Campus Safety & Accountability

DESIGNATING & TRAINING PERSONNEL PROPOSAL

By: Nancy N. FrishkornCalifornia University of PennsylvaniaStudent Affairs Services/Higher Education

“Institutions have an obligation to provide appropriate support services to victims of sexual assault and rape and should engage in prevention activities to avoid problems.”

(Patrick, 2014)

On July 30,2014 a new bill, the Campus Safety and Accountability Act, was proposed in response to sexual assault and violence on college campus’ nationwide. Federal laws

are being blamed for encouraging under reporting at universities; failure of universities to address this problem publically has also been labelled as a lack of “incentive.” This bill will make all universities accountable using public incident reporting as well as

Title IX & Clery Penalties.

A Call To Action

5 Proactive Steps Required by Law

1. Campus Resources & Support Services• Confidential reporting• Coordinate support and accommodation• Offer guidance and assistance for reporting

2. Provide training for on-campus personnel • Understand the nature of the crimes

• lasting effects on survivors3. Distribute anonymous surveys annually

• Submit to Dept. of Education4. Coordinate all reporting with local law enforcement 5. Compliance mandated by Clery Act Violation of Title IX (Bipartisan, 2014)

What are the barriers?It’s not just training and reporting, it’s willingness to report…

Hollister et al,2014 conducted a survey using the Campus Connectedness Scale (CCS)

“Of the sample, 157 students (35%) reported observing threatening behaviors on campus. Of these 157 students, 56 (36%) indicated willingness to report in the majority of vignettes and 101 (65%) indicated unwillingness to report.

Of the overall sample, 293 students (65%) did not report seeing concerning actions on campus. Of these 293 students, 138 (47%) demonstrated willingness to report in the majority of vignettes and 155 (53%) demonstrated unwillingness to report”

WHY?

“Students with greater trust in campus services and connection to campus were more willing to report, while students reporting engagement in delinquent activity were less willing to report.”

Coordinating reporting with law enforcement could prove problematic“these individuals indicated lack of trust in the ability of police to intervene and make accurate

interpretations of fault related to their decisions to not report (Thompson et al., 2007)

Also, not wanting “anyone to know,” the “offender to get in trouble,” or personal shame or embarrassment

were related to unwillingness to report “ (Hollister et al, 2014)

“Standards of how others are included or treated will heavily influence the degree to which ALL the member believe they are valued

and benefit from their association” (Patrick, 2014)

Law Enforcement & Sense of Community

To Protect & Serve: a 60 year slogan and a new outlook for all

Campus and local police are often feared by students due in part to improper social educationand media coverages of video and images portraying cultural bias and excessive force.

Improvements in relations and building trust can be accomplished by:

Community outreach programs on and off campus Meet & greet functions on campus where students and officers/security can

openly discuss their concerns and intentions for campus safety

Fundraising events to supply all police with live feed video recording equipmentPersonal interactions during class hours that promote accountability & safety

Informational forums available online including postings of relevant occurrences and reports

Coordinating reports and programs through NASPA could benefit the nation!

It takes time to find out what programs work, how much they cost, and decide if they should continue or be removed. There are many different institutions that will be required to meet the demands of this new bill; sharing information and having program descriptions

available could benefit everyone, students and institutions alike. Currently, only 2100 institutions participate in NASPA

This is out of (at a minimum) 4599 degree granting institutions

1729 2 yr. institutions 2870 4 yr. institutions and

2422 <2 yr. institutions (Fast Facts 2011 report)

That’s nearly 12,000 institutions across the United States alone yet only 5% are represented using NASPA-if administrators participated reports could be shared!

NASPA-National Association of Student Personnel Administrators

Proposed Solution:“highly involved students (e.g., residence hall advisors, student organization leaders) could be trained by campus authorities to lead peer education meetings.” (Hollister et al, 2014)

“…participants considered emotional support provision to be a critical service goal priority across all service types. Social support and self-care service strategies were deemed less important.” (Macy et al,2011)

Education and emotional support appear to be a priority….Where do we start?

Karen M VanDeusen MSW has propsed a psychoeducational support group for female survivorsusing an intervention model that:

“allows survivors at various levels of healing to gain information about common sexual assault effects, rape myths, and coping strategies, and to explore their feelings and thoughts in a

safe environment.”

But aren’t we forgetting someone? In a 1994-96 National survey Elizabeth-Monk Turner and David Light found that of the 219 male responders less than 5% sought help…

“The odds of seeking counseling for men who reported being penetrated had significantly lower odds of seeking counseling all else equal.”

Even the new bill fails to address ALL STUDENTS EQUALLY which may be under representative ofThe ACTUAL needs of the students.

And it’s not only men:

“Certain minority ethnic groups (e.g., Black, Hispanic, American Indian) weremore likely to experience victimization than other participants. ….but In college samples, ethnicity has appeared unrelated to reporting of preincident behavior”(Hollister et al, 2014).

