Local public figures deliver meals to elderly
October 14, 2014
A voice to sing with, a willingness to share
October 14, 2014In response to national legislation, local institutions of higher learning Nicholls State University and Fletcher Technical Community College have revamped their sexual assault policies.
Last year, president Barack Obama signed into law the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination (SaVE) Act as part of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
The Campus SaVE Act amended the Clery Act of 1965, increasing transparency on campus about incidents of sexual violence, guaranteeing victims’ enhanced rights, setting standards for disciplinary proceedings and requiring campuswide prevention and education programs.
The VAWA strengthened and reauthorized the original act in 1994. It allows victims to access resources they need to help heal from their trauma and better equips law enforcement officers to stop violence before it starts.
Additionally, District 3 State Sen. JP Morrell (D-New Orleans) announced earlier this month that she is establishing a working group to develop and recommend policy changes regarding sexual assault at all Louisiana university campuses.
“Currently, there is no statewide policy regarding sexual violence at higher education institutions,” Morrell said in a release. “The goal of this working group will be to draft sensible and comprehensive standards for reporting and handling assaults on our campuses.”
The first meeting of the working group is today in Baton Rouge, and Morrell plans to have potential legislation identified before December and have working drafts done before February 2015 – ahead of the 2015 Regular Legislative Session.
Dr. Eugene Dial, Nicholls associate professor of education and vice president for student affairs and enrollment services, said if Morrell’s legislation is in compliance with the Campus SaVE Act then it should have no trouble meeting expectations on the local level because prior to Morrell’s announcement, both of the bayou district’s institutions of higher learning did their part to abide by national guidelines. Nicholls changed its policies to reflect them by July, and Fletcher did so by September.
“The requirements are very thorough and very comprehensive,” Dial said.
Fletcher Executive Director of Institutional Advancement Jessica Thornton said prior to the policy being implemented, there wasn’t a stand-alone sexual assault policy at the college.
“Thus far there have been zero instances of sexual assault reported at Fletcher. We are striving to continue this in the future,” she said. “More importantly, we want all students to always feel comfortable when they are on campus and to be educated or informed on ways to prevent sexual violence.”
Dial said there were six reports of sexual assaults on campus between 2009 and 2013. He added that the biggest thing the revamped policy does is it makes clearer the process of addressing reported sexual assaults on campus.
“The university is going to clearly focus on the victim and the needs of the victim which we had done in the past but we needed to make it more clear and the wishes and the concurs of the victim while also perusing the administrative and criminal investigations on the matter,” he said. “ … I don’t think it’s been any more of an issue than it’s been in the past but one’s too many because you’re dealing with a dynamic group of people. You have new people that come into the campus environment literally on a daily basis whether it’s visitors or students or faculty or staff.”
Dial said institutions like Nicholls have an ongoing responsibility to stop sexual assaults before they happen, so every incoming student, as well as all faculty and staff members, must complete an online education and prevention awareness program. This is in compliance with the Campus SaVE Act’s requirement of a campus-wide prevention and education program.
“We have to assure that every student has been provided the basic information about what is the law, what is permissible, what is respectable conduct, what’s not, what are the consequences and then of course we want people to know what are the services available,” he explained.
In Spring 2015, Fletcher will implement a comprehensive education program for students. This program will encompass all legally required education components.
— richard@rushing-media.com
