The California State University system announced efforts to strengthen campus sexual assault prevention efforts on Tuesday, this following the launch of the Obama administration’s “It’s On Us” campaign to spread awareness about the issue.
“We must do all we can, as quickly as we can, to prevent violence and educate and train our community to reduce the prevalence of and dispel the myths surrounding it,” said CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White.
All 23 CSU campuses will be required to have confidential sexual assault victim advocates in place by June 2015. The initiative is part of the Survivor Outreach and Support Campus Act, legislation that had been suggested by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-CA, and Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego.
“This means that [CSU’s] 447,000 students will now have an independent advocate on each of their 23 campuses to help survivors of the harrowing experience of sexual assault,” Boxer said in a press release.
The chancellor’s office is also in the process of hiring a systemwide Title IX compliance officer who would ensure that policies throughout CSU campuses are current and in coordination with other agencies regarding sexual violence. Additionally, the university system has backed the SB 967 yes-means-yes bill, which is still awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature.
A document prepared by Janice Parton, Fresno State associate vice president for human resources and campus Title IX and ADA coordinator, explained that Fresno State does not have a full-time, stand-alone Title IX coordinator, as it has not been an issue over the past eight years to integrate the multiple roles Parton currently holds. It states, “nor do we believe such a singularly-focus role is required for the campus.”
The document, however, provides detail into the possibility of convening a Title IX review team that would engage a number of campus leaders to review incidents and identify ongoing issues.
It also lays out a number of initiatives that are being considered by the Fresno State human resources team to improve the sexual assault environment at the university. They include a campus climate survey, an online campuswide pledge to stand against sexual violence, developing a lecture series on the topic and working with local community organizations.
These CSU announcements come after the launch of the “It’s On Us” campaign on Friday at the White House. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden hosted the event for the educational campaign that hopes to raise public awareness about preventing campus sexual assault.
Tina Tchen, assistant to the president and chief of staff to the first lady, said the campaign aims to engage campus communities to “fundamentally shift the way we think about sexual assault.”
“I inspire everyone to see that there is a possibility to do something, big or small, to prevent sexual assault,” Tchen said.
“For too long, survivors and advocates have really borne the burden of carrying the fight against sexual assault and leading the charge, and “It’s On Us” really aims to engage everyone in that effort,” she said.
A key element behind “It’s On Us” is encouraging student leaders and groups to lead the charge in changing campus attitudes about sexual assault — rather than solely relying on university administrators to take action.
Tchen called for student leaders amongst all college fields — whether in Greek life, college sports, student governments and clubs — to “set the tone yourselves as leaders about how everyone is supposed to be respected.”
In terms of actions taken by Fresno State’s student leaders, Associated Students, Inc. President Moses Menchaca said executives on the senate have had a brief training regarding sexual assault and violence. Additionally, they are working to get student representatives on any committee that may be complying with new standards.
“We are waiting to see what language is used at a state-wide level and at a faculty level for a resolution against sexual assault and violence,” Menchaca said.
Already, student leaders from over 200 colleges and universities have committed to participating in “It’s On Us” and spreading messages on their campuses. Four colleges within the CSU system have committed so far — Northridge, Long Beach, Sacramento and Chico.
Bystander intervention is one way Tchen said students can play a key role in preventing and discouraging sexual assault.
“Still today, 1 in 5 women will be sexually assaulted while in college,” Tchen said. “Research shows that bystander intervention can be an effective way of stopping campus assault before it happens.”
Another aspect of the campaign is getting more men involved in the movement.
“Research shows a lot of men are really uncomfortable with sexual assault,” Tchen said. “They don’t speak up because of what they think is going on among their peers. They think that other men actually approve this type of behavior, but in fact, they don’t. But people don’t know that.”
“It’s On Us” has generated a large support base endorsing the campaign, from celebrities to athletic conferences to media outlets. Some major partners include the NCAA, the American Association of University Women and Viacom, the media company that owns MTV, BET and VH1.
The campaign is designed to engage a variety of entities. For example, individuals can take a pledge online to recognize that non-consensual sex is sexual assault, to identity situations where sexual assault can occur, to intervene in such cases and create an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported.
Student groups and schools can access educational resources, tools and online in order to improve and strengthen policies.
The campaign is based around findings from the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, which was established by Obama and Biden in January. In April, the task force issued a report that suggested the importance of “best practices in four key areas.”
The areas are identifying the scope of the problem through campus climate surveys, preventing campus sexual assault and engaging men, helping schools respond effectively when a student is assaulted and improving the transparency of the federal government’s enforcement efforts.
However, the task force is also aware of the importance of educating people about sexual assault prior to college.
“Prevention efforts must begin early,” said Lynn Rosenthal, senior White House adviser on violence against women. “We heard a lot about this during our initial listening sessions, and, in fact, our presidential memo charges the task force with determining how our recommendations might apply in the K-12 setting.”
