All Entries in the "Sexual Assault/Harassment" Category
Barnard College Is Under Investigation for Possible Title IX Violations
The Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education is currently investigating more than 90 colleges and universities for possible violations of Title IX regarding sexual assault and/or harassment complaints. One of the latest additions to the list is Barnard College, a liberal arts educational institution for women in New York City.
Harvard Law School Signs Agreement to End Title IX Investigation Into Sexual Harassment
The Department of Education had found that the law school’s policies and procedures failed to comply with Title IX’s requirements for prompt and equitable response to complaints of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Education Department Finds Southern Methodist University in Violation of Title IX
The Office for Civil Rights ruled that the university was in violation of Title IX for its lack of prompt and equitable response to accusations of gender-based and sexual harassment and sexual violence on its campus.
University Study Links Domestic Violence Against Pregnant Women to Infants’ Developmental Problems
Scientists at Michigan State University have found that women who are subjected to domestic violence when they are pregnant are more likely that other pregnant women to give birth to children who exhibit emotional and behavioral problems as infants.
Spelman College “Suspends” the Cosby Endowed Professorship
On the heels of accusations of rape by nearly 20 women against Bill Cosby, Spelman College, a highly rated liberal arts educational institution for African American women in Atlanta, has removed the Cosby name from an endowed professorship.
Princeton University Reaches Agreement on Title IX Complaint Regarding Sexual Assault
An investigation by the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education found that Princeton was in violation of Title IX for failing to promptly and equitably respond to complaints of sexual violence, including sexual assault.
Rutgers University Conducting Pilot Survey That May Become a Model for Assessing Campus Sexual Assault
The School of Social Work at Rutgers University was chosen by the White House and the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Violence Against Women to create a survey on campus sexual assault and conduct a pilot study of its effectiveness.
MIT Releases Results of a Campus Survey on Sexual Assault and Misconduct
Among undergraduate women, 10 percent of the respondents said that they had been sexually assaulted and 5 percent reported that they had been raped. Some 15 percent of women undergraduates reported sexual harassment and 14 percent said they had been stalked.
University of New Hampshire Receives Grant to Develop Sexual Assault Prevention Video Game
Sharyn J. Potter, an associate professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire and co-director of Prevention Innovations, a sexual assault prevention research and training organization, is the principal investigator of the grant project.
University of Iowa to Add Three Full-Time Sexual Assault Prevention Specialists
The Women’s Resource & Action Center will add a new prevention specialist to its staff and another position will be upgraded from part-time to full-time. In addition, the university’s Rape Victim Advocacy Program will hire a new sexual violence prevention expert to its staff.
New Study Finds Sexual Assault Awareness Programs Are Effective in Reducing Incidents on Campus
In the campaign to reduce and eliminate sexual assaults on college campuses, many educational institutions have created training and awareness programs that students are required to take during orientation programs. The question is: Are these programs effective in reducing sexual assaults? A new study finds the answer is “Yes.”
New White House Initiative to Prevent Sexual Assault on College Campuses
President Obama has announced the “It’s On Us” initiative which seeks to engage college students and the entire campus community in efforts to prevent sexual assault. The campaign will focus on motivating college men to get involved in prevention efforts.
New United States Senate Bill Looks to Curb Sexual Assault on College Campuses
New legislation, entitled the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, has been introduced in the United States Senate which calls for colleges and universities to anonymously survey their students on sexual assaults and report the findings publicly.
Ohio State University Fires Marching Band Director Over Sexual Harassment Charges
Ohio State University in Columbus has fired Jonathan Waters, the director of its marching band, saying that the band had an ingrained culture of sexual harassment toward women members. Women are about 21 percent of the band’s members.
Harvard University to Hire a Team of Trained Investigators to Deal With Sexual Misconduct Complaints
Harvard University is one of 67 colleges and universities currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for possible Title IX violations relating to its handling of sexual misconduct. But the university is not waiting for the Education Department’s ruling before it takes action.
University of Utah Changes Its Fight Song That Is Considered Sexist by Some in the Campus Community
The line in the song, “our coeds are the fairest” will be changed to “our students are the finest.” The line, “no other gang of college men” will be replaced with “no rival band of college fans.” But the university president stated that historical renditions of the song “will always be acceptable.”
