Category Archives: Campus news

SAFER Sits Down with Student Anti-Rape Activist John Kelly to Talk Activism, Organizing and Remembering to Breathe

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John Kelly is a male, queer sexual assault survivor and student anti-rape activist, affiliated with Know Your IX and ED Act Now. He is a rising senior at Tufts University and in April 2014 he and other students led a rally against the administration’s decision to reject Title IX compliance.

1) When did you first become in sexual violence prevention activism? How?

I first became involved in this activism after experiencing intimate partner violence and rape while a college freshman and sophomore, almost two years ago. I reported my assailant, and had to go through my university’s sexual misconduct adjudication process, where I was humiliated and traumatized left and right. I didn’t know much about the law back then, but I knew what happened to me was unacceptable, and I wanted to do everything I could to prevent it from happening again. I started working with student groups on campus on the policy, and before long ED ACT NOW’s founders were reaching out to me to join their campaign, and everything just took off from there. Since then, I’ve continued working with ED ACT NOW and our umbrella organization Know Your IX, and through that was a student negotiator on the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization negotiated rulemaking committee through the Department of Education, presented policy recommendations to the White House Task Force, and [on June 2nd, 2014, I participated] in a roundtable discussion with Senator McCaskill on campus sexual assault.

2) Before enrolling in college did you give any thought to the issue of campus sexual assault? Why or why not?

I didn’t give it a single thought. I didn’t think it happened to men—it wasn’t an issue that would affect me, so why would I care? Looking back, I can’t believe how wrong I was. While I hadn’t yet come to terms with my identity as a queer male, the fact of the matter is sexual violence affects all populations, and now that I have some distance from my trauma, it’s scary to think I hadn’t realized just how pervasive it is before it happened to me. Even after coming to terms with my identity, I didn’t know that sexual violence could affect me, or my friends, or future partners.

3) How long was the process for you and other students to file Title IX/Clery complaints with the Department of Education against Tufts? What were some of the challenges you faced during the filing process?

I actually haven’t been involved in filing Title IX or Clery complaints against Tufts yet. During this most recent Title IX investigation I was interviewed by the Office of Civil Rights and testified to the issues I faced in reporting, and many of my complaints made it into the OCR’s resolution agreement and finding against Tufts, although I doubt that I was the only student interviewed who had such experiences.

4) When you learned that Tufts would be asked by the federal government to go under voluntary compliance for their Title IX violations, what was your reaction?

I was beyond thankful. We—student survivors and activists on campus, including myself—have been telling Tufts administrators for months that our policy and resources were not up to snuff. After seeing the harm that they caused me, and to then see survivors going through the process currently be facing the same exact issues—issues that also faced people years before I came to Tufts—I knew something had to change. Through Know Your IX, I’ve worked with Catherine Lhamon, Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights, and have been really impressed by her willingness to do things her own way, and I was just so happy to see that is going to include actually finding schools out of compliance with Title IX.

5) When you learned that Tufts issued a statement that they would not continue with voluntary compliance for Title IX violations, what was your reaction? How did other students on campus react?

This was a move that came way out of left field. From a legal standpoint, you can’t just revoke a signature from a binding legal document, which is what Tufts did, and I am pretty confused that any attorney would think that was a good idea. Tufts has been trying to paint their decision as an act of “active citizenship”, but we all saw right through it. It was a petty move by petty administrators to attempt to cover up their continued wrongdoing, and instead came out looking like a group of disconnected people with no understanding of the plight of survivors on campus. Honestly, it was an absurd and humiliating decision—it showed just how removed Tufts’ administration is from the actual student experience.

6) What organizing strategies did you and other students use to protest/raise awareness about Tuft’s decision to forgo voluntary compliance with Title IX? Do you feel they were effective?

Within minutes of the email our president sent around, students were in communication about this. A group of us—activists, people involved in student groups related to this issue, survivors, and others—knew that something needed to happen. We made the decision within a few hours that we needed to stage a protest, and worked on ways to make that a reality. So many students stepped up big time, during the middle of exam week, to make it a success. We launched a petition that gathered over 1,500 signatures, profile pictures on Facebook that were used by students from every corner of campus, posters that were up the next day, and had the largest rally at Tufts since the 1980s. Students were talking about it, students were upset, and students got educated. I think that it was a highly effective and quick campaign that we launched, and we hope that the dialogue will continue into the next school year.

