Temple University has issued a report 7 months in the making listing a number of major recommendations to improve the way the university handles and prevents sexual misconduct cases.
Over the course of that time, the Presidential Committee on Campus Sexual Misconduct, chaired by College of Public Health Laura Smirnoff, worked to determine and develop strategies to ensure Temple remains a safe environment for all students, and to further understand current policies in place. The committee included deans, professors, and even several undergraduate students.
As a result of this research, a new website was created to act as a resource for students to learn about incident reporting, support services, resources, and policies to better protect themselves and those around them.
The site includes a list of locations on campus to report sexual misconduct, including what services/assistance are provided at those avenues, as well as all of the policies, statistics, prevention initiatives, and definitions of terms such as consent, stalking, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and more.
An instance of ignored sexual harassment by a university official was brought to light last school year in a piece written by The Temple News, investigating the sexual harassment of a student athlete. The student reported being sexually harassed by one of her coaches to the former head coach of track and field Eric Mobley, who promptly told the athlete to "handle her business," according to The Temple News.
Across the country, instances of sexual misconduct have become more and more prevalent in the media. At Columbia, student Emma Sulkowicz carried a mattress around campus to protest her university's response (or lack thereof) to her alleged sexual assault.
The mattress has become a symbol of the weight sexual assault victims carry, and how their experiences remain with them long after the assault is over.
This fall, Temple is implementing a mandatory online sexual misconduct training program for sophomores, juniors, and seniors to further educate students about what constitutes sexual misconduct and how to go about reporting it. A number of other recommendations were made by the committee, including a centralized misconduct office that would oversee the expansion of educational offerings, support for victims, and more.
At present, President Theobald has not approved the sexual misconduct office as he believes, "we have the capacity and skills needed to oversee these efforts without creating another administrative office at Temple. I commit that if my judgment proves incorrect, I will revisit this recommendation."
According to the statistics tab on the site, the number of reported instances of sexual misconduct on main campus are fairly low, however that is not to say that because these incidents are not being reported that they are not happening.
According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, 68 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to police, and 98 percent of rapists will never spend a day in jail.
If you are someone you know has been a victim of sexual misconduct, stalking,or dating or domestic violence, know your options. There are several ways to report these crimes, including informal complaints, formal complaints, and confidential complaints.
There are multiple resources available to victims of sexual misconduct, and support for those reeling from those incidents.
You do not need to be a part of the 68 percent.
For more information, visit Temple University's Sexual Misconduct Resources.
