Assume you are a survivor of sexual assault. You find your way to a counseling or judicial center on your college campus only to find your college can do little to help you before you file a police report against the accused. Without the college’s ability to immediately begin an internal investigation, you are left wondering how safe you will feel on campus. This is precisely the scenario the Safe Campus Act proposes as a solution for survivors of sexual assault and why several greek organizations recently declared their opposition to the bill.
Students entrust their safety to the colleges they attend, and that trust should not break because of legislation meant to undermine colleges’ ability to take immediate action to protect their students. The handling of sexual assault cases is extremely time sensitive, and survivors of sexual assault should have the protection provided by their collegiate institutions to remove the accused from their campuses after their investigations.
The proposed Safe Campus Act prevents colleges from investigating sexual assault occurrences until the victim has reported it to law enforcement. This calculated move by the bill dictates how a sexual assault victim must report the crime and, in turn, makes the reporting process longer and more difficult. We must never stand on the side that deprives human rights and dictates personal freedoms to survivors of sexual assault.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Rape and sexual assault victimizations of students (80 percent) were more likely than nonstudent victimizations (67 percent) to go unreported to police.” With only a mere 20 percent of college-enrolled rape and sexual assault survivors reporting to police, making police intervention the first form of reporting an assault case may reduce reporting to colleges as well. If a survivor is not willing to report the victimization to their college support programs, they will undoubtedly be void of any treatment or protection.
While it is imperative survivors be given the choice to pursue criminal action and see perpetrators held accountable for their actions, women of the greek community took a stand against the Safe Campus Act to support survivors and their rights to protection by their colleges. We, as greek women ourselves, believe survivors should have a safe environment on campus and expect immediate protection as the first step in their support.
Opposing the Safe Campus Act is in no way an attempt to decrease police investigations surrounding sexual assaults on campus. Allowing the University to take action directly following a sexual assault gives victims a safe haven where they can feel understood, safe and believed in a time when they need it most. This is merely something the Safe Campus Act neglects to adequately provide.
With only one-fifth of survivors feeling safe and comfortable enough to even report their assaults, there is an obvious void in the system that is currently in place. Victims are unlikely to report their sexual assault to the police for reasons such as self-blame, embarrassment and fear of the attacker. Perhaps by protecting the University’s ability to take immediate action, victims will begin to feel safer and more willing to eventually report their assaults to the police. With universities and police working together, the fight against sexual assault can only grow stronger.
If we truly want to advocate for survivors on our campus, it is essential we establish a safe and effective way for them to report sexual assault. Dictating how they report their assault to receive support is unconscionable. Students have the right to their own voice and how they choose to move forward with reporting. Survivors should be provided immediate medical attention, academic and safe housing accommodations, counseling and protection from the accused without being forced to report the crime to law enforcement first.
The declaration of several national sororities’ opposition to the Safe Campus Act led the National Panhellenic Conference and the North-American Interfraternity Conference to pull their support. Each chapter released statements opposing the proposed Safe Campus Act and calling for additional measures to be taken to support victims’ rights to seek support, counseling and advocacy resources.
As members of the greek community at The University of Alabama, we have the responsibility to stand with survivors of sexual assault and work fervently toward improving our college campus support and reporting programs. We will not endorse legislation that seeks to undermine the rights of the victim to seek assistance. This bill exploits our memberships while stripping away the rights of protection for us and our fellow students. People are not prey, “no” means “no,” survivors deserve our support, and we are proud our conference stands with us in these beliefs. We must all stand together with a no-tolerance policy for sexual assault at the University and against any legislation that opposes campus safety measures for all students.
Jordan J. Forrest is a junior majoring in public relations and political science. She is the director of the It’s on Us initiative. Emily Cerrina is a sophomore majoring in elementary education. Meghan Dorn is a senior majoring in public relations and political science. Caroline Hinton is a junior majoring in international relations and Spanish. Sally Immel is a senior majoring in public relations. Amanda Ivy is a junior majoring in chemistry. Paige Lindgren is a junior majoring in political science and public relations. Halle Lindsay is a senior majoring in psychology and biology. Anna Scott Lovejoy is a sophomore majoring in Spanish and international studies. Caroline Morrison is a junior majoring in economics and finance. Rachel Paikoff is a senior majoring in public health and nutrition. Polly Ricketts is a senior majoring in economics and finance. Kendall Roden is a senior majoring in management information systems. Lillian Roth is a sophomore majoring in public relations and political science. Rebekah Simmons is a junior majoring in business management. Megan Smith is a senior majoring in economics and political science. Rachel Sodee is a junior majoring in English and French. Christin Spencer is a senior majoring in public relations and management. Katrina Swarthout is a senior majoring in communication studies. Leigh Terry is a senior majoring in economics and political science. Shelby Wells is a senior majoring in management. This editorial represents the views of all the writers listed above.