7) Did you feel Tufts was open to hearing student concerns about incidents of campus sexual violence and administrative misconduct towards survivors? Why or why not?

In some ways, yes, and in others not at all. I worked with administrators to make our policy more explicitly inclusive of same-sex violence, and they were incredibly receptive to that, and students have been involved in a task force on campus, myself included. However, the fact of the matter is if the administration were listening fully to students we would be further along by now. While the administration has made a number of very necessary improvements within the past year and listened to students in those decisions, when it comes to the tough choices, Tufts has not been listening to us. When it comes to removing problematic administrators, taking a harder line on punishments, or speeding up adjudication processes, Tufts hasn’t listened.

8) When you went into the negotiating room with Vice President Harris and other members of the administration, what was it like? Were the negotiations friendly, hostile or neutral? Do you think administrators truly heard the concerns of student activists and survivors during the negotiation process? Why or why not?

Again, I think there was a range. Some administrators were very engaged and ready to get important work done, others not so much. President Monaco rearranged a lot of his schedule while on the West Coast to participate, which we definitely took notice of and appreciated. However, when we suggested that Tufts issue an apology for the harm they caused to survivors by attempting to revoke their signature, they flat out said no. To make matters worse, the reason they used was because they “didn’t mean to hurt anyone.” Speaking to a room of survivors and activists, I think we all know that intention only gets us so far. That’s a rape apologist defense if there ever was one. I very much got the sense from some administrators that they believed we were overreacting—the typical angry victim narrative. However, it’s hard not to listen when you have hundreds of students forming a human chain three rows deep around an entire building, chanting “Re-sign or Resign” at the top of their lungs.

9) What do you think is the future for Tufts in regards to campus sexual violence? Do you think the administration will make a concerted effort to combat violence and support survivors? Or do you believe they are more concerned with “compliance” to Title IX and Clery to avoid future allegations?

I think that over the course of this year, the student body has really mobilized around this issue. We ran an event in early April, It Happens Here, that filled our largest auditorium on campus, we launched the task force in September, and then the protest in May. The unfortunate reality which is by no means limited to Tufts is that schools tend to be reactionary in what they do—they wait until something goes very wrong to change anything, and then they change the bare minimum. I’m worried because the move of Tufts to revoke their signature to me indicates an inability to listen to anyone, even the federal government, which may not bode well for students in the future. However, I think in some ways things will improve, because Tufts has seen the full brunt of student outrage on this issue, and knows that it won’t go away very easily. They have a lot to do to appease us, and I think that gives us a stronger position than we’ve had previously.

10) What would you tell students who are considering taking action against their administration for non-compliance with Title IX/Clery, misconduct towards survivors, or to push them towards adopting a stronger policy on sexual violence?

Don’t let anyone bully you out of doing what you know to be right. If comfortable (and that comfort is a privilege), use the bully pulpit to your advantage. I think what the wave of student activism across the country has taught us is that schools respond when their reputations are threatened, which can only be done through public shaming. Schools didn’t respond until survivors were coming forward—look at Harvard recently, or Amherst last year, or so many other schools. While public shaming can’t solve everything, and may lead to an antagonistic relationship with administrators, it can go a long way in making a school take the need for stronger policies seriously.

11) Anything I missed that you think would be helpful for survivors?

Don’t forget to breathe.

 

SAFER would like to thank John for participating in this interview and for his continued commitment to combatting campus sexual violence. All responses published here are John’s own and are not necessarily reflective of SAFER’s opinions.

10 Student Sexual Assault Prevention Activists to Know!: #6 Lena Sclove, Brown University

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10 Student Sexual Assault Prevention Activists to Know!

Throughout the course of the last year, we at SAFER have proudly watched numerous student sexual assault prevention activists speak out against the prevalence of sexual assault on their campuses and call for changes to college and universities policies regarding sexual violence.

