The article entitled “Tackling Sexual Assault” that appeared in The College Voice (10/27/09) served as an important article about sexual assault on the Connecticut College campus. However, the Offices of Student Life would like to provide some additional context for the issues raised that are available and valuable in the article.
While informal canvassing of student awareness of the College’s sexual assault policy and support systems are helpful, having reliable data is important when substantiating whether students are aware of the available resources regarding sexual assault.
For example, our office gathered data through a campus wide survey conducted last October that explicitly asked how students perceive services here on campus. Of the 575 Connecticut College students surveyed, 87 percent indicated they had received information on sexual assault/relationship violence from the College.
Clearly, our goal is for all students to know the resources available to them but our data suggests we are making progress on this front.
Beyond data, the staff in the Offices of Student Life recognize the critical role students can play both in setting the standards of this community and in referring students in crisis to the appropriate resources. We have intentionally incorporated sexual violence education in student leader training, orientation, and residence halls programs throughout the year.
Three weeks ago, the Office of Student Life received a grant award from the Dept of Justice Office of Violence Against Women to support our efforts in expanding the conversation/awareness on sexual violence on our campus.
Finally, to clarify a point in the article about the College’s Clery Act statistics: the statistics are the number of reported sexual assaults. Considering that sexual assault is nationally one of the most under reported crimes, we know that the reported statistics do not truly reflect the number of sexual assaults on campus. We do know through self-reported data, both men and women report having unwanted sexual experiences.
As the College continues to explore new ways to engage students about sexual assault and violence against women, we encourage students to take action, become a better advocate by furthering your education on these issues, and attend one of the many programs (peer education programs, housefellow/floor governor programs, 1 in 4 programs or women center programs) sponsored throughout the year. As campus administrators we are committed to this endeavor but we need students to get involved and join us in creating a campus environment that promotes respect for all.
Sincerely,
CC Curtiss
Dean Sarah Cardwell
Dean Jocelyn Briddell
