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Campus
sexual assault in Ohio
By Melissa Martin
“Despite the work colleges and universities have done to prevent their
occurrence, over 100 sexual assaults were reported on Ohio’s public
campuses in 2013. Because of the tendency to underreport this type of
crime, the actual number of assaults is likely higher.”
www.ohiohighered.org/.
What is consensual sex? “Colleges are trying to change students’
understanding of consensual sex -- but it’s tough to transform
entrenched dating norms. For decades, consent meant an absence of no.
In the 1990s, Antioch College near Dayton was mocked on “Saturday Night
Live” for enacting an affirmative consent policy. Now, the standard is:
Yes means yes,” according to a 2018 article at Cleveland.com.
What is consent? “Consent is permission that is clear, knowing,
voluntary, and expressed prior to engaging in and during an act.
Consent is active, not passive. Silence, in and of itself, cannot be
interpreted as consent. Consent can be given by words or actions, as
long as those words or actions create mutually understandable clear
permission regarding willingness to engage in (and the conditions of)
sexual activity,” according to Shawnee State University.
www.shawnee.edu/.
It’s On Us, a national nonprofit organization with the mission to
combat college sexual assault by engaging young men and changing campus
culture, announced that it will host the first National Student
Leadership Summit to Combat Campus Sexual Assault at Ohio University on
August 2-5, 2019. The event will bring together hundreds of the
nation’s top student organizers for an intensive weekend of trainings,
workshops, keynotes and plenaries. www.ohio.edu/compass/.
Launched in September 2014, It’s On Us is a national movement to end
sexual assault. The campaign was launched following recommendations
from the White House Task Force to Prevent Sexual Assault that noted
the importance of engaging everyone in the conversation to end sexual
violence. It’s On Us asks everyone – students, community leaders,
parents, organizations, and companies – to step up and realize that the
conversation changes with us. The purpose is to empower young men to
see themselves as part of the solution to college sexual assault, and
teach peer-to-peer sexual assault prevention education. The campaign
works with 95 partners and students on over 500 campuses.
www.itsonus.org/.
In 2015, the Ohio Department of Higher Education introduced a $2
million grant aimed at programs at state college and university
campuses called Changing Campus Culture: Preventing and Responding to
Campus Sexual Violence. The grant details five recommendations: 1. Use
data to guide action. 2. Empower staff, faculty, campus law
enforcement and students to prevent and respond to sexual violence
through evidence-based training. 3. Communicate a culture of shared
respect and responsibility. 4. Develop a comprehensive response policy.
5. Adopt a survivor-centered response.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office administers sexual assault training
at universities and is passing along $3 million in federal grants to
fund campus programs. This money largely helps fund support services
for survivors, according to a 2016 article. www.daytondailynews.com/.
“Federal law requires all colleges that accept federal money to
investigate allegations of sexual violence. But the law doesn’t specify
how. Schools handle claims of rape and sexual assault in myriad ways,
whether a staff member metes out punishment, or a panel hears evidence.
How police are involved varies,” according to a 2018 article at
cleveland.com.
The Ohio Department of Higher Education Changing Campus Culture
initiative launched a campus climate survey for public two-year and
four-year and private campuses about sexual violence. Eighty campuses
in Ohio collected climate survey data on sexual violence between August
2016 and May 2018. More than 37,000 students completed surveys. Campus
climate survey data belongs to each individual campus.
www.ohiohighered.org/ccc/data.
Parents, please have multiple conversations with your high school
seniors before sending them off to college. Contact the
college/university and ask questions about their sexual assault
prevention polices and safety programs.
Melissa Martin, Ph.D., is an author, columnist, educator, and
therapist. She lives in Southern Ohio.
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