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IV news Task force leads charge against sexual assault at Mason GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE

04.13.2015

the opportunity to help suggest ways in which we could better outreach to students and connect with them, make them aware of different programs and policies that exist or will exist in the future.” Over the past year, the problem of sexual violence in colleges vaulted into the national spotlight, due to a string of high-profile incidents like the 2012 University of Virginia gang-rape covered in a controversial article by Rolling Stone.

AMY WOOLSEY | STAFF WRITER

Months of dedication and research came to fruition March 26, when Mason president Ángel Cabrera released a report outlining the university’s strategy for tackling campus sexual assault. The report, emailed to all students, consists of recommendations compiled by the Task Force on Sexual Assault and Interpersonal Violence that Cabrera formed in August 2014. It represents a comprehensive review of Mason offices, policies and programs related to sexual violence. “Our responsibility is to provide a safe environment where every student can be at ease and focus on learning,” Cabrera said. “You cannot be a well-being university when half of your population or more than half your population has a potential threat. That’s something you have to deal with.” Measures proposed in the report encompass, among other things, the formation of a new website and mandatory training for specified faculty, staff and student constituencies. The whole process will be overseen and evaluated by a Sexual Assault and Interpersonal Violence Leadership Committee. To co-chair the task force, Cabrera appointed University Life Vice President Rose Pascarell and Kim Eby, associate provost and a women and gender studies professor. “I knew Rose had the expertise and passion for the subject, she knows about it, she’s worked on it for a long time,” Cabrera said. “It was a no-brainer. We also wanted to have someone from the academic side of the house so the faculty is well-represented [and] this is not just something the administration is doing. A perfect duo.” Other members included Mary Ann Sprouse, the director of Wellness, Alcohol, Violence Education Services, and Angela Hattery, director of women and gender studies. They were invited based on their knowledge of and work in the field. Phil Abbruscato, president of Student Government, was the lone student representative. “It was a great experience sitting on the task force as a student,” Abbruscato said. “It gave me

Even President Barack Obama designated it a top priority: on Jan. 22, 2014, he authorized the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, and later, he helped launch the “It’s on Us” campaign to raise awareness. “I think the social pressure that the White House task force created is making it almost impossible for schools not to do something about it, which is great,” Cabrera said. According to WAVES, there were 77 reports of sexual assault and interpersonal violence at Mason in 2014, a 35 percent increase over the year before. The Office of Student Conduct and the University Police also collect reports, though their numbers are typically lower because many sexual assault victims choose not to file formal complaints or contact law enforcement. “Many victims feel like if they report, it’s almost like you’re going to be victimized twice because all of a sudden, you’re going to be questioned,” Cabrera said. “Sometimes people are going to call into question whether it really happened to you, you might be accused again, or you might not even see consequences at all and you’re exposing yourself.” When drafting its recommendations, the task force pursued three overarching goals: strengthen campus culture, increase victim reports and design a system for defining and measuring progress. The finished four-page report lists eight objectives scheduled to be carried out by the start of the fall 2015 semester, along with several others expected to require more time. Of the short-term goals, the Sexual Assault and Interpersonal Violence Leadership Committee represents the highest priority. Besides providing general supervision, it will determine staffing and resources and set a timeline. Many task force members will stay to serve on the committee. Other short-term recommendations involve arranging a full-time Title IX coordinator position and delineating the duties of Campus Security Authorities and Responsible Employees. In addition, a campus climate survey, currently in its pilot phase, will be used to assess the incidence of sexual violence at Mason. “Surveys are not perfect,” Cabrera said. “But at

least… you start getting a better sense of what’s going on. If you do it every year, you can tell whether you’re improving or not.”

education and training; programs and services; curriculum; outreach and communication; and assessment.

Hattery and Sprouse, who spearheaded the survey development, studied several national questionnaires and shared information with other schools in the state, such as Virginia Commonwealth University and James Madison University. There has been considerable talk of using standard questions to measure common areas of interest.

Among potential policy changes are a shift of sexual assault investigation duties from the Office of Student Conduct to Compliance, Diversity and Ethics, and the introduction of a post-hearing assessment so participants can comment on the fairness and efficiency of the conduct process.

For the most part, though, the task force aims to create a survey specific to Mason, in order to properly address the needs of particular communities, including LGBT, international and disabled students. “Mason has such a diverse student population,” University Life Vice President Rose Pascarell said. “We want to make sure we’re asking questions that make sense for everybody, covering topics that make sense for everybody.” If the pilot survey is successful, an official one will be administered annually, beginning in the 2016 academic year. The new website, another short-term goal, will integrate information on all protocols and resources related to sexual assault at Mason, similar to the Not Alone site created in conjunction with the White House task force. “Much of the information that will go on this site already exists, but there’s not one spot,” Pascarell said. “It’ll be easy access, student-friendly, staff-friendly, faculty-friendly, kind of a one-stop shop for all the information we have.” The long-term recommendations are organized in six categories: policies and procedures;

Pascarell is especially excited about introducing a program modeled after You Have Options, which began in Ashland, Ore. as a joint program with Southern Oregon University and the Ashland Police Department that promotes victim-centered interviewing techniques in law enforcement agencies. “One of the reasons victims don’t come forward society-wide is because they don’t tend to trust the way they’re going to be treated by law enforcement,” Pascarell said. “I actually believe [a You Have Options program] could be a game-changer on a college campus, where you’re really working collaboratively with the police… not as here’s the police and here’s victim services and here’s the educators, where everything’s kind of working toward the same goal.” Training initiatives entail not only revising and expanding wide-ranging programs like the Emerge ally training conducted by WAVES but also fostering programs targeted at groups deemed uniquely at-risk of experiencing sexual assault or unlikely to seek support. “We chose populations that we know are present on our campus and we know nationally have a much more difficult time with disclosure,” Pascarell said. “If you’re in a same-sex relationship and you’re a victim of sexual violence,

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