2 thoughts on “Policy Options Brief on Campus Sexual Assault”
I think this brief makes a really strong case for the importance of the issue. In particular, the states you use about campus sexual assault – more than 90% go unreported and reports are up by 85% – in particular are shocking and make clear that the problem needs to be addressed.
The policy options you propose are really strong. I wonder if there’s also an option that could potentially tie a university’s federal funding to the way it addresses sexual assault. Since colleges are constantly focused on raising money, offering a financial incentive or withholding federal funds might be an effective way to force them to take campus sexual assault more seriously.
I think all of these options could be effective in addressing the issue. The proposal about training leaders of greek organizations, sports teams, and others on sexual assault awareness and prevent seems the most powerful and immediately feasible to me. It addresses people involved in organizations we know are responsible for significant numbers of campus assaults, and targets people who are admired and well-known on campuses. Having them as models and leaders good encourage other students to emulate that behavior as well.
This option would also be fairly easy to implement and enforce. All of these organizations already have standard requirements members must meet, and there are governing bodies, like athletic departments and campus panhellenic councils, that are already charged with overseeing adherence to the rules.
Great suggestion about tying in federal funding. I could link this to the Title IX coordinator/mental health positions and also to the mandated trainings.
I think this brief makes a really strong case for the importance of the issue. In particular, the states you use about campus sexual assault – more than 90% go unreported and reports are up by 85% – in particular are shocking and make clear that the problem needs to be addressed.
The policy options you propose are really strong. I wonder if there’s also an option that could potentially tie a university’s federal funding to the way it addresses sexual assault. Since colleges are constantly focused on raising money, offering a financial incentive or withholding federal funds might be an effective way to force them to take campus sexual assault more seriously.
I think all of these options could be effective in addressing the issue. The proposal about training leaders of greek organizations, sports teams, and others on sexual assault awareness and prevent seems the most powerful and immediately feasible to me. It addresses people involved in organizations we know are responsible for significant numbers of campus assaults, and targets people who are admired and well-known on campuses. Having them as models and leaders good encourage other students to emulate that behavior as well.
This option would also be fairly easy to implement and enforce. All of these organizations already have standard requirements members must meet, and there are governing bodies, like athletic departments and campus panhellenic councils, that are already charged with overseeing adherence to the rules.
Great suggestion about tying in federal funding. I could link this to the Title IX coordinator/mental health positions and also to the mandated trainings.
Thanks!