The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault issued its first official report Tuesday since its founding Jan. 22, debuting various resources for colleges and universities across the nation to use in their fight against sexual violence.
At notalone.gov, schools can find guidelines for conducting campus surveys on sex crimes, as well as information on various programs aimed at preventing sexual assault.
Seirra Fowler, health promotion coordinator for the University’s Student Health Center, said she is grateful for the renewed attention the issue is receiving, but noted the University is already ahead of the curve when it comes to efforts to combat sexual assault.
The University’s Lighthouse Program, a subdivision of the Student Health Center established in 2003, offers support and medical services to sexual assault victims across campus.
Fowler said the center’s many features include the services of a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. The SANE program also offers students a free, comprehensive rape kit.
Fowler said one of her favorite aspects of the task force’s report was the multitude of prevention options it suggested.
“In terms of prevention, it’s hard to identify which program is the best program to use,” Fowler said.
However, the University will not be required to utilize the suggested prevention options, nor will it have to take advantage of any of the task force’s resources.
According to the report, the White House is currently exploring legislative options that will mandate colleges and universities to conduct a campus climate survey in 2016. Because many victims of sexual assault do not report their experiences, the climate surveys seek to assess the true breadth of the problem on campuses.
Until then, schools’ compliance could be slim because of the task force’s lack of enforcement authority. The University and Student Health Center have yet to reveal whether they will use the resources on notalone.gov.
“If nothing ever gets done about it, there’s never going to be any progress,” said Courtney Brandabur, psychology junior.
Brandabur is the founder of Girl Warrior, a female empowerment organization that operates on campus.
Though Brandabur said she has been pleased by the campus’ anti-sexual assault initiatives, she said the Lighthouse Program has room for improvement.
Brandabur said the program is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. She argues it should instead be available 24/7 so students can use it when they need it most.