June 2015 After a flurry of springtime acceptance letters, first year students now know where they are heading for college this fall. For many young people this summer is a period of planning, excitement and trepidation—a next step they have been looking forward to and an opportunity that is filled with uncertainties. Will they get […]
Finding Equity and Empowerment in the Adjudication Process
June 2015 Over the last few years, colleges and universities have achieved a strong consensus about our sexual assault prevention agenda: define the scope of the issue through research, prevent its occurrence by educating the community, respond quickly and effectively when it does occur, and increase transparency and consistency of enforcement. These tasks certainly are our baseline, but […]
Paving the Path to Graduation
May 2015 It is a month of great excitement on college campuses. Graduation season is here and for most students whose four-year path to their diploma has been smooth and uninterrupted, it is a time to celebrate academic achievement. But during the thrill of commencement, we must also contemplate the estimated one in five women […]
Let’s Make April Last All Year
April 2015 “Feeling comfortable and supported when speaking out about sexual assault.” “Ensuring a safe environment for all.” “To listen, not to judge.” “Respect yourself. Respect others.” These are just some of the ways college students defined, in pictures and videos, what a Culture of Respect looks like on their campuses. These student submissions were posted on social […]
The Student Voice in Sexual Assault Awareness Month
March 2015 Before 2014, a group of students carrying a mattress around their college campus might have looked like a prank or the result of a dreaded bed bug infestation. Now, the country knows it as a symbol of sexual violence survivor support and empowerment. This transformation started as a single piece of art and […]
International Women’s Day
March 2015 Sunday, March 8th, is International Women’s Day, a time to reflect upon the work that women around the world have done to gain social acceptance in their communities and beyond. In light of this event, we would like to consider the myriad identities, some overt and others hidden, that influence how women move […]
Positive Intimacy, Creating a Culture of Respect
February 2015 Happy Valentine’s Day – we think it is a perfect day to talk to our family and friends on college campuses about positive intimacy. This means clear and honest communication; reciprocal, enthusiastic consent and, of course, mutual respect. In today’s (2/13/15) New York Times, Culture of Respect responds to Judith Shulevitz’s Op-Ed. We […]
Making Sense of Dueling Data
January 2015 Dueling data and competing claims around the issue and incidence of campus sexual assault has garnered national attention. Critics of efforts to address campus sexual assault cite statistics that contradict the widely-cited Department of Justice “one-in-five,” claiming that sexual assault at America’s colleges and universities is extremely rare. To understand this controversy and […]
Setting a Standard in Transparency
January 2015 Culture of Respect exists to eradicate campus sexual assault. At the heart of making change around the issue of campus sexual assault is the kind of transparency that Culture of Respect advocates in our CORE Blueprint. Transparency is a critical element of the CORE Blueprint’s Six-Pillar Strategy and embodies a school’s willingness to understand […]
CLEAR FOCUS: Keeping Our Sights on Change
December 2014 Although journalistic missteps have grabbed attention of late, a recent Rolling Stone article detailing a dramatic incident of campus rape at UVA has, nevertheless, exposed a lack of clear sanctions regarding sexual misconduct at the school. On the UVA campus, the article and resulting media attention prompted more survivors of campus sexual assault to come […]