Communication, Journalism, and Media Department
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Gender-equity advocates concerned about withheld sexual misconduct survey at Penn State
by Emily Collins
Coming back to campus fully after almost two years of interrupted, online, and hybrid schooling brought its own set of new challenges for returning college students. Amid those challenges were keeping classrooms safe, getting used to in-person learning again, and figuring out how to safely reunite clubs.
But those challenges are not what sparked a protest in front of the Allen Street Gate at Penn State University on Oct. 1.
More than a hundred students protested in response to the increase in timely warnings for sexual assaults reported across the campus, reported Onward State, Penn State’s student blog. Between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30 there were 21 recorded offenses on the campus. Students were concerned by the increase in sexual-assault warnings and the delayed release of a 2018 survey of students about sexual misconduct.
“It affected so many of my friends, my peers and those who lived in my residence building it became personal,” said Nora Van Horn, vice chair of the Schreyer Gender Equity Coalition, at a sexual violence awareness conference. “So via that I think that sexual misconduct was really shrouded with this mystery in this strategic ambiguity from the institution in terms of what was being done within our community to address it. … when Penn State would put out Penn State news articles claiming, ‘We really care about sexual violence.’ I believed them.”
The university says the results, which were not released until this year, were delayed because of staffing limitations and distractions related to COVID-19.
This was a matter of concern for the Schreyer coalition, which pushed to get the results of the survey released.
“This was crazy to me as somebody who came in as a naïve first-year student and believed the best from the institution, to discover that not only was [sexual misconduct] a pervasive issue within our community, but there was also an absence of institutional action to combat it,” said Van Horn.
The Schreyer Gender Equity Coalition advocates for policies and university changes, organizes programming about sexual violence, and provides resources for those seeking assistance or information about sexual violence on campus. The organization sent an open letter signed by students, alumni, faculty, and community members to request that the 2018 Sexual Misconduct Climate Survey results be released.
The results were released Sept. 20.
The survey found that 19% of undergraduate and 7.1% of graduate/professional students at the university reported being the victim of at least one instance or attempted sexual assault — an increase of 1% from the 2015 survey results, according to the Centre Daily Times, a local paper.
The survey found that among undergraduates, 27.1% of women, 6.1% of men, and 25.5% of transgender, gender queer, or gender non-conforming survey respondents said they had been the victim of at least one instance of sexual assault or attempt.
Few who experienced sexual misconduct spoke to police or university officials about the incident. The survey found:
- Only 2.4% of undergraduates who experienced sexual misconduct reported to campus police and 2.3% who experienced sexual misconduct reported it to local police.
- 4% reported telling an off-campus therapist/counselor about the incident and 9% of undergraduates reported telling an on-campus counselor/therapist about the incident.
- 4.2% of undergraduates reported telling a university faculty or staff member about the incident.
- 85.7% of undergraduate students who experience sexual misconduct told a close friend.
Sonika Kohli, head chair of the Schreyer Gender Equity Coalition, said that those weren’t the only findings in the survey.
“It basically found that one in three people don’t trust the university with handling cases of sexual assault or violence. And then one of the questions, which asks, ‘What is one of the barriers of not reporting?’ — one of the biggest percentages for that question was students don’t feel like their case would be given justice if they reported it, kind of like what’s the point?” said Kohli.
This is not just a Penn State issue.
According to USNews.com, schools in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Alabama, Michigan, Massachusetts and Missouri have seen large numbers of protests against sexual violence protest. According to The Boston Globe, students at UMass Amherst protested that the school did not do enough to address sexual assault on campus.
In a nationwide study done by Rainn, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, 13% of all students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence or incapacitation. Among graduate and professional students, 9.7% of all females and 2.5% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence or incapacitation. Among undergraduate students, 26.4% of females and 6.8% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation. And 5.8% of students have experienced stalking since entering college. Only 20% of female students report sexual assaults to law enforcement.
Sexual violence is more prevalent on college campuses than other crimes, according to Rainn, and college women are twice as likely to be sexually assaulted than robbed.
Rainn found that sexual violence is more likely to occur at the beginning of the school year. Mid-August to November is what some refer to as the “red zone” — when more than 50% of campus sexual assaults occur, Rainn reported, possibly because of returning-to-campus parties, Greek life rush and when a lot of new students enter the campus culture.
Many universities have resources and offices available to students who have experienced sexual violence or misconduct. Schools must also adhere to Title IX regulations, which require them to respond and remedy hostile educational environments and protect people from gender-based discrimination.
Sheila Calkins, the Title IX Director at Suffolk University, discussed some of the protections that are offered through to students through Title IX.
“They have the right to go to the local police department, they have a right to file a formal complaint, they have a right to request an informal resolution, they have the right to cooperate or not, they have a right to an adviser. Those are all things that the Title IX coordinator makes sure are in place and provided to anyone who steps through the door of the office of Title IX,” she said.
Calkins also said that universities have important obligations regarding Title IX.
“I can tell you that if colleges and universities follow the regulations and make sure that they have an office of Title IX and Title IX coordinator who’s fair and equitable, resources are available on and off campus, and they conduct investigations that are fair and equitable, then a university or college will be meeting their obligations and their legal requirements under the law,” said Calkins.
However, an experience with sexual violence or misconduct can influence student’s day-to-day lives and linger far longer than the original encounter, said Teresa Fisher, a licensed psychologist and Suffolk University’s Title IX confidential resource.
