Tuesday, December 09, 2014

Reed College #1 in US in Increased Reported Sexual Assaults on Campus; Willamette University #10

Oregon colleges are leading the nation in something, but it's not a good race to the top. Reed College leads the nation in colleges with the largest increase in the rate of reported sexual assaults. Willamette University comes in at #10. From the Washington Post:


The two Oregon colleges' records are slightly better in actual rate of reported sexual assaults. Reed College drops to #3 and Willamette University to #15.


It turns out one problem at Reed has been its privacy policy.
"A June 2010 article by InvestigateWest in The Oregonian disclosed that three students who reported rape to the college were discouraged from calling police, instead routed to the Judicial Board and a process that required such strict confidentiality one student was unsure she could tell her mother about it. The students said the process had the effect of cutting them off from support after reporting rape at Reed, and all interviewed reported being dissatisfied with the outcome."
But a bigger problem in college sexual assault cases is the lack of consequences for the perpetrator.
"The article was produced in collaboration with a national investigation into campus assault by the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C., which found that students deemed “responsible” for sexual assault on campuses across the nation often faced little or no consequence for their acts, while their victimsʼ lives were frequently left in turmoil. Often, victims left school while the alleged attackers graduated, the Center’s and InvestigateWest’sinvestigation (sic) found."
The Washington Post gives a little glimmer of hope to the two Oregon schools:
"It’s possible that Gallaudet, Grinnell, and Reed are the most sexually violent campuses in the nation, but it’s more plausible that these campuses have cultivated an environment where survivors feel more comfortable speaking out."

5 comments:

OregonGuy said...

Does Reed have a campus newspaper?
.

MAX Redline said...

three students who reported rape to the college were discouraged from calling police, instead routed to the Judicial Board and a process that required such strict confidentiality one student was unsure she could tell her mother about it

Yep, and too many schools have similar policies - they direct people to an internal board that generally does nothing.

Good catch, TD, this is an issue that needs to be resolved - and not on campus.

OG: http://www.reedquest.org/

T. D. said...

Thanks for answering the Reed school paper question, Max.

I wonder how much co-ed dorms, etc., have a role. It's not an excuse for rape, but there is such a thing as attractive nuisance in trespass law. Rules (or lack of them) have consequences. If the colleges are telling students there's nothing wrong with all kinds of sexual activity, they are opening doors that are hard to shut once hormones kick in.

MAX Redline said...

I've always thought co-ed dorms were a bad idea. It's "progressive", but invites issues.

T. D. said...

Funny how progressive ideas tend to invite issues whether on sexual mores, taking drugs, easy abortion, easy suicide, state lotteries, and in lots of other areas.