Intersectionality, Education, and Advocacy against Sexual Violence (original) (raw)

No More Silence: How Federal Policies Address the Culture of Sexual Violence on College Campuses

2016

Performance (Carry that Weight) with an accompanying short film Ceci N'est Pas Un Viol (This is not a Rape). The purpose of this project was to create change and shed light on the injustice of her experience, which tragically is not individual or unique. 4 Across the United States sexual violence is a serious issue on college and university campuses. One in five students will experience sexual violence during their college years and one in four women will face sexual violence in their lifetime. 5,6,7,8 The biggest problem is the disconnect between the ideals and priorities of college administrators and the ideals and priorities of students. 9 College administrations often fail to deal with the problem of sexual violence in a number of consistent ways: insufficient reprimands of student perpetrators, inadequate protection of the rights of student victims, false and inaccurate reporting of crime and assault statistics to the federal government, and complacency when dealing with Title IX policy implementation. 10,11,12 Through working on the Sexual Assault Taskforce at Sarah Lawrence

Lessons as a prevention intern: Eliminating sexual violence through school-based programs

International journal of undergraduate research and creative activities, 2020

Sexual violence is so prevalent that every 73 seconds another person in America is sexually assaulted. Motivated by this statistic, I chose to complete my senior practicum at the Sexual Assault Resource Center, which provides advocacy and support services, including crisis intervention and counseling, for survivors of sexual violence. My goals for my time with SARC included developing knowledge and skills related to being a trauma therapist, learning about how a nonprofit operates, and gaining an understanding of sex education and sexual violence prevention programs. As a Sexual Assault Advocate and Education and Prevention Intern at SARC, my primary responsibilities involved providing direct advocacy services to survivors, delivering educational workshops, and presenting prevention curriculum in schools. As a result of my participation, I became interested in researching school-based prevention strategies and programs aimed at reducing sexual violence, as well as their focus areas, strengths, and limitations. My research and practicum experience reframed the way I viewed prevention work, provided insight into effective prevention strategies, and reminded me of why I believe so strongly in early prevention education to reduce sexual violence.

Syllabus: Special Topics in Women's & Gender Studies: Campus Sexual Violence

DESCRIPTION: Colleges and universities are heralded as sites of intellectual freedom, upward mobility, and personal development. However, campuses across the country are also home to sexual assault, harassment, exploitation, and violence. Despite increased attention from politicians, administrators, and student activists, the prevalence of campus sexual violence remains stagnant. This course asks how can feminist theories and evidence-based strategies prevent sexual violence at institutions of higher education in the 21 st century United States? We will consider sexual violence as an interpersonal and institutional problem that is inherently interconnected with gender, sexuality, race, and power. We will analyze the role of policy, education, and activism in sexual violence prevention, as well as related issues such as justice, alcohol, and technology. While grounded in feminist theories, this course will also draw upon the disciplines of social science, public health, and education. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Identify and understand risk and protective factors for campus sexual violence 2. Apply feminist theories to campus sexual violence prevention methods 3. Analyze sexual violence prevention methods through evidence-based research, best practices in the field, and feminist activism 4. Create their own intervention, informed by research and feminist theories, to prevent campus sexual violence

Sexual Violence in and around the Classroom

Teaching Theology & Religion, 2017

Sexual violence on campus is a major issue facing students, faculty, and administrators, and institutions of higher education are struggling to respond. This forum brings together three responses to the problem, with a focus on the religious studies classroom. The responses move from the institution to the faculty to the classroom, exploring three separate but linked spaces for responding to sexual violence. The first contribution (Graybill) critiques common institutional responses to sexual violence. The second contribution (Minister) advocates for long-term, classroom-based responses to sexual violence and describes a faculty/staff workshop response. The third contribution (Lawrence) emphasizes the classroom, examining the issues that arise when perpetrators of sexual assault are part of the student body. Read together, the pieces offer a comprehensive view of the complicated intersections of sexual violence, the university, and pedagogical issues in religious studies.

The Pedagogical Survey: Engaging First Year College Students in Discussion About Sex and Sexual Gender Roles

2017

The often cited and criticized statistic stating one in four college women will be a victim of some form of assault while in college (Koss, 1985) has regained traction over the last several years due, in part, to renewed efforts by the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to redefine Title IX and place many high profile schools under investigation. While laws such as Title IX, The Campus SaVE Act, The Violence Against Women Act and Office of Civil rights guidance documents have sought to force colleges and universities to address the issue, they fall short of addressing the root causes of gender-based violence. This additional piece could help us make the cultural shift away from acceptance of the inevitability of gender-based violence. Sexual immaturity and adherence to outdated and unhealthy gender roles related to sex could be factors that contribute to gender-based violence. Most high school students in the United States are not required to receive sex education. Thu...

Addressing Sexual Violence as Student Affairs Work

New Directions for Student Services, 2018

In this chapter, we outline the challenges campuses face in addressing sexual violence and Title IX compliance. We argue that there are critical roles for student affairs professionals in Title IX work in developing effective campus sexual violence prevention and response strategies.

“Good People with Good Intentions”: Deconstructing A Post-Secondary Institution’s Sexual Violence Policy Construction

2021

This exploratory study investigates the expertise of committee members tasked with constructing sexual violence policies within a post-secondary institution (PSI) and the constraints under which they complete this work. Our findings indicate that allocated committees prioritize institutional risk management, normalize confusion, and most members have little or no understanding of the intersectionality of violence. These findings contextualize PSI’s failure to address structural violence. Our recommendations urge PSIs to include subject experts, consult with existing service providers, and integrate research on the intersectionality of sexualized violence within their policy and program construction.