“Often, it’s totally normal for folks not to be able to focus, not to be able to sleep well or eat well; daily functioning is really impacted on,” Fisher said. “We’re often encouraging students to connect with the Dean of Students Office, or the Title IX office get some support.”
So, this now begs the question: What can be done to put an end to it?
“I think student leaders have a big role in educating themselves,” said Kohli. “I think institutions with privileges like frats and other groups that have historically gotten away with sexual violence and assault and have had no consequences have personal responsibility to making lasting change. I think, at least at Penn State, it’s been really cool to see a lot of people talking about this issue.”
It is clear that there is no one fix for this issue that has become so prevalent in today’s society and campus culture. However, the first few steps could be spreading awareness, speaking up when friends or colleagues say degrading comments, holding conferences, and. like the Schreyer Gender Equity Coalition, pushing to get legislation passed and results released.
Conclusion/Reflection
This was a really difficult project for me from the beginning. I was nervous about how I would address such a delicate issue, and something that really seem to grab the attention of a lot of people this year. When I started my research and began reaching out to advocacy groups and putting out posts on Twitter and Facebook, I was met with zero responses. I expected this, but from there I wasn’t sure what I was going to base my story about.
Through my research, I found an article referencing a name that I recognized. I reached out to the source, and she was very excited and willing to tell me her story about her advocacy group and their work on campus. I was surprised to find that results from a 2018 survey had not surfaced until 2021, especially with an issue that is so concerning.
I found this connected to Jodio Kantor and Megan Twohey’s “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement” in a way that surprised me. “She said” surrounds the story of women who were taken advantage of and silenced by a man in power, film producer Harvey Weinstein. And he used this power to get away with his crimes for so long. However, this story was about power that was not being used.
While I feel for all universities that struggle through the limitation of the pandemic, when you are in a position of power you have a responsibility to make issues like sexual violence on your campus a priority. I think the story was also about how the Penn State students shifted the role of power by banding together and speaking up to get their voices heard and the survey released.
![Fairchild's Poster](https://sites.suffolk.edu/cjnmediashowcase/files/2022/01/Fairchilds-Poster.jpg)
“It’s really important for students to get involved with their communities and get out of Suffolk and into the community to know and recognize what’s really out there, removing yourself from the ‘Suffolk bubble,’” Morgan said.
This year, the CCE worked with five community partners to plan trips where students could help at women’s shelters, farms, fresh food trucks and more.
One of the partners, On the Rise, is a day shelter in Cambridge that holds space for homeless, the formerly homeless and LGBTQ+ women.
According to its website, “On The Rise creates a community where women have the relationships, safety and resources they need to move out of homelessness. We engage with those most in need and support their initiative and strength as they move beyond crisis and discover new possibilities.”
The day shelter allows women a place to come during the day, as overnight shelters often close during certain hours. On the Rise has a nap room, full kitchen where the occupants can cook their own meals, computers, laundry, showers, a living room with a television and a closet where they can get up to five pieces of clothing.
According to the ACLU, 46% of homeless women reported that they had previously stayed in abusive relationships because they had nowhere to go.
On Nov. 17, Suffolk students gathered to volunteer at On the Rise after a monthlong clothing drive held by the school.
The shelter is welcoming, with a garden in front of a Victorian home. After being buzzed in, volunteers were welcomed by staff, who explained what the shelter did for women in the community.
Suffolk’s Service After Hours program brings help to“On the Rise” day shelter in Cambridge
By Ashley Fairchild
Suffolk University’s Service After Hours program takes advantage of the university’s location in the heart of downtown Boston by hosting volunteer events throughout the city.
The program, which has been in place since the Center for Community Engagement opened, allows students to give back to their community.
Justine Morgan, the administrative coordinator at the CCE, helps create these events to show Suffolk students how they can have a positive impact.
The students were assigned to the clothing closets, where spring clothes still hung. Tasked with taking down the spring clothing and redonating it elsewhere, the director of the shelter began bringing out multiple boxes and bags of winter donations they had received.
Students went through the clothing, hung them up by size and section, and ensured that the women visiting the shelter were getting only quality options. Many articles of clothing that had been donated were stained or inappropriate for the intended use.
The closet in the shelter provides clothing that would allow women to not only stay warm in the upcoming winter months, but had items of such quality that they could be worn to job interviews.
After the two-hour program ended, the students were given a tour of the facility, which felt more like a home than a shelter.
After the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, volunteer opportunities decreased.
“During the pandemic we couldn’t give back, and now students can see what’s happened over the past few years and how to give back in their own communities,” Morgan said.
On the Rise has other opportunities to give back to women who have had their lives displaced. They host a meal train for lunch, where volunteers can cook meals and drop them at the shelter. They also have service days, moving help and tangible essential drives, where a volunteer helps in any capacity needed.
To volunteer at On the Rise, visit their website. To find other opportunities to support the community, reach out to the CCE, located in the Sawyer building.
Read more from Ashley’s blog!
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Caitlyn Elisabeth Green
presented “Outside of Their World, Inside of Their Shoes: Parasocial Relationship Development in Video Games” at Eastern Communication Association 2022
Sera Wilson
presented “Cultivating American Corporate Culture Through Englishnization: A Case Study Analysis of Rakuten Inc.” at Western States Communication Association 2022
Kathryn Stapleton
co-presented “Setting the agenda through misinformation: Analyzing the vote-by-mail coverage during the 2020 US elections” with Prof. Jonas Kaiser and C. Schmitt at the International Communication Association 2022
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