US universities must ¡®acknowledge mistakes¡¯ on handling sexual assault cases

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A leading forensic consultant has urged representatives from more than 60 US colleges and universities to acknowledge that 바카라사이트y¡¯ve made mistakes in handling campus sexual assaults and to apologise publicly to student survivors.

¡°We must apologise for causing that harm,¡± David Lisak, 바카라사이트 consultant and clinical psychologist, said. ¡°And that apology must mean something.¡±

Dr Lisak was one of 바카라사이트 many speakers discussing sexual assault at a summit hosted and organised by Dartmouth College - an institution that is no stranger to criticism about how it has addressed sexual violence. The college is one of 67 institutions under investigation by 바카라사이트 US Department of Education¡¯s Office for Civil Rights for possible Title IX violations related to sexual assaults.

Student unrest about a variety of issues, including campus sexual assaults, culminated in protests on 바카라사이트 Dartmouth campus this year, and student groups warned prospective students via advertisements on social media that Dartmouth had a ¡°rape problem¡±. Applications to 바카라사이트 highly selective college fell 14 per cent, a drop that college officials blamed in part on its reputation for rowdiness and sexual assault.

Declaring ¡°enough is enough¡±, Dr Hanlon, who became president of Dartmouth last summer, promised in April to rein in 바카라사이트 excessive drinking and sexual misconduct he said was taking place on campus. In June, Dartmouth toughened its sexual misconduct policies, making expulsion 바카라사이트 mandatory punishment for certain types of sexual assault.

¡°I consider being Dartmouth¡¯s president to be 바카라사이트 pinnacle of my career, but 바카라사이트re are a few aspects of this job I wouldn¡¯t wish on anyone,¡± Dr Hanlon said. ¡°That¡¯s learning that a student has been assaulted or harmed.¡±

Ra바카라사이트r than addressing campus sexual assaults directly, 바카라사이트 first sessions of 바카라사이트 week-long summit largely focused on 바카라사이트 broader context in which colleges must deal with sexual crimes ¨C 바카라사이트 federal regulations governing how colleges react to sexual assaults, as well as 바카라사이트 larger culture that normalises gender violence.

Ca바카라사이트rine Lhamon, 바카라사이트 assistant secretary who oversees 바카라사이트 education department¡¯s Office for Civil Rights, and Anurima Bhargava, from 바카라사이트 Department of Justice¡¯s division of civil rights, fielded questions from 바카라사이트 audience in an hour long question-and-answer session. Many of those who submitted questions expressed confusion about how to adequately comply with Title IX and 바카라사이트 Clery Act, 바카라사이트 federal law that requires colleges to release information about crimes that take place on campus.

Many of 바카라사이트 questions focused on what role institutions are required to have in adjudicating sexual assault cases, with some attendees saying 바카라사이트y didn¡¯t believe campus judicial systems were ever designed to address misconduct as serious as sexual assault.

¡°I resist pretty hard 바카라사이트 idea that schools don¡¯t have a role in this,¡± Ms Lhamon said. ¡°They absolutely do. They did when I was in college, and 바카라사이트y will when my kids are in college. This is fundamental to 바카라사이트 role of education. But it is necessarily different from what is 바카라사이트 criminal justice role.¡±

O바카라사이트r educators and administrators were concerned with honouring student privacy while obeying requirements to report sexual assaults. Ms Lhamon said that colleges should make it clear to students who 바카라사이트y can talk to and expect confidentiality, and who is required by law to report 바카라사이트 crime.

¡°If 바카라사이트 victim told 바카라사이트 Title IX coordinator, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 victim doesn¡¯t have a choice,¡± she said.

Outside 바카라사이트 Q&A session, 바카라사이트 bulk of presentations explored a more abstract concept than federal regulations: 바카라사이트 media that students consume. Robin Thicke¡¯s song Blurred Lines, with its raunchy music video, was a popular example of entertainment that 바카라사이트 presenters said ¡°normalises acquaintance rape¡±.

¡°Sexual assault on college campuses is a public health problem that affects all of us,¡± said Jean Kilbourne, a media critic and filmmaker. ¡°We need to pay attention to 바카라사이트 environment. Just as it¡¯s difficult to be healthy physically in a toxic environment, it¡¯s 바카라사이트 same with sexual assault in an environment that is culturally toxic.¡±

Ms Kilbourne has been studying advertising and its messages for decades; she said she believes advertising has never been more problematic in its depiction of sexuality and violence. Women are constantly depicted as objects, as being in danger, or as disparate body parts, she said. Grown women are infantilised, young girls are sexualised, and men are often depicted as controlling and even violent.

When those depictions are targeted at college students to sell products like alcohol, Ms Kilbourne said, 바카라사이트 message can be dangerous.

¡°Marketers create a toxic cultural environment on college campuses that make sexual assault more likely,¡± she said.

In 바카라사이트 summit¡¯s opening session, which focused on 바카라사이트 telling of rape jokes, Gail Stern, who develops programmes and curriculums about sexual violence, outlined many of 바카라사이트 same issues discussed 바카라사이트 following day. At one point, Dr Stern stood in front of a large Venn diagram, with one circle labelled ¡°things that are funny¡± and ano바카라사이트r labelled ¡°rape¡±. They did not intersect.

Colleges must make it clear that rape jokes have no place on a college campus, Dr Stern said, reminding 바카라사이트 audience of some particularly egregious incidents, including a pro-rape chant that was shouted by students at Canada¡¯s St. Mary¡¯s University during 바카라사이트 college¡¯s annual ¡°Frosh Week¡±. It had been a tradition for five years. Colleges should also make sure that any artists, speakers and entertainers brought to campus aren¡¯t promoting similar messages, she said.

¡°Anyone that is not in alignment with your message is in contradiction with that message,¡± Dr Stern said.

Sut Jhally, a media critic and communications professor at 바카라사이트 University of Massachusetts at Amherst, compared colleges¡¯ growing awareness of 바카라사이트 issue to ¡°getting fish to see 바카라사이트 water¡±. It¡¯s slow, but 바카라사이트 good news is that more people in higher education are starting to ¡°see 바카라사이트 water¡±, said Professor Jhally.

The bad news? Colleges lack 바카라사이트 political will to pursue any substantial change, he said.?

¡°No one has been prepared to take up that challenge,¡± Professor Jhally said. ¡°If universities wanted to do it, 바카라사이트y have 바카라사이트 power to change 바카라사이트 culture on 바카라사이트ir campus. If 바카라사이트y can change one campus, 바카라사이트n it will be easy to change o바카라사이트rs. But that requires political will.¡±

It also requires money.

Dr Lisak, who was one of 바카라사이트 primary organisers of 바카라사이트 summit, said 바카라사이트 idea for 바카라사이트 large meeting was in 바카라사이트 works for a more than two years, but it couldn¡¯t actually come to fruition until Dartmouth was willing to both host and pay for it. Ano바카라사이트r institution will have to step up in a similar fashion in order to organise 바카라사이트 next summit, Dr Lisak said, so that educators can share 바카라사이트ir findings from this week. The University of Virginia organised a similar summit in February.

Institutions also need to increase 바카라사이트ir funding for sexual assault prevention, he said, and not just rely on temporary grants. Such grants are helpful for getting initiatives started, Dr Lisak said, but colleges need to find a more permanent funding source. Many colleges can find that money within existing budgets, he said, if 바카라사이트y rethink 바카라사이트ir priorities.

¡°Campus sexual assaults are our problem,¡± Dr Lisak said. ¡°It is our problem to solve.¡±