Action as Deliberate Indifference: Sexual Assault at Occidental College
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The document presents an analysis of sexual assault at Occidental College, highlighting the prevalence of such incidents, particularly among acquaintances and during the first year. It discusses the emotional and academic impacts on victims, including PTSD and academic performance, alongside underreporting issues exacerbated by the college's environment. The findings emphasize the need for better training, reporting procedures, and support systems to address and reduce sexual assault effectively.
Action as Deliberate Indifference: Sexual Assault at Occidental College
- 1. Sexual Assault at Occidental College Rachel Baer
- 2. The presentation discusses sexual assault and rape. It may contain triggers. 99% of rapists are men, but not all men are rapists.
- 3. Research methods Sexual assault at college Oxy data Title IX and OCR’s Dear Colleague letter
- 4. Literature review Content analysis of DearOxyTumblr › Measured hope, anger, hurt, disappointment › Content analysis showed which specific terms concerned users most Oxy survey
- 5. Circumstantial information › School size & student trust Emotional/physical effects › PTSD Academic effects “virtually all victims of rape are affected, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the act”(1)
- 6. 90% of college victims/survivors knew their assailant before the assault Highest probability for assault: first week of college Reminders of the assault/rape abound (will discuss later as stimuli)
- 7. For every additional 10,000 undergrads, the odds of sexual assault decrease by HALF Oxy has ~2,100 students Smaller student body = more trust › Most assaults occur in “normal” situations › False sense of security
- 8. Underreporting › Phenomenon in which most victims/survivors do not report › Common reasons include: Reprisal from assailant or assailant’s friends Social isolation These reasons are only exacerbated at small schools (Oxy)
- 9. Fears of specific stimuli (experienced by victims of any/all assault circumstances) › Being alone, drunk people › Dead people, suffocation, weapons Shows rape is the implicit threat of death Fears of situation-specific stimuli › Location & other aspects of the assault Embarrassment, shame, etc.
- 10. Almost constant fear from stimuli PTSD PTSD symptoms › Shame & despair › Impulsive behavior › Flashbacks › Hyper-alert At least 43% of college SA/rape victims have PTSD › Higher than victims of other violent crimes
- 11. Impaired social and work life Lower GPA Transfer rates same as non-victims Common coping technique: avoid perp › Classes › Social scene (parties) › Extra-curricular activities › Marketplace, Cooler, etc.
- 12. Remember the emotional and academic effects of sexual assault Survey aimed to show how these effects appear at Oxy 55 survivors completed surveys in 12 days
- 13. Victim year at time of assault: Perpetrator year at time of assault:
- 14. Relationship between Survivor/Victim & Perp. at the time of the assault 64.7% of friend-rape victims said the assault deeply affected them and caused them emotional pain 41 out of 49 survey respondents knew the perp. prior to assault
- 15. “Other” locations include cars, dances, etc.
- 16. 31% of participants raped at off-campus houses 5 occurred at Greek houses › 3 at SAE 4 occurred at athletic team houses › 3 at ATO Responses covered past 4 years › SAE became a dry house during this time
- 18. First year › Highest incident count in Stewie (strong community) Older student › Highest incident count in Haines, RV (isolated feel), and Stearns (isolated feel)
- 19. 6 perpetrators took the victims home to take care of them › Violation of trust Three year live-on rule increases concentration of students in dorms Lack of bystanders › RA training does not include SA/rape prevention or bystander intervention
- 20. 12.5% feared social consequences 17% respondents unacknowledged DearOxy: “Having watched friends go through your system, and their rapists walk away with little or no consequence, I didn’t feel safe reporting mine.”
- 21. Most decisions favored survivor/victim All descriptions of process were negative › “an utter lack of professionalism and compassion”
- 22. High-profile administrators Lack of training › No adjudicator finished all 8 NCHERM trainings Zero participants ranked adjudicators as “competent,” “caring,” “fair,” or “trained and knowledgeable”
- 23. 41% felt inadequate when in class and doing homework › Only 9 stated their GPAs dropped › 48% reported no change 100% involved with 1+ club 67% reported no change in extra- curricular activities post assault Conclusion: Oxy students are the best and faculty are supportive.
- 24. Of participants assaulted their first year: › 42.9% reported current anxiety › 25.7% reported current low self-esteem › 37.1% reported current distrust 33 of 55 survivors assaulted their first year › Only 2 survey participants current first years › Shows pervasive effects of assault
- 25. 1. Federal funding Occidental receives federal funding. 2. Sexual harassment occurred (rape & sexual assault automatically qualify) At least 55 cases apply. 3. Appropriate persons knew about the harassment and did not respond reasonably No known investigation of ATO or SAE
- 26. 4. Institution responded with deliberate indifference Continual use of ineffective methods 5. Harassment = “severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive” Continual emotional effects of friend/acquaintance rape 6. Concrete, negative effects on education OR the assault created a “disparately hostile” educational environment 9 reported GPA drops AND rapists remaining on campus
- 27. Oxy complied with all requirements except: › Grievance procedures are not available throughout campus › Incomplete NCHERM training › Specific timeline available only for appeals process › “Guaranteed” protection against retaliation without actual protection No system for reporting further problems with perp.
- 28. Legally (S.S. standard): YES OCR (Dear Colleague): YES
- 29. Bystander training › Should be required at beginning of each semester for all students POV (etc) training for adjudicators Build on the trust that already exists › Care for each other!
Editor's Notes
- #6: PTSD rates in stranger vs. acquaintance rape
- #14: What have we concluded from these slides? That first year women are the clear targets, and that men of all years perpetrate these crimes. This shows that we need education during orientation AND throughout a students’ career.
- #15: Cass: at small schools, “individuals are unquestioning of these fellow group members whom they know and trust. Women feel safe in the presence of their companions, yet we know it is those companions who pose the greatest risk to them” (p. 361)41 out of the 49 respondents knew their perpetrators prior to the assault.
- #17: SAE went dry during this time – what does this indicate?
- #18: Graph indicates assaults can occur in either victim or assailant’s room