The good, the bad, and the ugly: campus SA policies

Most of us are all too familiar with the hot mess that is college sexual assault policies. Unfortunately, colleges like to pretend rape and sexual assault don't happen on their campuses. If they do happen, it is supposedly when strangers in the bushes jump out and break into your unlocked dorm, or assault you as you are jogging and are wearing an iPod and headphones.

Thanks. Not realistic, and not appreciated. Colleges appear to routinely ignore:

a) USDOJ's report The Sexual Victimization of College Women, which is extremely reader-friendly and should probably be required reading for all campus feminists, and

b) the Clery Act [scroll halfway down the page linked]. The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act requires all colleges and universities to collect and publish campus crime statistics annually. If you believe some of the reports coming from campuses, only a couple students get assaulted each year. Tip: feminist parents can use this US Dept of Ed website to compare college crime statistics, for what it's worth.

Colleges effectively discourage crime reporting, forcing survivors to wade through layers of bureaucracy, go across town for a rape kit, and recount their experience to multiple offices. Awesome. So campuses then shrug and pretend the low numbers of reported crime reflect reality. This underscores the importance of having an assault policy that supports survivors with full-time, staff advocates on campus, and encourages reporting and prosecution of students found guilty of violent crimes.

USDOJ disperses grants to colleges fighting gender-based violence. If your college isn't yet a recipient, definitely apply ASAP. Letters of intent to apply for this year's fall grant are due WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17 so work with campus staff and administrators and submit a letter!

Below are some choice examples of strong and pitiful SA policies.

The Good

Lehigh University in Pennsylvania has a great online, anonymous, sexual violence reporting form. Kudos to the Women's Center for providing this service. Every campus should have one. If yours doesn't, collaborate with your Women's Center and campus administration to create one immediately.

The Bad

CUNY Hunter College in New York has a sexual assault policy in place that's ok. The fab Hunter Women's Coalition is working with the City University of New York administrators to install a CUNY-wide sexual assault policy that applies to all of the campuses, as currently some campuses have a policy and others have none at all.

Consider one page on the Hunter Public Safety website titled "Steps to follow if you become a victim of rape." You know, should a rape suddenly materialize out of thin air. Colleges everywhere like to strategically employ the passive voice in their SA materials, to pretend like there is no perpetrator, much less a perp who is a fellow student there. Try instead, "Steps to follow if somebody rapes you."

The Ugly

Valdosta State University in Georgia has really wonderful feminists, and seriously slut-shaming "sexual assault prevention" tips on the VSU Public Safety site. I was hoping it was a cruel joke by some misogynist student. But no, some overpaid misogynist at Valdosta took the time to post 13 sage tips just asking to be excoriated by the feminist community (and general public, for that matter). If I ever visit, I'll be sure not to pack my mini skirt, my uncovered drinks, my dancing shoes, and my Come Hither t-shirt.

Colleges figure they can wait out any indignant students impertinent to try to change the SA policy, so be sure to be in it for the long haul. Good luck, and let us know if we can support you in any way.

Sexual Harassment Given Priority it Deserves!

Salt Water Taffy, "Dirty Watah," civil unions, the Chess Man of Harvard Square, the great debate between Mike's and Modern Pastry (Modern all the way): all things that make me proud to say I'm from Boston.

And now there's more: the city's push to get pervs off the T (that's our public transportation system or "metro," for all of you non-locals)...

With the help of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (about whom I can't say enough good things (Bostonians can volunteer with BARCC by clicking here!)) there will now be ads on the T deterring suspicious behavior, while informing the public that there is a zero tolerance for sexual harassment and how to go to reporting witnessed incidents.

Not only do the ads raise awareness for riders to pay attention to protect themselves/others, the ads also make known the new undercover cop policy. Attacking the issue on both fronts with hidden police ensures that nothing will go unnoticed. Check it out here, as shown in this clip on Boston's FOX News (yes, I went there; apologies all around.)

The fact that Boston has put this issue at high priority makes me so happy, as it happens far too often (and mostly goes unreported.) Sexual Harassment like this is not committed by socials aberrations, but by terrorists using sex as a scare tactic to oppress and maintain undeserved privilege. To see groups like BARCC and the Boston police department working together like this is great progress and a model other cities should copy.



Oh, and Yankees suck.

Women are the Majority

Women are the majority of the work force, according to the Shriver Report: A Women’s National Changes Everything. Women currently make up 63.3% of the nations breadwinners or co-breadwinners as reported on Feminist News.

Although women make the up the majority of the nation’s paid workers they are still discriminated against in regards to pay, social security, pensions and other benefits. Over half of all women workers do not have one paid sick day.

A hopeful Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Foundation said in regards to the much needed policy changes, "The changes in social policies, such as paid family medical leave, universal childcare, caregiving credits for social security, and pay equity, to deal with the reality of today's employed women are long overdue… We have been working for these changes for several decades. Hopefully, women becoming the majority of the US workforce is the wakeup call needed to make the changes now."

More information and related articles can be found at
http://feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=11995
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/business/media/29nbc.html
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/04/womans_nation.html
http://www.msmagazine.com/news/uswirestory.asp?ID=11995

Image Credit: www.feminist.org