Adapted from a story by The Washington Post’s Sarah Larimer.
As someone who helps educate her peers about staying well, she can tell you all about Empower AU: It involves students working with fellow students, teaching about consent, boundaries and what resources are available. It began a few years ago, during a time of increased national attention on the issue of campus sexual assault — a time of sweeping change and vocal concern across the country.
In recent years, a subject once consigned to the shadows — sexual abuse, along with its victims and perpetrators — has moved into the spotlight. It remained a focus at the start of this school year as students arrived on campuses and the Trump administration announced changes to guidance on Title IX, the federal anti-discrimination law.
Stats
- A 2015 Association of American Universities study found that more than 20 percent of female undergraduates at prominent universities were the victims of sexual assault or misconduct.
- That same year, a Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation survey reached a similar conclusion, reporting that20 percent of current and recent female college students experienced sexual assault.
Action
The Association of American Universities, a group of research universities in the United States and Canada, followed up on its 2015 survey with a report in April that pointed to increased staffing, training and student support.
All the responding schools had changed (or were working to change) education and training for faculty and students in the past three academic years. The reportindicated that schools were dedicating more attention to training their campus communities on how to step in during troubling situations.
In its short time at the institution, for example, Empower AU has already become a point of pride at the school, which was recently lauded for its sexual-assault prevention efforts.
Mickey Irizarry, director of American University’sstudent wellness center, pointed to the 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter that laid out guidance for schools on handling sexual-assault complaints as a turning point. At the same time it came out, she said, there was a push from students who had a “desire to hold their university accountable to do this type of programming” and do work around the topic.
George Mason University in Fairfax
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos spoke on George Mason’s campus in September, delivering remarks vowing to replace a “failed system” of campus sexual-assault enforcement. Later that month, the Trump administration rescinded the Obama-era guidance.
Even with the changes, Pascarell, George Mason’s vice president for university life, said she did not expect her institution or others in higher education to backtrack, a sentiment Williams echoed.
Emily Guskin contributed to this report.
