News & Updates - Center for Changing Our Campus Culture

News & Updates

OVW Blogs, Stalking January 27, 2022

It’s Not Always A Crush/When It’s Not A Crush

January! A new year. Time for annual resolutions and promises to do and be better. But January is also Stalking Awareness Month. And one of those resolutions must be to support people, especially women on college campuses who are stalked and harassed. Women need to be heard and feel safe. They need access to the resources that can help them regain control of their lives. Colleges must also take allegations of stalking seriously and discipline the perpetrators of these acts and when necessary, support the criminal justice system’s prosecution of these individuals. According to Victim Connect Resource Center, “stalking is a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.” https://victimconnect.org/learn/types-of-crime/stalking/ It is a pattern of behavior that can be overwhelming and leave its victims isolated, and in extreme cases, too terrified to leave their homes. In worst cases, stalking victims have been killed by their stalkers. If you have not been stalked, you might know someone who has been victimized by stalking. In the United States, 1 out of 6 women have been subjected to the fear inducing acts of a stalker. While stalking behavior is not limited to men, (1 […]

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Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, OVW Blogs, Sexual Assault November 5, 2021

The Impact and Importance of Indigenous Women and Culture of College Campus Safety

Many communities and campuses across the country commemorate the strength and spirit of its Native Americans and their invaluable contributions to the country in November. College campuses often lead the way on celebrating the diversity, endurance, rich histories and stories of the people whose identities and sacrifices are woven into the tapestry of America’s narrative. For our collective memory and safety, it is vital that our institutions of higher learning create a climate where Indigenous traditions and cultures are not lost or diminished. When we honor the legacy of Native Americans, we ensure their resilience is not forgotten. When we honor their legacy, we ensure their safety is prioritize. And when we honor their legacy, we must also remember the role of Indigenous women in the early tribes. Native American women had an equal role beside the men in Native society before Europeans arrived on these shores over 500 years ago. These women also had agency over their own bodies and sexuality. Native American society forbade rape. For instance, the Powhatan tribe banished a man from the tribe for raping a woman. Historians believe European men judged Indigenous women they encountered by Eurocentric Christian values and mores. Native women fought […]

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Male Survivors, OVW Blogs, Victim Services/Advocates October 19, 2021

Acknowledging Domestic Violence Against Men

About one in ten men experience domestic violence in their lifetime. Although that number is much lower than the approximately one in four women who experience domestic violence, it is nevertheless a reality we should acknowledge and address during Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). We may not immediately thing of college-aged students when we discuss domestic violence. However, the definition of domestic violence shared by the Office on Women’s Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services broadens the understanding of the term to encompass intimate partner violence, which includes “physical, sexual, or emotional abuse by a current or former intimate partner.” The United Nations refers to domestic violence as domestic abuse or intimate partner violence, describing it as a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. Thinking about domestic violence in this way makes it quite clear that many college students are at risk, including men. Of the men who are domestic violence survivors, more than half (56%) experienced violence before the age of 25—a period when many young adults are navigating life on a college campuses. How domestic violence impacts male college students […]

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OVW Blogs, Sexual Assault, Students, Victim Services/Advocates September 23, 2021

Supporting Hispanic Survivors is Honoring Hispanic Heritage

From September 15 to October 15, communities and campuses around the country celebrate culture and history of Hispanic people are celebrated and honored. September is also Campus Safety Month for colleges and universities, making it a perfect time to shed light on the importance of campuses providing culturally competent resources and support to Latinx and Hispanic students. Creating a safe campus starts with affirming every students’ cultures and lived experience, and that starts with understanding what certain terms we use mean—and what terms students prefer. Though Latinx and Hispanic are often used interchangeably, “Hispanic” broadly refers to people of Spanish-speaking descent, while “Latino/a” (or the more gender-neutral term “Latinx”) refers to residents of the U.S. who trace their ancestry to Latin America. The Impact of Gender Roles Understanding these and other cultural touchstones of Hispanic, Latino, and other communities, campuses can provide effective and culturally appropriate support and resources for Hispanic survivors. A student’s country of origin and generation may have a significant influence on how they respond after experiencing dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Traditional gender roles, machismo, and marianismo, strong family values called familismo, fear of shame, and law enforcement all play significant roles when […]

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Domestic Violence, OVW Blogs, Students September 23, 2021

Return to Campus Safety

Ensuring a safe return to campus for students, faculty, and staff has taken on a new meaning and challenges for college campuses as the COVID-19 pandemic lingers. Campus leaders must balance COVID-19 safety protocols with a pressing need to improve student safety in other areas, including dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Recent research suggests the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent stay-at-home orders significantly weakened financial and social support systems. These stay-at-home orders were particularly devastating for those who experience domestic violence and intimate partner violence at home, as one study found that of those also experiencing violence at home before the onset of the pandemic, nearly 23 percent reported that the violence had worsened. Unemployment and isolation from others have left survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence susceptible to increased violence in the home. The reopening of college campuses provides an opportunity for those individuals experiencing violence at home to escape from their abusers and for campus staff to provide resources for them to escape from abuse permanently. The reopening of campus is an opportunity to provide support for victims of violence, providing a haven from their abusers, as women 18-24 and 25-34 have the highest […]

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Leadership/Administrators, OVW Blogs, Student Conduct Personnel, Victim Services/Advocates June 17, 2021

VICTIM SERVICES AND CONDUCT POLICY ASSESSMENT TOOL

This Assessment Tool is intended to be used after reviewing Integrating Victim Services into Conduct Policies Guide. This case study can be used to assess how integrated victim services is in your institutions’ current domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking (DVSAS) conduct policy. “Se pretende utilizar esta Herramienta de Evaluación tras revisar la Guía de Políticas de Conducta sobre su Integración en los Servicios a la Víctima. Este caso de estudio puede ser utilizado para evaluar el nivel de integración de su institución, los servicios a la víctima y la política de conducta existente sobre la Violencia doméstica, Violencia en la relación de pareja, acoso sexual y acecho (DVSAS).” Download Document descargar documento

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LGBTQ, OVW Blogs June 17, 2021

U.S. Department of Education Confirms Title IX Protects Students from Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights today issued a Notice of Interpretation explaining that it will enforce Title IX’s prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex to include: (1) discrimination based on sexual orientation; and (2) discrimination based on gender identity. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity offered by a recipient of federal financial assistance. The Department’s interpretation stems from the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, issued one year ago this week, in which the Supreme Court recognized that it is impossible to discriminate against a person based on their sexual orientation or gender identity without discriminating against that person based on sex. “The Supreme Court has upheld the right for LGBTQ+ people to live and work without fear of harassment, exclusion, and discrimination – and our LGBTQ+ students have the same rights and deserve the same protections. I’m proud to have directed the Office for Civil Rights to enforce Title IX to protect all students from all forms of sex discrimination,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Today, the Department makes clear that all […]

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