In honor of Sexual Assault ACTIVISM Month, SAFER will highlight 10 student sexual assault prevention activists around the nation who are creating change on their campus!

#6 Lena Sclove, Brown University

In November 2013, Lena Sclove, an undergraduate student at Brown University, received word that her assailant, who had been found guilty of multiple counts of sexual assault against Sclove by the university’s Student Conduct Board, would not face expulsion, but rather be suspended for only one year (despite the Board’s recommendation that the assailant receive at minimum a two-year suspension). Sclove attempted to appeal the decision, but her appeal request was rejected. On April 22, Sclove, along with over 80 students and faculty members, gathered to protest the the University’s decision to permit her assailant to return to campus in the Fall of 2014. Sclove will continue to fight the University’s decision and needs our continued support in doing so.

SAFER provides student activists with a variety of resources, including the Activist Resource Center, which is our online library of sexual assault-related information and resources; on-campus Teach-Ins for student activists, which are led by skilled facilitators and equip students with the skills and information needed to bring about policy reforms and change; and, our Activist Mentoring Program (AMP!), which is our free mentoring service that provides students with continued support after they have completed an on-campus Teach-In.

 

White House Announces Task Force to Combat Campus Sexual Assault

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Throughout the past year we have seen increased attention paid to the epidemic of campus rape and sexual assault. Student activists have worked tirelessly to hold their institution’s accountable to federal laws that combat campus sexual violence and support survivors such as the Jeanne Clery Act and Title IX. Administrations have hired Title IX Coordinators and established task forces to reform institutional sexual assault policies and procedures. And, in March 2013 President Obama signed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which included the landmark Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act.

Today, the Obama administration reaffirmed their commitment to eliminating campus sexual violence through the publication of a new report entitled Rape and Sexual Assault: A Renewed Call to Action  and their announcement of a new initiative to combat sexual assault on college campuses: The White House Task Force on Protecting Students from Sexual Assault.

The Task Force will provide schools with best practices for the prevention of sexual violence, improve the transparency of the federal government’s enforcement activities, and facilitate the coordination of federal agencies tasked to hold colleges and universities accountable for combating sexual violence.

The publication of the Renewed Call to Action and the creation of the Task Force give SAFER hope that colleges and universities will continue to be held accountable for preventing campus sexual violence and supporting survivors. We also hope that it adds energy to the already empowered community of student sexual violence prevention activists hard at work on campuses nationwide.

UNC Daily Tarheel Demands Changes to UNC Chapel Hill’s Sexual Assault Policy

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Front Page of UNC Daily Tarheel on April 1, 2013

In honor of Sexual Assault Activism Month, on April 1, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s student newspaper, The Daily Tarheel, ran a cover story entitled, “RAPE IS A VIOLENT CRIME.” The article called for UNC Chapel Hill and universities across the nation to begin treating rape and sexual assault as the crimes that they are rather than as infractions of some amorphous campus honor code, and to start protecting and provide support to survivors rather than the perpetrators of sexual violence.

The article notes that until last year, the UNC Honor Court, a “quasi-judicial board made up entirely of students,”—which does not include the expertise of security officers, deans, faculty, legal professionals, or health professionals—heard and adjudicated cases of rape and sexual assault. The Honor Court stopped hearing these cases last year when the U.S. Department of Education issued the “Dear Colleague” letter, which included a set of guidelines regarding how institutions handle sexual assault cases to ensure policies and procedures are in alignment with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

UNC enacted the minimum requirements of the “Dear Colleague” letter, which included lowering the standard of proof required to determine guilt in sexual assault causes and the hiring of an individual to oversee the processes for determining guilt. But, according to The Daily Tarheel, the institution didn’t do enough in revising the university’s procedures and policies. For example, accusations of rape and sexual assault are still handled by an on campus organization—the Student Grievance Committee—that includes students and staff who are not required to be versed in how to address issues pertaining to rape and sexual assault. Primarily, the committee handles issues pertaining to harassment or discrimination.

