Obama: Address Sexual Assault on College Campuses

Crossposted on Amplify

The past week has been an exciting time for me: college decisions were released! Having gotten into several of my top choice schools (Duke, Tufts, GW) I can stop worrying about the college admission process and start getting excited about going to college next year.

My excitement for the beginning of college, and the anticipation of expansive, fun, life changing experiences is tampered by the fact that sexual assault and rape on college campuses is all to prevalent. At least 1 in 4 college-age women will be victims of sexual assault, and while the rates are lower men can be victims as well.

To me, thinking about college next year, 1 in 4 is a staggering number. What does this say about the respect young people have for each other on campus? I want college to be a profoundly empowering experience, both for myself and for my peers. The disempowerment that can accompany sexual assault is heartbreaking.

The NPR news investigation, Seeking Justice For Campus Rapes, found some startling findings. Among them, they found “that colleges almost never expel men who are found responsible for sexual assault and that often, as a result, it is the victim who drops out of school.”

Check out the full report (4 mins):

Today, the Obama administration is calling on colleges and universities to take concrete steps to address sexual assault on campus:

— Schools should use a “preponderance of evidence” standard to determine whether another student is responsible for an assault. That means that if it’s more than likely that sexual violence occurred, there should be punishment. Some schools have used a much higher standard, including the “clear and convincing evidence” standard used in criminal court proceedings.

— When a woman brings a complaint that she was a victim of assault, a school cannot punish her for using alcohol or drugs. Some women have complained that when they went to school administrators to say they’d been sexually assaulted, they ended up getting punished for breaking school rules on drinking or using drugs.

— Even if a student is said to have assaulted another student in off-campus housing, the school must investigate.

— Schools must investigate in a timely manner. Some schools told women they could not get involved until after local police completed a criminal investigation. That often left a woman on campus — and even in the same dormitory or classrooms — with the man she said had assaulted her.

— The guidelines apply to public high schools, middle schools, and even elementary schools. Federal officials say they are concerned by growing complaints of sexual violence, especially in high schools and middle schools.

(NPR)

I am eager to see all colleges and universities implement these practices, and soon. Over the next four years of my college experience, I am sure I will have many challenges. Experiencing the horrors of rape and sexual violence either first hand, or comforting a friend who has been assaulted, should not be one of them.

Dan Jubelirer is a Netroots Youth Fellow at Amplify, a youth-driven community dedicated to promoting sexual health and reproductive justice.