Sad Reality of Not Knowing

Last month I posted briefly about the distressing case at Michigan State University, where two basketball players were accused of sexually assaulting a female student, and even though one of them admitted that the woman hadn’t consented, they weren’t prosecuted. The incident sparked MSU students to action on campus, forming a Coalition Against Sexual Violence. 40 of the Coalition members rallied outside of the university president’s office last week, after feeling that the school was not being proactive in addressing this, or other cases of sexual violence on campus. When they students were given the chance to sit down with the vice president of student affairs and services, they presented a list of nine demands, and it looks like they have other meetings scheduled in the coming weeks to continue the conversation. Awesome, awesome work on behalf of the MSU students!

One of the Coalition’s demands was “ensure[ing that] students are aware of all the on-campus resources available to them if they are a victim of sexual harassment.” This seems like such a simple request, but it’s so important. The sad reality is that sometimes even is a school does have resources for students, they haven’t informed students that the resources exist, which of course totally defeats the purpose.

Clearly this is an issue at MSU, where one student said that the school’s sexual assault policy “was not easily linked to the university website and took her 45 minutes of searching to find. ‘I feel like it’s almost hidden on purpose,’ she said.” That’s frustrating to hear, but it’s also frustrating to hear a similar sentiment from the administration. The VP of student affairs mentioned twice in The State News article on the issue that the Coalition students weren’t aware of some of what the school currently does to combat sexual violence, including that their sexual assault prevention program is now mandatory for incoming students. I hope that he recognizes that this lack of knowledge falls of him and his staff—it’s their responsibility to make sure that every student on campus knows exactly what to do if they or one of their friends is sexually assaulted. The fact is, MSU does have some good resources, like 24-hour crisis services (as outlined in our CAP database). Students need to know that.

Again, a relatively simple but tremendous way to start a campaign for change on campus. Think about it—do you know what your school offers for sexual assault victims?