Who do we need to help?

Minority groups extend far beyond skin color or ethnicity…inclusion is paramount!Accommodations should be considered for:

• Exchange student/English as a second language• Deaf or hearing Impaired• Physically disadvantaged

• All SES• All ages• LGBTQ

• Every year for each class level

“Students learn better when their cultural identities are incorporated into their academic lives.” (Patrick, 2014)

Retention MUST be a priority! This may sound like a big order, but remember there WILL be a test!

“This new annual survey will be standardized and anonymous, with the results published online so that

parents and high school students can make an informed choice when comparing universities.”

(NASPA, 2014)

Who would best serve in this capacity?

“The establishment of peer relations and the development of role modelsand mentors have been defined in the literature as important factors in

student integration…”(Patrick, 2014)

Graduate and Professional Student Services:Incorporate a new program congruent with campus culture to build professional development programs that will serve to accommodate the need for immediate judicial affairs and relations

while incorporating support services for assault victims.

Coordination with:

LGBTQ ServicesLocal law authoritiesAthletic Departments

Multicultural Affairs OfficeWomen’s center (if applicable)

Office of Student with Disabilities Health services both on and off campusCampus Chaplains and religious services

Becoming the Change Agents on Campus: providing social justice and advocacy

Aspiring Counselors during internship levels provide direct engagements:

School counselorsAthletic counselors

Mental health counselors

The literature suggests that many victims are likely to “attempted to resolve the situation individually (47%) or with the assistance of friends or family 32.1%...of those seeking some sort of

help, most sought assistance from friends (90.2%), parents (29.3%), residence hall advisors (12.2%), or police (7.3%).” (Buhi et al., 2009)

To improve the trust and relations within the campus community “social integration and sense of community are linked to persistence in college.”

(Patrick, 2014)

Proposed requirements for Support Service on-campus personnel

Graduate students having been recommended by multicultural professorsMinimum GPA for graduate assistant or internship credit

Background Checks, FBI ClearanceProfessional Code of Ethics (CACREP)

Possible requirement if change in curriculum to accommodate needs of institution

“The goal of training is to enhance individual’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes to serve the organization by being able to respond to particular situations, manage change, and support

organizational effectiveness.” (Patrick, 2014)

Example of possible duties:Coordinate with outside professional services and provide confidential counseling

Organize free events in their specific arena (i.e. athletics, music and school)Student teaching of preapproved psychoeducational materials to large groups

Emotional support across all dimensions:

Establish and open door policy for anyone to report or seek counseling and supportAnonymity offered to all observers and victims to reduce fear of repercussion or bias

Incentives for completing surveys Sense of community across cultural barriers

Availability 24 hours a day to an email address Or call center during crisis

how do we provide anonymity for someone who wants services, or wants to make a report

but does not want to provide… their true identity?

Virtual Culture

“Impression management is marked by gender, race, ethnicity, and social class consciousness”(Patrick, 2014)

Free serviceThe primary goal: offer emotional support

Completely anonymous phone calls for reporting or counseling servicesSynchronous and Video counseling: Skype from the privacy of your room

Reduce fear of exposure or bias for entering health centerContribute to emotional well being of student on need

(Consent to treat could be signed upon admission in case services are ever needed; electronic consent could be provided during request for Skype session)

References:

Bipartisan Group of Senators Introduce Campus Safety and Accountability Act. (2014, July 30). Retrieved August 2, 2014, from http://www.naspa.org/rpi/posts/bipartisan-group-of-senators-introduce-campus-safety-and-accountability-act

Buhi, E., Clayton, H., & Surrency, H. (2009). Stalking victimization among college women and subsequent help-seeking behaviors. Journal Of American College Health, 57(4), 419-426. doi:10.3200/JACH.57.4.419-426

Fast Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved August 2, 2014, from http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=84

Hollister, B., Scalora, M., Hoff, S., & Marquez, A. (2014). Exposure to preincident behavior and reporting in college students. Journal Of Threat Assessment And Management, 1(2), 129-143. doi:10.1037/tam0000015

Macy, Rebecca J.; Johns, Natalie; Rizo, Cynthia F.; Martin, Sandra L.; Giattina, Mary . Domestic violence and sexual assault service goal priorities. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol 26(16), Nov 2011, 3361-3382. doi: 10.1177/0886260510393003

Monk-Turner, Elizabeth; Light, David . Male sexual assault and rape: Who seeks counseling?; Sexual Abuse: Journal of Research and Treatment, Vol 22(3), Sep 2010, 255-265. doi: 10.1177/1079063210366271

Patrick, J. (2014) PowerPoint slideshow. California University of Pennsylvania

VanDeusen, Karen M.; Carr, Joetta L. Group Work at the University: A Psychoeducational Sexual Assault Group for Women. Social Work with Groups: A Journal of Community and Clinical Practice, Vol 27(4), 2004, 51-63. doi: 10.1300/J009v27n04_05