preview

Sexual Violence and Assults on Campus Essay

Decent Essays
Open Document
Despite federal laws issued to combat sexual violence, each year 4,000 college women report to school officials that they've been sexually assaulted. What happens after they file those reports has stirred debate on campuses across the country, leaving parents and students fearful that colleges may not be the ivory towers of security and integrity that appear on their recruitment pamphlets.

Schools vary widely on how they fulfill federal requirements on how to report and respond to sexual victimization. Many colleges in Oregon, including the University of Oregon, have been criticized for attempting to keep campus assault reports under wraps, whether to shield victims from harrowing criminal investigations or to protect their own…show more content…
In a survey of 33 college females who reported being sexually assaulted, the Center found that only four said the hearings led to an expulsion, while the rest said their attackers received lesser penalties, ranging from suspension to social probation.

Brett A. Sokolow J.D., the president and CEO of NCHERM Group, a law and consulting practice that provides solutions for safer schools across the nation, says that those numbers are disappointing. "It’s already traumatic enough for a young woman to experience a sexual attack. But to find that her university has minimal knowledge of how to appropriately punish her attacker . . . that's an injustice in itself."

Sokolow serves as a member on the Advisory Board of the Communities Against Violence Network and has worked with almost 350 different institutions across the nation, from small liberal arts colleges to large state universities, providing in-depth reviews of their criminal conduct codes.

"I provide these colleges with annual compliance services, mainly with regard to federal laws such as FERPA, the Clery Act, and Title IX," Sokolow said. "The consistency of working with these schools enables us to ensure effective practices that can reduce the potential for legal liability and make sure that victims of sexual assault are treated with compassion throughout the investigative and judicial process."

That might just be what
Get Access
Related
Get Access