Submission: Resolution would help clarify sexual assault policies

In the three months since 7,000 in Solidarity: A Campaign Against Sexual Assault launched on UCLA’s campus, I’ve received more than 60 responses and stories from sexual assault survivors – all Bruins – both current students and alumni.

Their experiences came in by email, in response to the campaign’s Google form, and in drop bys to the Student Wellness Commission office, Kerckhoff Hall 308. Some stories began with “I’ve never told anyone this before, but …” Many people spoke of their assault at the
hands of close friends, respected student leaders and even admired faculty. But, most dishearteningly, many talked about how they were shamed and blamed for their own sexual assault by friends, classmates, roommates, professors, nurses, police officers, faculty members and others in the Bruin family they thought were meant to protect them – they felt assaulted twice. These survivors took a chance and broke their silence, and for that, those of us who are a part of the campaign are forever grateful and honored.

Though not in the news for public mishandlings like Occidental College or USC, many members of the UCLA community have come forward with stories of mistreatment by those who were supposed to help them, a problem that continues to threaten the safety and health of our students. Meeting the minimum standards of the law is no longer enough: It’s time for UCLA to go above and beyond the call of duty, and become a model of excellence in terms of how we handle cases of sexual assault.

On Tuesday, “A Resolution in Support of UC-Wide Title IX Education, Sexual Assault Policy Reform and Sexual Assault Resource Improvement” will come to the Undergraduate Students Association Council table as a measure to fix, clarify and add to UCLA’s sexual assault policies in hopes of preventing more stories like the many I receive each week. The resolution calls for the UCLA Dean of Students to elaborate on its definition of consent, add a clause explicitly protecting students – including undocumented students – from police involvement against their will and add a Medical Amnesty and Good Samaritan clause to protect survivors of sexual assault and witnesses from being punished for being under the influence of illegal substances.

In the measure, UCLA’s Title IX coordinator is also called upon to publish an annual report of all the sexual assaults and sexual harassments reported to their office and the disciplinary action sought in each case. In order for survivors to empower and advocate for themselves during their reporting process, the resolution also requires UCLA’s Title IX Coordinator create an extensive social media and marketing campaign to educate students on their Title IX, Clery Act and Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act rights, as well as sexual assault resources available to them on campus and in the surrounding L.A. community. In addition to policy changes, the resolution calls for increased funding to arguably one of the greatest resources for survivors on campus, the UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services Campus Assault Resource Education (CARE), program and support from administrative offices to implement a UCLA version of the White House-endorsed Circle of 6 safety application.

These steps are called for based off the experiences of survivors on this campus and feedback generated by students to the campaign. Some of this feedback came from the sponsors of this resolution, which include CARE SOS, Social Awareness Network for Activism through Art (SANAA) and UCLA Student Worker’s Union (UAW Local 2865) – who view these steps as practical, and a necessary effort to put UCLA ahead of the fold.

Ultimately, should it pass, this resolution would be just the first step towards fostering a safer and more positive campus climate. But in order for this measure to serve as an effective means of changing how students view and respond to sexual assault, a cultural shift must first take place with our administration. We need to be proactive, rather than reactive. Furthermore, by taking an aggressive approach to eradicating a culture of silence on our campus, we can make UCLA a safer and more beloved environment for its students.

By being proactive in our approach to sexual assault, by not just settling for compliance, UCLA can be a model – not only for other universities’ administrations to look to for the best practices, but also for other survivors to show their administrations that UCLA listened to its students’ pleas for change and worked together to create a safer campus. The ability to effect change on the campus we all love so dearly is in our hands, and we owe it to our fellow Bruin survivors to fight sexual assault on our campus head on.

Badalich is the USAC Student Wellness commissioner.