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Sexual Assault on Campus
Campus Sexual Assault – On the Cutting Edge, Cont.
So, how does one measure success? Since its creation in 1993, the number of incidents reported to SAS has continued to increase. SAS staff believes that is indicative of students understanding that SAS is the office to disclose their incidents to rather than an increase in crime on campus. For the past three years, 33% of the students reporting an incident to SAS then also report the offense to the police and consider prosecution. SAS staff continually collaborates and trains both medical and legal professionals about the emerging issues related to sexual assault; thus, creating a climate whereby these professionals not only know the newest trends and concerns, but also learn the investigative techniques related to each.
An example of this is the issue of drug-facilitated sexual assault. The SAS office began researching this issue in great detail in 1998 due to an increase of students disclosing the belief that they had been drugged and raped. In year 2000 with the aid of a Centers for Disease Control grant, the SAS office developed a 100-page manual titled “Drug-facilitated Sexual Assault: An Investigative Manual for Law Enforcement and Medical Professionals.” This manual was distributed widely to Mason and local police and medical authorities. The US Department of Justice National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) noticed this document and requested permission to both update and distribute this manual nationally. This was accomplished and printed in April, 2003.
Mason’s Sexual Assault Services Office is on the cutting edge…the cutting edge of both programming for students and response to victim/survivors. The SAS Office creates and distributes quarterly two police bulletins about campus sexual assault – one to the members of the Mason Police Department and one to the members of the Virginia Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. SAS staff believes that education is not just for students; it is also for the service providers.
A final aspect of Mason’s SAS Office that is both unique and valuable is its three-tiered Peer Support Program. This program was developed to establish a network of trained student volunteers to provide information, support, and direct assistance to victims/ survivors of sexual assault. Peer Educators provide educational programming to students in classrooms, residences, and student organizations. Peer Companions provide one-on-one advocacy, referrals, education, and offer options to victims to help them make more informed decisions about their medical-legal choices. And Peer Advocates, the most highly trained volunteers in the pyramid, provide crisis intervention and accompaniment through medical and police proceedings as necessary in the absence of the SAS Coordinator.
All services of Mason’s SAS Office are offered at no expense to the Mason community. All reports are kept confidential until the victim/survivor requests assistance from other agencies or offices. Besides the expected legal, medical, and psychological support and information, SAS also is very involved in the judicial process on campus, as well as academic and housing intervention. With reported incidents to SAS averaging 90 per calendar year, the SAS staff is proud of the fact that since its creation, more and more incidents are also being reported officially to either university or local police. The support offered by SAS staff and volunteers, indeed, makes this possible, thereby creating a campus climate that is both responsible and responsive to its constituents.
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