University administrators, The Center for Health Education and Wellness (CHEW), the Bystander Intervention Training program (BIT) and Charles St. News sponsored the Constructive Q&A Panel on Sexual Assault in Hodson Hall on Wednesday to give students an opportunity to voice their concerns about how the University deals with cases of sexual violence.
CHEW’s Sexual Violence Prevention, Education & Response Coordinator Alyse Campbell, Dean of Student Life Terry Martinez, Associate Dean of Student Life and Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Student Sexual Misconduct Dorothy Sheppard and Assistant Vice Provost and Title IX Coordinator Allison Boyle spoke on the panel.
Representatives from the BIT program gave a short presentation before the panel that focused on rape culture, gender violence and being a positive bystander in the Hopkins community. They said that their goal this semester is to reach every student.
The panelists then reviewed the ways that the University currently responds to sexual assault.
“We’ve been meeting with students in different ways [because] there are some things in the policy that are a little confusing,” Boyle said. “There is more we can do. We want policies and procedures that work for everyone.”
Boyle emphasized that faculty and staff have an obligation to report sexual assaults.
“We want everyone to know their own expectations with reporting [sexual assaults] and where they can go to get help,” Boyle said.
Martinez talked about how the administration’s efforts to reduce alcohol abuse may also positively contribute to efforts against campus sexual assault.
“Our stance is not to eliminate drinking on campus. Our stance is to think about how we reduce dangerous situations on campus,” Martinez said. “We would like [student] feedback on this.”
Martinez also spoke about the Greek Life Summit that she held with fraternity and sorority leaders last semester which helped her gain an understanding of the issues that Greek Life organizations at Hopkins face.
Sheppard reminded the audience of the places on campus — the Health Center, the Counseling Center and the Chaplain’s Office in the Interfaith Center — where students can receive confidential counseling. She also reviewed the process that ensues after a sexual assault is reported to the University.
“We ask the student to let us know what happens,” Sheppard said. “We let them know their rights within the University and Baltimore City police. [Complainants] can bring a support person or legal counsel.”
During these hearings both the accuser and the accused share their sides of the story, and then the board decides on a course of action after enough evidence has been reported. The punishment for students found guilty of sexual misconduct can be anything from a warning to expulsion from the University. Both sides have the right to appeal the decision.
After the review, students directed questions toward the panelists. The discussion got heated, especially when one student questioned the validity of Title IX. Students also asked how much evidence was required in order to convict an accused student and what the minimum punishment is for a convicted perpetrator.
The panelists were adamant in stating that every case is unique and that treating each case in the same way would betray each victim.
“It doesn’t matter when a student wants to start our process. We will look at it,” Sheppard said. “Our responsibility is to our students, and we will support our students. In all of our cases we have never held an assaulted student responsible for drinking.”
Martinez and Boyle both said that changes are happening and that, while they hope these changes can instill more hope in the system, it won’t come immediately.
“We are trying to be more transparent,” Boyle said. “We know you want that.”
Campbell said that she believes the community could do more to help students who have been sexually assaulted.
“There really needs to be a culture of support for survivors,” Campbell said. “I think that culturally we really need to analyze how survivors feel.”
One student also suggested that all students rushing fraternities or sororities should be required to undergo BIT.
When discussing the sexual assault hearings, Sheppard said that a usual hearing on sexual assault has one or two members, which is a change in policy that resulted from student input.
A student amnesty policy was also brought up. In this policy a student who reports a violation would not be held responsible for other illegal misconduct that occured at the time, including underage drinking.
Jacquelyn Campbell, a professor at the School of Nursing, presented a sexual assault survey commissioned by the White House that she is working on. She hopes to achieve a 70 percent on-campus participation rate. The survey will take around 15 minutes and will be launched on March 31 along with a letter from President Ronald J. Daniels.
Audience members also received flyers about bmoresafe, an app developed by the Mercy Medical Center, the closest hospital to the Homewood campus, that conducts sexual assault exams.
“Get medical help, police help, or call a crisis hotline all with the touch of a button. Choose what services are most important to you and get the help you need,” the app’s website reads.
Overall, many students who attended said the panel was informative.
“It was a very interesting introduction to the sexual assault issue,” junior Nikita Singh said. “It was a cool take on the aspect of transparency from the administration.”
Freshman Lindsey Cohen said she was glad to see a diverse group of students in the audience.
“I was surprised that girls and guys were here,” Cohen said. “The panelists were very transparent about what they were saying. They wanted to have a conversation with us.”
Some students said they thought the panel’s responses to student challenges fell short.
“I was excited by the concept of the panel but a little disappointed by the generic answers given,” freshman Jessa Wais said. “Additionally, I was hoping for a larger turnout, considering sexual assault is a huge issue on our campus.”
Freshman Class Senator Kwame Alston also said he was disappointed with the turnout.
“I am very sad about the small turnout,” Alston said. “As a part of SGA I know that a lot of students on campus are upset about this issue. They missed a perfect opportunity to address this situation. I hope that we can do this again with a better turnout.”
