osac information

Oxy Sexual Assault Coalition

Informational Session

Who is OSAC?

We are a group of concerned faculty and students whose goal is to raise awareness of the sexual assault epidemic and to advocate for best policies and practices that provide for a safe and equitable student experience at Occidental College.

Sexual Assault Epidemic

• The U.S. has the highest rate of rape of all countries that publish such data.

• �College women are at higher risk than their non-college peers.

• Between 10% and 25% of women, and 1% to 3% of men, will experience sexual assault in college.

• �At Occidental College, this translates into between 30 and 115 cases annually.

Sexual Assault at Oxy

1 report filed: 2010-2011

34 reports filed: 2011-2012

LOTS of unreported sexual assaults and rapes.

Campus Rape Culture

• �Telling women how to avoid sexual assault does not work.

• �Most campus rapes are perpetrated by 4% of college men who are repeat offenders.

• �Predatory sexual behavior is normalized…

• �…so bystanders do not intervene and perpetrators are not stigmatized.

History of OSAC

• Politics Department filed formal complaint about sexual assault policy/practices in 2009.

• College extensively revised policy/practices in 2010.

• Numerous student complaints about policy/process 2009 - present.

• Dear Colleague letter April 4, 2011.

• Another extensive revision Fall of 2011.

• OSAC officially forms in Spring of 2012 in response to on-going complaints.

2010/2011 Oxy Sexual Assault Stats

• OSAC knows details of 8/13 cases

• Found Responsible: 5/8

• Minor Sanctions: 5/5

• Appeals: 4/5 granted

• Serial Rapists Allowed Back on Campus: 2/3

Student Complaints

• Length of the Process

• Not Calling Witnesses

• Inconsistent Sanctions

• Appeals granted without Standing

• Routine Overturning of Sanctions on Appeal

Oxy has lost students because of their experience with the sexual assault process.

Faculty Involvement

Faculty Handbook: "The second primary objective of the college is to “sustain the ideals of a free, democratic society through responsible citizenship and public service on the part of all who bear the College's name."

Being a responsible citizen means acting

as whistle-blowers for discriminatory sexual assault policies and processes that harm the college as a whole.

Recent OSAC Activities

• Drafted the Sexual Assault Evaluation Matrix

• Proposed policy/process revisions based on Matrix

• Created a website for Oxy students

• Drafted 12 Demands for immediate action

a.k.a. The OSAC Dozen

O.S.A.C. List of Demands

List of Demands

1. Remove the automatic appeals language from the policy.

An automatic appeal was included in the policy in the fall of 2012 without proper student input, and students were not informed of this change. An automatic appeal from respondents who think their sanction is unfair negates the formal sexual assault hearing process.

List of Demands

2. Reinstate consent as verbal consent in the sexual assault policy.

Defining consent as verbal or physical consent opens an unnecessarily gray area in determining whether a sexual assault has occurred. This is confusing for students who are trying to engage in consensual sex.

List of Demands

3. Establish a permanent Sexual Assault Advisory Committee.

This committee will be comprised of six members – two administrators, two faculty members (selected by OSAC), and two students (one from Project SAFE and one selected by OSAC). This committee will conduct an annual review of policies and practices using data on reporting and outcomes from the Dean of Student’s office, and make recommendations for changes to the President and Vice Presidents by the end of the regular school year.

List of Demands

4. Return the Title IX Coordinator position to the faculty.

This position was moved from being a faculty position to the Dean of Students office in 2011 without proper consultation with the faculty. It should be reinstated as a faculty position to insulate the sexual assault process from litigious concerns.

List of Demands

5. Inform the campus of all changes to the sexual misconduct policy.

Major changes were made to the sexual assault policy in the last year that did not involve adequate student input or notification. The campus should be informed of all changes, regardless of the size of the change, through campus email as soon as they are made.

List of Demands

6. Double the size of Project SAFE and give PAs more decision-making authority.

Project SAFE is a student-founded group of trained advocates who should be more independent. This can be achieved by doubling the staff (from 2 to 4) and writing job descriptions that allow for more decisions to come from the PAs.

List of Demands

7. Use Oxy’s Crime Alert System to Inform Campus of Reported Sexual Assaults

Oxy should inform the campus of incidences of sexual assault, similar to college reporting of other crimes, through emails. These should inform us of on-campus assaults and off-campus assaults, including assaults by students. Currently, emails sent out only inform us of Oxy students assaulted by strangers on the street.

List of Demands

8. Distribute a Detailed Annual Sexual Misconduct Report

This report must include statistics on the number of complaints (formal and informal), where complaints were initially brought (Residential Education, the Dean of Students, Campus Safety, faculty members, etc.), how many respondents are found responsible, what sanctions are given, and how sanctions are altered in appeals.

List of Demands

9. Establish a 24-hour Sexual Assault Hotline

This hotline would be staffed by students who have completed Peace Over Violence (POV) training, or partner with the LA rape crisis hotline to have Oxy-specific information.

List of Demands

10. Provide annual POV training to all staff involved in the sexual assault process.

Sexual assault is a commonly misunderstood crime, and anyone involved in the process needs training to avoid basing decisions on common rape myths, using harmful language, or triggering survivors in other ways.

List of Demands

11. Provide annual POV training to all student leaders.

Sexual assault is a commonly misunderstood crime, and student leaders are in the unique position to shift campus culture and understanding away from widespread rape myths.

List of Demands

12. Bring POV for Orientation for the next five years.

Sexual assault education at Orientation has been an abysmal failure for years. The college needs to bring trained professionals to campus that use best practices in reaching potential perpetrators and bystanders.

Want to Get Involved?

Of course you do!

Organizational Model

We plan to initiate an action and we want your help!

• OSAC Core will function as organizers and leaders

• We need your help to recruit people, attend meetings, and events, and get people motivated to change Oxy's policy

Compiling Information

We are currently gathering information about students’ experiences of going through the Occidental sexual misconduct reporting process as a witness, ally, complainant, or respondent.

Email experiences to OSAcoalition@gmail.com.

Contact Us

You can email your experiences to OSAcoalition@gmail.com or set

up a private appointment to talk.

NOVEMBER 13. Day of Action

November 13.

March to the Dean of Student's Office at 11:30 a.m.

Celebrate or Protest?

Organizer Training on Sunday November 11 at 5 p.m.

Dickinson College Action

http://www.fox43.com/news/wpmt-dickinson-students-protest-sexual-violence,0,3644192.story

Stay Updated!

Follow our blog for updates:oxysexualassaultcoalition.wordpress.com

And our twitter for mobilizing updates:twitter.com/osacoalition

Email us with any questions at:osacoalition@gmail.com

Resources

LA Rape and Battering Hotline: (213) 626-3393

On Campus (Confidential)• Emmons Health Center• Project SAFE• Office of Religious and

Spiritual Life

Off Campus (Confidential)• Peace Over Violence (local

rape crisis center)• 1in6• LA Gay and Lesbian Center

To report sexual assault to the police call 911 or local LAPD station (323) 344-5701

More information on Support/Reporting Options available on the OSAC blog

Questions?