Sexual Assault on Campus Shrouded in Secrecy (First in a Series)
By Kristen Lombardi | December 01, 2009
A nine-month investigation by the Center for Public Integrity has found that a thick blanket of secrecy envelops cases involving allegations of sexual assault on campus. Many victims don’t report at all, and those who do come forward can encounter secret disciplinary proceedings, closed-mouthed school administrations, and off-the-record negotiations. At times, school policies and practices can lead students to drop complaints, or submit to gag orders — a practice deemed illegal. Read More
Students reporting sexual assault on campus routinely say they face a host of institutional barriers in pursuing the on-campus remedies meant to keep colleges and universities safe. The result, say experts, is a widespread feeling that justice isn’t being served, and may not even be worth pursuing. Crisis counselors described barriers as overt as a dean expressing disbelief; lawyers pointed out failures as subtle as an institution neglecting to provide access to a professional victim’s advocate to guide students through an intimidating process. Read More
Campus Sexual Assault Statistics Don’t Add Up (Part Three in a Series)
By Kristen Lombardi and Kristin Jones | December 03, 2009
Limitations and loopholes in the federal mandatory campus crime reporting law, known as the Clery Act, are causing systematic problems in documenting the numbers of campus-related sexual assaults, the Center found. The most troubling loopholes involve broadly applied reporting exemptions for counselors supposedly covered by confidentiality protections. Confusion over definitions of sexual offenses, as well as the law’s comprehensive reporting provisions, have created additional problems. Available data suggests that, on many campuses, far more sexual offenses are occurring than are reflected in official Clery numbers. Read More
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