The article outlines numerous ways UNC Chapel Hill could do better by its student body by enacting clearer and more comprehensive policies on how crimes of sexual violence are handled. For example, it calls on the institution to actively involve the Title IX coordinator in considering complaints of sexual assault, to involve local law enforcement in the investigation of rape and sexual assault accusations, to provide better primary and secondary prevention programs for students, educate on the consequences of rape, and to improve support services to survivors.

The article is also a call to action for institutions across the nation to evaluate and change the ways they handle accusations of sexual violence and support survivors. Rather than view the “Dear Colleague” letter and similar documents issued by federal or state governments as hurdles to overcome quickly, colleges and universities should view them as opportunities to bring together students, faculty, and staff to revisit their institution’s sexual assault policy and revise it in a manner that will provide comprehensive support and a clear path to justice for survivors.

SAFER stands in solidarity with the students of UNC Chapel Hill who are working to prevent sexual violence and to make their campus a more supportive environment for survivors. As shown in the results of the 2009 study “Sexual Assault on Campus: A Frustrating Search for Justice,” conducted by the Center for Public Integrity and National Public Radio, campus judicial proceedings regarding allegations of sexual assault are often confusing, secretive, and plagued by lengthy delays, which only serves to exacerbate a survivor’s feeling of victimization. Sexual assault policies that outline clear paths to justice and provide comprehensive information on survivor services on or near campus empower the survivor to report their assault, provide survivors with a clear understanding of their rights, and shed light on the institution’s responsibilities when an allegation of sexual assault is made.

For more information on your institution’s sexual assault policy and ways you can make it more supportive of survivors, please visit  SAFER’s Activist Resource Center.

BU, you’re going to have to dig a little deeper

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Following two alleged sexual assaults at Boston University, the administration has formed a task force to analyze the “culture and climate” of the hockey team. BU president was quoted on Boston.com in saying that the allegations “understandably lead to questions about whether the hockey team’s culture and climate have contributed in some way to the actions of the two individuals.”

Both alleged perpetrators have pled not-guilty and have been suspended from the team pending investigation. But I don’t want to talk about these two alleged perpetrators. It is neither my job nor yours in reading this post or news articles to determine their guilt or innocence. But what I want to say to Boston University, and all college administrations seeking to figure out why their students are perpetrating sexual violence, is that they are going to have to look a lot deeper than the climate of a sports team.

Of course, we read about sexual assault perpetrated by athletes all the time — at the high school, college, and professional levels. I don’t think I have to list them. Yes, research concedes that masculinity and gender roles facilitate this perpetration and, yes, I think we can also argue sports teams, especially at the college level, are bursting with masculinity. But being on the BU hockey team did not lead these men to perpetrate violence, if, in fact, they did.

These men have been raised in a society that disrespects women, sexualizes women, fails to protect women’s rights. They have been inundated by the media since they could comprehend what television, radio, and internet was in their very basic essence. Advertisements portraying women as sexual objects, commodities, inhuman displays for the purpose of capitalization. Movies, TV shows, and ideo games displaying horrible acts of violence and zero acts of accountability. Chris Brown dominating two performances at the Grammy’s despite his brutal beating of Rhianna, his long-time girlfriend. The public’s response to Chris Brown  and Rhianna: Tweets saying “I’d let him beat me any day” and “She should be punched in the face for being with him again” demonstrate the outright ignorance of the cycle of violence.

So no, BU, you cannot just look at the culture of your hockey team. You need to look at the culture in which your students have been raised and if you really want to do something about it, you need to stand up against the way women are portrayed, treated, and displayed to the public eye. Then you have to ensure that you hold perpetrators on your campus accountable. We have read news story after news story where sexual assaults occurred and no justice was sought by the university. This sends a message loud and clear that only supplements what the media is telling these students: You can violate a woman’s rights and disrespect her with no consequences.

I do have to say that I applaud BU for attempting to address the perpetrator side. Too often we hear that women need to dress more conservatively, not drink as much, take self-defense classes. But it’s about time we start raising our men so they never perpetrate sexual violence against anyone.

