Sexual violence: The Reality

Sexuality, sexual violence and relationship violence have all been discussed in the "It Ends Now" campaign, "A Letter to Women," the student forum on "A Letter to Women" and "Slut Walk." But what is the reality?

Between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. on Sept. 4, a Westhampton College student was sexually assaulted by an unidentified person near the 1600 block of the University Forest Apartments, according to the police report.

On Sept. 6, a third party reported the incident and the campus police initiated an investigation, said David McCoy, campus police chief.

A campus-wide email was sent on Sept. 6, immediately after the incident was reported, to ensure the safety of the campus and to request that the victim and anyone with information come forward, McCoy said.

"The 'Timely Warning' email is intended to raise awareness on campus," McCoy said. "We have very little information, but we do believe the person who reported. We thought it was our responsibility at that point to inform the campus."

The Jeanne Cleary Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, under the U.S. Department of Education, required every college in the country to send Timely Warnings to let students have access to crime statistics, to teach the campus community how to report a crime and to provide resources for victims of a crime, police Capt. Beth Anne Simonds said.

Senior Gretchen Anderson, who lives in UFA 1606, said that the Timely Warning had not made her safety feel threatened.

"It is scary and tragic in some ways, but I always make it a point to be pretty safe," Anderson said.

I was raised by two cops, so I know a lot about self defense. I do feel terrible for the girl who was the victim, but in all honesty, I haven't really thought about it since the campus-wide email."

There has been a focus specifically placed on sexual assault on college campuses since April 2011, after the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights sent a letter to every college that receives federal funding, said Juliette Landphair, Westhampton College dean.

"The letter basically said that colleges and universities are doing a bad job, and we are losing victims of sexual violence," Landphair said. "This makes sexual assault a violation of Title IX, that every student should have access to education free from discrimination. It said that the government could take away funding if colleges did not pay more attention to sexual violence."

Sexual assault includes rape, sexual battery or unwanted touching, aggravated sexual battery and forcible fondling or attempted rape, McCoy said. Twenty percent of women and 6 percent of men will be victims of attempted or actual sexual assault during their time at college, according to the U.S. Department of Education letter.

Thus far in 2011, there have been three reported cases of sexual assault at Richmond, two during the spring semester and the incident on the 1600 block of the UFA this fall, McCoy said. McCoy said there had been four reported cases in 2010, one case in 2009, two cases in 2008 and two cases in 2007. All of the victims who have reported cases since 2007 have been women, McCoy said.

McCoy said sexual violence was underreported on college campuses and in society.

"I am hoping that the increase is because our survivors have become empowered to report," McCoy said. "I'm hoping that's what it is, because I don't think that there has been a difference in actual assault between the years."

Victims refrain from reporting sexual violence because they are confused about who is at fault and what really happened, or they are worried about getting someone in trouble or others finding out about the situation, said Peter LeViness, director for Counseling and Psychological Services.

"People say, 'I don't want to go through the hassle of reporting it and testifying it at some point,'" LeViness said. "It just seems like a lot of work. Some people don't report because they think the person didn't mean to assault them. 'Oh, they just got carried away when they were drunk or it was just sort of a heat of the moment kind of thing.'"

Joseph Boehman, dean of Richmond College, said that the influence of alcohol and the hook-up culture on college campuses had an impact on sexual assault.

"We know that alcohol is a presence in 75 percent of sexual assault cases," Boehman said. "If we could get a handle on the party culture and the parties that take place at the fraternities or the apartments or off-campus, would there be less of an opportunity? Probably, but I think that you are still going to have potential for something bad to happen even in a relatively controlled party environment."

The best way for a victim to handle a sexual assault situation is to use the resources offered by the university and not suffer alone, LeViness said. Last year, 21 students, all women, came to CAPS to discuss situations related to sexual assault, LeViness said. Fifty-seven percent of these women were still dealing with cases that had happened to them in high school, LeViness said.

A victim can become depressed, anxious, suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or feel a betrayal of trust, depending on the person, LeViness said. At CAPS, counselors focus on reestablishing the victim's control and giving her or him options of how to proceed, LeViness said.

"How can you figure out a way to be strong and healthy and make it a part of who you are that is forward-looking and that helps you help others?" Landphair said. "I think often for victims of any crime, it is about taking something so awful and making it constructive. For those who try very hard to put it deep down and forget about it, well it's just not possible."

McCoy said that victims had three options after they chose to report a sexual assault: notify the university judiciary system, enact a Title IX investigation or begin a criminal investigation, which requires a witness.

There are currently two sexual assault cases in the judicial process. One has been cleared by the commonwealth attorney, and one is in the court waiting to be resolved, McCoy said.

Landphair said that some students may have been so affected by an assault that they had chosen to leave Richmond. Landphair said she had gathered

data from the police department, CAPS and the Student Health Center several years ago and found that the retention rate for victims of sexual assault was lower than that of other students.

The problem of sexual assault deals with power, gender and socialization, Landphair said.

"We have the women's movement, and things have gotten so much better and opportunities have opened up to women," Landphair said. "There are a lot of women who feel like there aren't many issues anymore, but the reality is that there is still sexism, and it comes out in these kinds of sexual assaults."

From a male perspective, junior Joey Greener said that he thought sexual assault had been a prevalent problem on campus.

"They say within the first six weeks of school a first-year is when a woman is most likely to be sexually assaulted during her time here," Greener said. "I think it is important that at the beginning of the year, the importance of safety and respect is emphasized."

Boehman said he initiated the "It Ends Now" campaign in order to raise awareness of sexual and relationship violence at the beginning of the school year.

"I am a dad of a daughter, and I want her to grow up in a better place in terms of how women are treated by men," Boehman said. "It's easy for us to put together a little T-shirt campaign, but I want to see students taking the next step to say 'OK, what are we going to do to help create a better environment on the campus?'"

For the first time this semester, faculty, resident assistants, coaches and anyone who has influence over a student will be required to complete a one-hour online training program to become acquainted with the types of crime that they should report and to whom they should report them, Simonds said.

"This isn't just that the police department wants people to know about crime," Simonds said. "They have a legal obligation to let the school know when there are crimes that occur on campus."

Boehman said though it would be a long battle, the problem was solvable.

"It's as simple as the golden rule," Boehman said. "Treat people the way you want to be treated. If we want to stop treating women as objects, then stop treating them that way. If you don't want to be treated in that way, then don't treat others that way."

Contact staff writer Erin Moyer at erin.moyer@richmond.edu