Title IX guarantees students' civil right to an education unimpeded by violence and harassment. Our colleges unabashedly took advantage of our ignorance of our Title IX rights -- and this past year's headlines suggest that our experiences are not unique.
In response to the scrutiny that Amherst College has undergone in the media, they've found it necessary to bring about a new reform to the way they handle sexual misconduct on campus.
Why do so few survivors of sexual assault report their experiences? Many survivors are told that whatever happens to them is their fault, a message which is continually reinforced by friends, media, community groups, and university administrators.
The burden of declaring that you have been wronged is a heavy one, and people cannot be blamed for taking time to get to this conclusion. Instead of forcing a choice or an outcome, what can we as Cornellians do to support victims in arriving at a better place?
The United States Senate is expected to vote soon on reauthorizing the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act. This measure will extend many important programs, and for the first time specifically extend protections to all college campus communities.
If a college culture tolerates and fails to properly investigate, adjudicate, and punish serious sexual misconduct, then it debases campus life, makes a farce of campus "conduct codes," and may leave the college's reputation in ruins.
Sexual violence diminishes the value of the more than $40 billion taxpayers invest in federal student aid for higher education every school year. Many women who are the victim of a completed or attempted rape interrupt or even end their education as a result.
Between one-fifth and one-quarter of all female undergraduates will be the victim of a completed or attempted rape during their college careers.