At new student orientation, UConn told us that the school is safe. There is transportation, emergency call posts all around campus, and medical resources for anything you need. It wasn't until I was walking through the student union in November of my first year at UConn when I learned this wasn't exactly accurate. I saw a table of girls who had a petition they asked me to sign. Curious about what I was going to be signing my support for, I asked the girls what it was all about. They explained that UConn doesn't have rape kits or the specific personnel to deal with sexual assault cases. I was horrified. I asked what happens to those who report sexual assault and was told that victims are referred to Windham Hospital in Willimantic, CT (a 20 minute car ride), and sometimes transportation isn't provided, depending on the time of day. I was sick to my stomach. Most students live on campus - without a car; most of these attacks occur after hours – not during business hours; and more often than not, alcohol is involved.
I'd like to see UConn become self-reflective and proactive in terms of how the University handled theses assault cases in the past and how they plan to improve their handling of future cases. Instead of hushing theses incidents and hoping that the fear and shame that victims feel continues to prevent them from reporting them, let's develop an easier and more compassionate reporting process.
However, UConn did get a boost (hmmh, more like a directive) recently when on May 26, 2015, Governor Dan Malloy signed into law – which translate into funding – that UConn must hire specially trained nurses to deal directly with sexual assault victims on the Storrs campus. Also included in this directive, is “UConn rape victims are now treated initially at the university's Storrs campus infirmary, but must then be transported to an off-campus hospital in Willimantic for examination by a forensic nurse," (Hartford Courant). While this a is great step in helping future victims, let's hope that there are not only certain, convenient hours established that victims can seek help, medical or mental, or transportation to the hospital. Also let's hope this leads to more filing of criminal complaints against those who perpetrate such violating, heinous acts against others in our college community.
As I already mentioned above, according to the Hartford Courant, effective as of July 1st 2015, a law signed by Gov. Malloy will allow UConn to hire personal specifically trained in the area of sexual assault situations. This is to eliminate the additional stress and trauma a victim must go through when reporting or getting help after an assault. Snaps for UConn, finally taking some action to protect its students. It is a shame that it took multiple lawsuits against the university in order for this law to be put into place. As the UConn administration and the state of Connecticut do their part in the fight against sexual assault, I think it is important to note that it isn't just the job of the administration, government, police force, student health center; it is everyone's job to eliminate sexual assault on our campus. Reporting the assaults, prosecuting the perpetrators and publicizing the events will inevitably lead to decreasing these incidents. We can no longer make the process more traumatizing, and we can no longer hush these incidents away to protect our school's name – we are all in this together and working together we just may be able to eradicate this behavior and make Storrs, CT, a place I like to call home, not only a great college, but a safe place to live.