Department of Education Opens 12 New Sexual Assault Investigations
In May the United States Department of Education published a list of 55 colleges and universities that were under investigation for possible violations of Title IX regarding sexual assault and/or harassment complaints. Since then, 12 more colleges and universities have been added to the list.
Senator Claire McCaskill Releases Results of Her Survey of Campus Sexual Assault
The most shocking statistic in the report is that 41 percent of the colleges and universities that responded to the survey had not conducted a single sexual assault investigation over the past five years.
Federal Government Announces New Reporting Rules for Sexual Violence Incidents on Campus
Under the proposed regulations colleges would be required to compile statistics for incidents of dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking in addition to current requirements covering the reporting of rape and sexual assault.
Tele-Medicine Can Improve Care for Sexual Abuse Victims in Rural Areas
The study lead by researchers at the University of California, Davis, showed that clinicians at rural health clinics were able to provide better care to sexual abuse patients when they were able to consult with university experts through tele-connections.
MIT Institutes New Training Programs to Combat Sexual Misconduct
All new students will be required to undergo an online training program covers sexual harassment, sexual assault, interpersonal violence, and stalking before they arrive on campus. Undergraduates will attend an additional workshop when they arrive on campus and faculty and staff must also complete an online program.
New Steps to Combat Sexual Assault at Harvard University
Harvard University president Drew Faust has announced that the university’s Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response will receive increased funding and staff. A new website will be created to make all of the university’s prevention and response programs available in one place online.
UCLA Video Urges the Campus Community to Take a Stand Against Sexual Assault
The University of California at Los Angeles has produced a new video urging victims of sexual assault to seek help and for the entire campus community to take a stand against sexual assault and other sexual misconduct.
Department of Education Releases a List of All Educational Institutions Under Investigation for Sexual Misconduct
Massachusetts has six educational institutions on the list, more than any other state. Pennsylvania ranks second with five institutions on the list. California, Colorado, and New York each have four.
The White House Offers Guidelines for Preventing and Dealing With Sexual Assault on Campus
The White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault has unveiled a number of steps that it believes colleges and universities should take to prevent sexual assault and to deal with sexual misconduct when it occurs.
Two Women Sue Boise State University Over Its Response to Sexual Harassment
One women alleges that she was raped by the male athlete and says the coach told her he couldn’t do anything about it because she had been drinking. The woman then had to practice with her alleged attacker and was subjected to further harassment, according to the lawsuit.
Harvard University Forms a Task Force to Address Sexual Assault Policies
Just days after a federal complaint was filed, Harvard University created a new task force composed of students, faculty, and staff to examine how Harvard can improve efforts to prevent sexual assault and to better respond to such incidents when they occur.
New Website Offers Online Space to Share Stories of Sexism on Campus
Earlier this month a new website called SASSY: Sharing Academic Sexism Stories (with) You debuted. The site originates in Belgium but many of the uploaded stories of sexism on campus are in English.
Survey Finds Universities Hungry for Help in Dealing With Sexual Misconduct
The survey found that 83 percent of the responding educational institutions stated they welcomed guidelines or model practices for dealing with students found to be responsible for sexual misconduct.
University of Ottawa Suspended Entire Men’s Hockey Team Due to Sexual Assault Allegations
According to published reports, the alleged assault by several members of the university’s hockey team occurred when the team was in Thunder Bay to play two scheduled games at Lakehead University.
Vanderbilt University to Open New Center for Sexual Assault Prevention
In the past Project Safe operated out ot the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center on campus. Beginning this fall Project Safe will have a new home on campus.
New Sexual Assault Complaints Filed Against the University of California at Berkeley
The complaints were filed by 31 current or former students with the Department of Education under Title IX and the Clery Act, which requires universities to file crime reports with the federal government.
New Smartphone App Aims to Inform College-Age Women on Sexual Assault Safety
The “One Love My Plan” a new smartphone app is an interactive tool that informs college-age women about sexual assault and helps them customize personal safety plans.
University of Massachusetts Expands Sexual Misconduct Training and Education
The new phase of the university’s UMatter program is emphasizing “active bystander intervention” as a way to reduce instances of sexual assault, harassment, and other offenses.
University of Michigan’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center Adds Online Chat Service
In addition to a crisis hotline, one-on-one counseling, and peer-led support groups, students, faculty and staff at the university can now engage in an online chat with trained support personnel on issues of sexual misconduct.