UM Mobilizes Students in Spreading No-Tolerance Message

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Following investigations of sexual assault reports at the University of Montana, President Royce Engstrom turned to the University community for help in spreading awareness that sexual assault is a serious crime that has serious consequences. In response, a health and human performance professor, Charles Palmer, tasked his students in his upper-level ethics class with a homework assignment that consisted of proposing a plan for spreading UM’s no-tolerance message. I would like to take up these recommendations, as I read them in Chelsi Moy’s article in the Billings Gazette.

Do not have freshman orientation be the only venue for discussing sexual assault

Not only are freshman inundated with information regarding class schedules, campus policies, dining hall protocol, but they are constantly reminded in the first week of their college career that they are embarking on a critical journey. No pressure, right? On top of that, they’re being informed about drinking, the legal, academic, and health consequences that could stem from drinking underage, and the ways to keep themselves safe on Friday and Saturday nights. Throw in the word rape or sexual assault and their overwhelmed scale skyrockets but they are not retaining any information at this point. Anxiety has officially taken over or they have maintained their “it won’t happen to me, I’m ready for college!” attitude.

With that being said, research shows that there are high rates of sexual assault against freshman women in the first month of college. So it makes sense that this would be the target population on campus to educate about sexual assault. But one meeting where the word rape is voiced and then never talked about again until allegations are brought against a student is not a productive or effective way of preventing sexual assaults on campus.

Students must be aware of and reminded of the sexual assault services on campus or locally available.

Furthermore, giving students a brochure with a hotline phone number to campus or local sexual assault services will only increase the amount of paper in the recycle bin after orientation. Students must be reminded that these services are available, how to access the services, and what it means for a student to access these services. Walking into a rape crisis center on campus, located across from a building with classrooms or next to the health services center is extremely daunting for any victim. Confidentiality must be discussed with the student body. The services that they will be offered, not obligated to have, must be discussed with the student body so they know what will happen when they walk through those doors or call that hotline. If these things are not consistently discussed with the student body, then victims are less likely to come forward to seek the help that they need and deserve.

Two quotes from students stood out to me: “People don’t understand the consequences. They don’t realize this is a serious crime. They just think they can get away with this.” – Ryan Johnson and “We have to hold each other accountable. We have to tell each other that it’s not OK. We cannot be in the silent majority.” – Brian Buckreus

I found these quotes both interesting and worth noting because though they are 100% right, a lot has to happen in order to see consequences and hold perpetrators accountable. All too often we read in the news that allegations have been brought forward on campus and the alleged perpetrator faced no consequences while the victim received humiliation, threats on campus, and no justice. All too often we read about allegations being silenced on a campus community and no actions being taken. All you have to do is skim the blog posts on this very blog. So although Buckreus and Johnson are onto something, the entire campus community, including law enforcement and administration, must also be on board.

The fact that UM is rallying students to enter into a very important dialogue about this pervasive problem occurring not only on their campus but on every campus in the country and beyond is extremely commendable. Students listen to students. If I have learned anything about prevention education in my very short career in anti-sexual violence work, it is that an educator challenging a student on a belief, attitude, or norm is not as effective as his or her own peer challenging him or her on that very belief, attitude, or norm. Furthermore, although campus security/law enforcement, the administration, and other faculty and staff are prominent members of the University community, they do not see everything that occurs nor can they understand the experience of students. Therefore, engaging students in the conversation is both necessary and sufficient. Without their voice, a valuable perspective is lost.

UConn Students Urge Administration to Fight Rape Culture

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Over at Change.org, students from the University of Connecticut are trying to collect 5,000 signatures in response to the airing of a rape-supportive program on UCTV, the university’s television station. Although UCTV removed the episode, the school’s administration has yet to respond to the incident. Organizers want their school’s administrators to speak out against rape culture by issuing a statement condemning the TV program’s blatant trivialization of rape.

Kudos to the amazing student activists heading up this campaign! Show your support by heading over to Change.org and signing their petition! 

Boston University Takes It Seriously

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Coach Jack Parker of Boston University’s hockey team takes sexual assault very seriously. The team’s star center was kicked off the team yesterday and had his scholarship revoked after he was arrested for drunkenly breaking into a woman’s dorm room and forcibly kissing and groping her. According to the Boston Globe, Parker had previously tried to convince the student to get help for his alcohol problem, and warned him that another drinking incident would lead to his dismissal (this was apparently the first time that sexual assault allegations were involved).

