- How often does rape or sexual assault happen?
- In 2005 more than 300,000 women and 90,000 men reported being raped in the past 12 months.
- 1 in 4 women ages 15 – 23 will be a victim of rape or attempted rape.
- 1 in 10 men will be a victim of sexual assault.
- Can we prevent rape by avoiding attackers or dangerous places?
- 85% of rape victims know their attackers.
- 57% of acquaintance rapes happen while on dates.
- Nearly 6 out of 10 sexual assaults occur at the victim's home or the home of a friend, relative, or neighbor.
- 16% of male college students who committed rape took part in episodes that involved more than one attacker.
- How often is rape reported truthfully?
- According to the FBI, 98% of rape allegations turn out to be true.
- 42% of rape survivors never tell anyone about the incident.
- Only 5% report the attack to the police
Source: Ball State University Counseling Center
As a part of the Campus SaVE Act, university employees will now have to take a mandatory online training course on rape, acquaintance rape, domestic violence and dating violence.
Eliminate Campus Sexual Violence course will be interactive, and include quizzes and articles employees can work through. There is also a copy of the sexual assault policy in the program that they are required to read.
The Campus SaVE Act requires universities to be open about sexual violence acts and it requires universities to educate new students and faculty on sexual violence. The act, which went into effect March 2013, also guarantees victim rights and sets standards for disciplinary actions.
“It’s important to make sure we are truly committed to having a safe and secure campus,” Williams said. “We feel it’s the right thing for us to do, so that everyone is aware of the topics that have to be covered under the Campus SaVE Act.”
According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2012, 19 percent of college women reported someone attempting to sexually assault them, while in college.
Williams said they have done some sexual assault training for employees before, but this program will be more inclusive and give more information.
The program started with new employees in August, as required by the Campus SaVE Act. Williams said after all new employees go through the training, almost 4,500 people will take it over the span of two years. All faculty members will go through training by July 2016.
“We are pleased that we have the support of the board of trustees, who will be going through the training too,” Williams said. “This helps us ensure that we’re always working to make sure everyone receives information and is working toward the same goal to have a safe campus for all.”
The training will take an estimated 90 minutes to complete, but is self-paced, so employees can go through it at the speed they want to.
Advisors, teachers and mentors might be some of the most trusted adults student’s have, and they are often the ones students will confide in after an assault, according to the American Association of University Professors. Faculty also might be the first adults to notice a change in behavior after an assault, and they can encourage the student to talk to someone about it.
Faculty could then be considered the first responders, but few faculty members think they are educated enough to fit the part for that role, according to the American Association of University Professors.
Allison Wynbissinger, victim advocate, said some benefits of employees being trained are that they will be better equipped to handle the dynamics of sexual assault, and their response to students who have been assaulted may be better.
"If they have no knowledge or experience about sexual assault ... they might have ideas in their head from what they've seen," Wynbissinger said. "If someone comes to them and is reacting differently than what they thought, it might be re-victimizing if they're questioning the student or doubting them or blaming them for how it happened."
She said if employees are unaware of how to approach the topic, they might end up asking questions like "were you drinking?" or "what were you wearing?" and further victimize the student.
Wynbissinger said if students are unaware of resources they have, like the counseling center or a victim advocate, employees would be able to refer them to those resources if they can't give them the help they need.
New students had to take a similar course before they came to campus in August, and Katie Slabaugh, Title IX coordinator for the university, said they had positive responses from it.
"[Students] said … they learned a lot and that this had real life, real time college student themes woven into it,” Slabaugh said. “It was an engaging exercise for them, and they said they learned a lot.”
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