As another year passes, since the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA)/Campus SaVE Act, institutions of higher education across the country continue to grapple with meeting significant requirements specified by VAWA. New reporting, policy and training requirements have been met with challenge as many colleges continue to search for resources and try to meet the task of creating the infrastructure to assist in compliance.
VAWA requires colleges and universities to:
- Report domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking
- Adopt student discipline procedures, such as notifying victims of their rights
- Adopt institutional policies to address and prevent campus sexual violence
- Offer primary prevention and awareness programs to promote understanding of rape, acquaintance rape, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; explain appropriate bystander interventions; and
- Communicate institutional policies and disciplinary action for dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
This month we are providing an additional resource for requirement number four.A 2016 campus sexual assault study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that as many as one in four women and one in fourteen men experience sexual assault during college,. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network reports that college-aged women are four times more likely than any other age group to experience sexual assault.Sexual assault is a growing concern on college campuses nationwide as thousands of incidents are reported every year with even more going unreported. At the root cause of this behavior we have found that there is a lack of education and accurate information concerning this topic. Many programs on the market primarily target four year institutions.
As institutions are considering starting and utilizing programs, here is a list of elements that need to be included:
- promote the awareness of rape, acquaintance rape, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking
- a statement that the institution prohibits these offenses
- the definition of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the institute’s jurisdiction
- the definition of consent in reference to sexual activity
- safe and positive options for bystander intervention
- information on risk reduction to recognize warning signs of abusive behavior
“3E – Campus Safety” is a program to assist colleges nationwide with tackling this important topic by giving them the ability to Educate, Empower, and Enforce. Our top priority is helping institutions provide a safe environment that is conducive to learning and one in which students can thrive. As a result of this commitment, we have developed a proactive course which covers how to prevent, recognize, and report acts of sexual assault.“3E – Campus Safety” is a web-based platform that not only meets the objectives of the education component of the VAWA/Campus SaVE Act but also provides:
- Pre-and post- tests to demonstrate the effectiveness of the steps that your institution has taken
- A backend completion verification method, which can be used for student accountability
- Requirements for students to have a proficient level of knowledge before allowing completion
Regardless of the program or path you take to meet the education component of the new safety requirements, it is important to remember that time is of the essence to ensure that sexual violence doesn’t undermine your institution’s educational mission.For more information on VAWA: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/10/20/2014-24284/violence-against-women-act
If you’d like to learn more about the 3-E curriculum or participate in a training webinar, contact Atiya Canley at [email protected]