Sexual assault victims deserve support

A recent survey by the Wesleyan Feminist Network revealed that, of the 241 students, graduates and alumni who responded, a majority did not know who to contact in the case of a sexual assault. Many claimed to be unaware of official University procedure, while survivors who reported their cases complained about what they saw as a lack of support. Very few students said they had confidence in the current system.

For victims of rape or assault, a general referral to the Office of Behavioral Health for Students (OBHS) is simply not enough. Many of our peer institutions devote an entire office of their health centers to the problem, while others train response teams that provide round the clock assistance. At Williams and Amherst, students who come in for help can talk with a specialized counselor. We believe it would go a long way towards improving the University if it could offer us comparable services.

None of this is to say that progress is not being made. Last year, in response to a Wespeak that raised awareness of the issue [“Confront rape and assault sufficiently,” Nov. 2, 2007, Volume CXLIII, Number 16], concerned administrators and students created the Sexual Violence Working Group as an avenue to revise policy. Among other changes, students who wish to discuss their experiences can now choose between either a student panel or an administrative panel as their audience. Compared with the old procedure—which required sexual assault victims to talk in front of the Student Judicial Board—this new one is a vast improvement.

Still, the help the University does offer is scattershot and hard to find. A page devoted to sexual violence on the WesWell website lists an on-call therapist and physician as support options, along with the numbers for Health Services and OBHS. The directors of both departments are also listed as contacts. In other words, victims of sexual assault report to the same people as students with relationship issues or suicidal thoughts. It reflects badly on the University to lump students in need together under such a big umbrella. At the very least, the University should ensure that any member of Health Services assisting sexual assault victims has received adequate and up-to-date training.

We still have a long way to go, however. Sexual assault is a sad reality on any college campus. Hiring a counselor with training in sexual violence—a measure taken at numerous other colleges—would demonstrate the University’s commitment to a safe and healthy campus. While we acknowledge that they are operating under considerable financial constraints, a change of this kind is well worth the investment. We hope that the University agrees.