Since the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke, sexual assault allegations have rocked Hollywood and Congress. Now, the tide is turning against sexual misconduct at college campuses across the United States — and it’s up to us to make sure this progress doesn’t let up.

The power differentials and competitive nature of academic culture leave faculty, students and staff particularly vulnerable to sexual harassment and abuse. The administrative structures of most departments can perpetuate and normalize this behavior, even protecting the perpetrator.

In the vein of the swift condemnation of Kevin Spacey and Matt Lauer, sexual predators abusing positions of power in academic institutions must also be held accountable.

Kevin Camelo | Contributing Designer

Syracuse University is no stranger to this problem. In September, a freshman was charged with sexual abuse, and another student previously expelled for sexual assault filed a lawsuit against the university.

The University of Rochester has faced public scrutiny recently after 14 women accused a renowned psycholinguistics professor of sexual harassment. Following these accusations, faculty members alleged that the university protected the professor and retaliated against those that expressed concerns over his behavior, according to USA Today. An Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint was then filed against the university.

As a result of the University of Rochester scandal, more than 400 professors across the United States signed an open letter that went viral last week, calling for a boycott of the university and advising their students not to attend the institution.

Sara Miller, assistant vice president for communications at the university, maintained that the university remains committed to creating “a safe and respectful campus for everyone, free of harassment or discrimination of any kind.”

In response to the complaint, the university launched an independent investigation that’s set for completion by early January. The investigation is led by Mary Jo White, a former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, according to an email sent to the university community last week from the Special Committee of the University of Rochester’s Board of Trustees.

“We welcome the independent investigation and look forward to its findings and recommendations in the best interests of our students and faculty,” Miller said in an email. “The fact is that many students, faculty, and administrators at the University do not recognize the institution described in the letter circulating on the Internet. They are proud of our school and find it to be a welcoming and supportive learning environment.”

National attention to cases like this is important for addressing the pervasive problem of sexual misconduct on college campuses, but it isn’t enough. Measurable action must follow each incident to ensure individuals and institutions that enable this behavior are held accountable.

Steps have been taken to mitigate campus sexual violence, including the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2013, the creation of the 2014 White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault and the subsequent establishment of the “It’s On Us” campaign.

New York has also spearheaded policies and programs aimed at preventing sexual violence on campus. In 2015, New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the “Enough is Enough” legislation, which requires all New York colleges to adopt expanded guidelines for protecting sexual assault survivors.

Kevin Camelo | Contributing Designer

SU has also followed suit and created initiatives aimed at combating campus sexual violence, such as the Sexual and Relationship Violence Response Team, the It’s On Us Week of Action and the Chancellor’s Task Force on Sexual Violence Prevention, Education and Advocacy.

Yet, such changes are not without flaws. For instance, SU’s Advocacy Center was abruptly closed in 2014, a decision criticized by many faculty, students and community members.

We must remain mindful of these struggles in our broader fight against sexual abuse in education, especially given the U.S. Department’s recent reversal of key Title IX protections and the current political climate in which survivors are continually doubted and blamed. There’s always room for more change.

We need safe and ethical methods for accurately assessing the problem of sexual misconduct on college campuses. This assessment is crucial given that the majority of U.S. universities do not report many cases of sexual abuse, according to the American Association of University Women. This lack of formal reporting impedes public understanding of the pervasiveness of this problem.

Beyond the legislative process, it’s essential that those in positions of power on college campuses work on behalf of those subjected to sexual abuse. Sexual assault and harassment are experienced by faculty, students and staff across our academic institutions, and there’s no excuse for it.

National organizations including the National Center for Campus Public Safety, RAINN and the National Sexual Violence Resources Center along with student-led organizations like SAFER can also raise awareness for ending campus sexual violence.

Kevin Camelo | Contributing Designer

In addition to general awareness of this issue, reverence for survivors’ stories is essential in protecting their voice and integrity. We must remain mindful of the emotional labor involved in the process of sharing these stories and not unjustly place the burden of fixing this problem on survivors alone.

The responsibility for combating sexual misconduct in education is shared by all of us and requires broader institutional, local and national action. These types of comprehensive moves are necessary as we work toward an academic culture in which survivors can come forward without fear of reprisal.

The fight against sexual harassment and assault in our academic institutions is far from over.

C.C. Hendricks is a doctoral student in composition and cultural rhetoric. Her column appears biweekly. You can reach her at crhen100@syr.edu.

Published on December 6, 2017 at 10:07 pm