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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

IU makes effort to educate students on sexual assaults

The increased frequency of sexual assaults on college campuses across the country and how said institutions address the issue have sparked a national conversation.

According to the National Institute of Justice, one in 20 women report being raped in college, and many other assaults go unreported to authorities.

In January, President Obama launched the “Not Alone” campaign to raise awareness and start a dialogue. The campaign aims to make educating students on sexual assault a priority across campuses, according to the campaign’s website.

IU-Bloomington, which was included on a list of institutions that may have violated federal law in how they respond to instances of sexual assault. The list released by the federal Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

IU is aiming to improve the university response to the issue.

“I believe the reason why there has been an increase in reports over the past few years is because we are creating an environment where students don’t feel embarrassed to report these incidents,” said Ann Skirvin, a mental health counselor at IU Health Center’s Counseling and Psychological Services.

The Student Welfare Initiative is part of the Office for Civil Rights compliance audit that helps increase awareness around issues of sexual ?violence.

Through this University-wide initiative, the focus is on engaging men in sexual violence protection, conducting surveys to identify trends and gaps and teaching men to respond efficiently and effectively in unsafe situations.

“It’s a privilege to attend a university, so it’s our job to make sure that it maintains a safe environment,” said Leslie Fasone, IU assistant dean of students for women’s and gender affairs.

Additionally, one in 16 men are victims of sexual assault. This rate is also gradually increasing year.

“More women than men report incidents involving sexual assault, but more men are reporting than ever before,” Skirvin said. “The efforts of college campuses and sexual assault services make it easier for students, men and women, to open up about the sexual assault experiences without feeling embarrassed or ashamed of what happened.”

At IU, if a student is a witness to a sexual assault, they are taught to take initiative and get immediate help through the IU Crisis Center as well as emergency services.

“Be an advocate for your friends and peers and look out for one another,” said Michael Rangel, a sophomore and part of the School of Social Work at IU.

With the White House’s “Not Alone” campaign and campuses trying to be advocates for their student body, the next step to finding a solution to sexual assault has to be taken.

“It starts with the school officials,” Skirvin said. “We need to hold the perpetrators accountable and have them taken out of school.”

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