Sexual violence on university campuses, despite its enduring effects, has only been gaining serious attention and action in recent years. The importance of the issue requires us to evaluate DU’s commitment to handling sexual violence. DU’s current policies and resources satisfy national calls for reducing related issues, but meeting the national average is not enough. DU needs to put more effort into protecting the health and safety of students — both as a university and as a community.
Sexual violence has decreased significantly in the past 20 years, but it is still an issue requiring attention. Sexual violence is especially prominent at the age of college students, which places pressure on campuses to ensure students are truly safe. In addition, there is a potential for colleges to teach students healthy behavior to carry through lives, much like the other programs most colleges have to teach students how to be healthy through nutrition, fitness, and counseling.
This potential has prompted governmental pressure on colleges to reduce and appropriately manage cases of sexual violence on-campus. A newly-enacted California law establishes a legal standard for sexual violence cases on campuses and increases the already-existing requirements for campuses to ensure the safety and privacy of victims.
While this law doesn’t directly affect DU, it is an example of the nation-wide change that is being pushed forward. At a federal level, the Department of Education released a list of colleges and universities that are under investigation for possible violations of federal law for handling these types of cases in May. DU was included on the list, which has now grown to include more than 70 institutions.
Addressing the concern over this list, DU sent an email to students, staff, and faculty on Oct. 1, stating that the listing indicates only that a complaint is under investigation. Although it is yet unclear if DU has actually mishandled a case of sexual violence, this is still an alarming report that should awaken the university and students to current policies. Even if the complaint is unfounded, DU should be taking every possible step towards eliminating the potential for future mishandling of cases.
It is clear from the outline also included in the Oct. 1 email, and an evaluation of the resources available on campus, that DU is beginning to take appropriate steps to better handle cases of sexual violence. There are resources to help victims through any steps they may want to take in response to sexual violence, whether it be through the university, law enforcement or legal action. In addition, there are resources for friends to help fellow students, and guidelines on how confidentiality can be maintained through any process. All of these resources can be found on the CAPE website: www.du.edu/health-and-counseling-center/cape/index.html.
One of the most important resources that DU offers was started in summer 2013 — the DU B.O.S.S. program. It is a bystander intervention program that helps students understand when it is necessary to step in to help prevent potential sexual violence. Bystander intervention has been recognized as one of the most effective methods of reducing sexual violence on college campuses, and this program is a step towards training students to understand when and how to intervene in potentially unsafe situations.
Despite the great potential this program has, there has been very little progress in actually training students. On the B.O.S.S. website, there is no information about training sessions and there have been little to no communications to students about how to get involved.
This is a clear example of a step DU needs to take to ensure that the actions taken are not simply meeting national standards, but actually aiding students.
The steps DU has taken are necessary and appropriate, but there is still much that can be done. Resources exist, but now students need to understand how to use them. This is something DU can work on as a university to push students to become more aware of the importance of sexual violence.
The DU community also needs to become involved. It is not enough for administration to offer these resources and framework; we must also step forward as students, and, as a community, to ensure we are all being treated fairly.
We may be attending this university for different reasons, but we all deserve to feel comfortable and safe while we’re here. Contact CAPE to get involved or at the very least view their resources to understand what you can do to understand the importance of consent and intervention.
DU has taken steps toward appropriately handling sexual violence on-campus, but needs to take more actions to ensure that students feel comfortable on-campus. As a member of this community, every student also needs to take it upon themselves to contribute to a safe environment. Try to consider what these actions are to ensure our community is one in which we can take pride.
Remember that you can call the CAPE helpline 24/7 at 303-871-3456.
