Author: Sari Lipsett

Sari Lipsett has worked in Wisconsin and California doing prevention education and programing, survivor advocacy, public policy and grants management. Sari works in CALCASA’s Southern California Office where it is sunny all the time.

Continuing March Toward Legislation

Just a week after the White House released a report on college sexual assault, Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut will each hold three events, one focused on campus safety laws, the Clery and Campus SaVe Acts; one on the gender equity law Title IX; and a third on how both colleges and the criminal justice system respond to campus rape.

The roundtables are scheduled to take place on May 19, June 2 and June 16. McCaskill said in a statement, “These meetings will help us understand, from those who know best, what more we can do for students, administrators and law enforcement to give them the tools they need to curb this epidemic.”

Read the article by clicking on view resource below!

What are Colleges Hiding about Campus Sexual Assault?

In an article authored by Kayla Epstein from The Guardian, she and a couple of editors ask to hear from students attending the eighty-five schools under investigation for Title IX violations by the Department of Education, who want to share their experiences about their universities after a sexual assault on campus.  The article stated:

Since we are hoping to show what it’s like for a student to report a sexual assault on campus, The Guardian will use the responses for a separate article featuring excerpts of responders’ stories, to be published at a later date.

Click below to volunteer!

Media Backlash

This week there were a number of articles and stories in the mainstream news questioning statistics about rape, pointing out the disproportionate impact on women usually generated by NISVS and the White House report. Two of these articles are listed below:

‘Guilty Until Proven Innocent: The Skewed White House Crusade on Sexual Assault’ by Cathy Young through TIME;

Ashley Maier, in response to this media backlash in an email to the PreventConnect listserv, wrote:

I’m thinking about this in a number of ways:

  • Support – I’m reminded of what we’re up against and thankful for the support and community we provide each other in what can be the lonely world of sexual violence prevention.
  • Moving forward – I wonder how we can best move forward in this context, in this culture that questions whether sexual violence is really even a problem.  
  • Looking back – I look back at the advocates who have worked to highlight violence against women, to provide remedies, and to prevent it, for years and years and years. I try to remember that we have made progress and trust that we will make more. 

Prevention is possible. 

NNEDV Technology Safety

The National Network to End Domestic Violence– Technology Safety Page contains resources on how technology can help victims and agencies effectively against domestic, dating, and other types of sexual violence. Some of the resources include “Cell Phone & Location Safety Strategies” for Victims, “Confidential Shelter Locations & the Internet” for Agencies & Programs working with Survivors concerning Confidentiality & Privacy, “Protection Order Registries & Databases” on Databases & Data Retention for Agencies & Programs working with Survivors and other resources.

To see their technology safety page and view their materials click below!

 

 

Know Your IX

Know Your IX is a campaign that aims to educate all college students in the U.S. about their rights under Title IX. Armed with information, sexual violence survivors will be able to advocate for themselves during their schools’ grievance proceedings and, if Title IX guarantees are not respected, file a complaint again威而鋼
st their colleges with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Know Your IX also advocates for better federal enforcement of Title IX through their ED ACT NOW campaign.

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Hosted by the U.S. Department of Education, this page offers information on Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Many project managers and Title IX coordinators mistakenly believe that FERPA impedes Title IX and the Clery Act in administering adjudication processes on their campus and holding sexual assault perpetrators accountable. Yet the Clery Act and Title IX state that FERPA does not impede any school’s obligation and priority to their students’ safety.

Review FERPA by clicking here.

What is Intimate Partner Violence?

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In an effort to provide information on Intimate Partner Violence, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) created an intimate partner violence Fact Sheet helping define what intimate partner violence means.

It also has great resources and hotlines on who to call if anyone needs help.

 

Click here to read the fact sheet.

 

Click here to read the definitions of intimate partner violence.

 

The Right to Safe Housing on College Campuses

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Students Active For Ending Rape put together a document explaining the right to safe housing on college campuses. It breaks down some of the ways in which students can ask for better housing if they suffer from sexual assault or sexual harassment on campus.

 

To read the fact sheet click on the this link: student housing factsheet

Defining Sexual Assault

 White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault launched a website, Not Alone, which defines sexual assault as:

Physical sexual acts perpetrated against a person’s will or when a person is incapable of giving consent (for example, due to the student’s age or use of drugs or alcohol, or because an intellectual or other disability prevents the student from having the capacity to give consent). A number of different acts fall into the category of sexual violence, including rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual abuse, and sexual coercion. Sexual violence can be carried out by school employees, fellow students, students from other schools, or third parties. Sexual violence is a form of sexual harassment.

To read a list of other key terms the Task Force, click on view resource below.