I can’t say enough about how impressed I am with Coach Parker and BU. Everything the coach and the university had to say is right on point – their concern is how to best help the survivor and they are clearly committed to conveying a zero tolerance policy for sexual assault. They also make clear that the player’s drinking is a problem because it lowered his internal barriers that might otherwise have kept him from assaulting someone – there was no attempt to blame the victim or move the focus off his unacceptable behavior in any way.

Maybe what I appreciated most was Coach Parker’s ability to put winning on the ice in its relative context:

“My team is very upset,’’ said Parker. “He’s a real good teammate, he’s friends with an awful lot of these guys. He’s well liked. He’s so important to the team from a winning and losing point of view. He’s been our leading goal scorer, he’s been our first-line center, our best penalty killer, a power-play guy, he gets all kinds of ice time.

“All that pales in comparison to the other stuff that’s going on. The way he is gone makes it even worse because now it’s a big hole in the soul of the team, so to speak. We might not recover from that. That type of stuff is all trivial compared to the stuff he’s going to have to recover from and the girl’s going to have to recover from.’’

In an month when we’ve learned more than we could imagine about just how far some colleges will go to protect their sports programs, major kudos to Coach Parker and BU.

UVM Update

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The fraternity whose member circulated a survey asking who each respondent would rape has been suspended, and investigations by both the university and the national body of the fraternity are underway. Kudos to the UVM students who drew attention to this outrage, and to the university and the national fraternity for starting prompt investigations. The Burlington Free Press has more, and you can check out what FED UP Vermont is doing to challenge rape culture at UVM (including their already partially successful petition to have the fraternity involved held responsible) on their Facebook page.

Disgusting UVM Fraternity Questionnaire Sparks Outrage

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Today finds me crawling out of blog hibernation to point ya’ll to the latest installment of “College Boys Just Want to Have Fun…By Demeaning Women and Making Jokes About Rape.” Today’s episode takes place at the University of Vermont, where a puzzling and revolting survey was recently distributed to the brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon. We were sent a copy of the questionnaire, which mostly consists of benign questions like name, birthday, major, amount of time with SigEp and favorite SigEp memories, hobbies, future goals, etc. It’s actually kind of nerdy and cute, until you get to the final three “personal questions.”

1. Where in public would I want to have sex?

2. Who’s my favorite artist?

3. If I could rape someone, who would it be?

We come across a lot of gross stuff at SAFER, but the contrast here makes this particularly jarring and offensive. It’s not the usual litany of purposefully offensive garbage; it’s a seemingly legit, “normal” survey with this one horrifying nuggets thrown in at the end. The normalization of the question—the nonchalance—is so…disturbing.

As often happens with these kind of “frat shenanigans,” the survey made it into the hands of other folks on campus, who were understandably upset and are taking action. This petition was started last night by “Feminists from UVM” and is already up to 375 signatures. This is what they have to say:

This egregious expression of rape culture is only the most recent example of systemic sexism at UVM. The past year alone has witnessed rape, multiple sexual assaults, and anti-abortion chalking in public spaces. While the university administration has laid off long-time Women’s and Gender Studies faculty and supported sexist institutions like Sigma Phi Epsilon, it has refused to take concerted action to combat sexism and rape culture. We demand that instead of diverting resources into vast salaries for its administrators, UVM should launch an aggressive campaign against sexism and rape culture, and it should expand institutions such as Women’s and Gender Studies and the Women’s Center at UVM. Furthermore, UVM must immediately disband Sigma Phi Epsilon. An institution that discusses who it wants to rape has no place at UVM or in the Burlington community.

Sign the UVM petition and look for updates over at FedUp Vermont, a local grassroots feminist organization. The story hasn’t hit the news yet (campus or otherwise) so there is no word on whether the school will take any action or if the men of Sigma Phi Epsilon have anything to say for themselves, but we’ll let you know if they do. Something tells me this was supposed to “funny.” Ha. Ha. Ha.