At most United States colleges, sexual assault complaints are addressed on a case-by-case basis. They can lead either to a thorough investigation by school officials or, more commonly, a misunderstanding of the case’s severity. Now, after a number of assaults didn’t end in punishment for the aggressors, 16 students at Yale University are standing up against their school’s inefficient administrators who they say are quick to bypass sexual abuse charges even in light of mounting sexual harassment on campus.
Luckily, the complaints have led to Yale has formed a committee to address sexual abuse. But the students’ decisions to address a lack of attention to sex abuse victims begs the question, are administrators at Boston University doing everything they can to ensure students are safe from the mounting sexual aggression that defines college life?
While it’s true that the number of forcible sex offenses have decreased in recent years on campus, it’s not wise for the BU Police Department to assume this means less forcible sex offenses have actually been committed. At BU, a number of resources have been made available to address the aftermath of sex abuse but not necessarily the prevention of aggression. Student Health Services and the Women’s Resource Center are both helpful, private places to victims to go to receive treatment or speak with someone. But with the help of BUPD, BU should try to implement preventative measures first.
While blue light emergency phones have been installed throughout campus, it’s naive to assume they can monumentally improve student safety, especially on weekends when students flood off-campus areas such as Allston and Brighton. The escort service BUPD provides also repels many undergraduates under 21. BUPD does a great job of alerting students of the incidents that occur on or around campus via email or alert, however, students don’t necessarily read or listen. Thus BU’s services, while beneficial, are not as effective as they can be.
At orientation, incoming freshmen are lectured on the importance of safety and urged to utilize the services BU offers. But after that first information session, personal safety takes a back seat. Although it is difficult to engage the BU community with ways they can prevent safety abuse, the administration should make it a priority to continue educating students.
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