For the second time in a week, the chance to discuss sexual assault on the University of Oregon campus drove a wide swath of people to Lawrence 115. This time, people packed the lecture hall to support a faculty senate resolution meant to create a task force to lead the school through the issue.
People from nearly every realm of the university spoke on a resolution titled “A Task Force to End Sexual Violence and Support Survivors.” Students, faculty and administrators approached the microphones with their respective two cents, and nearly all spoke to inevitable changes ahead. Proposed changes include mandatory classes for all freshmen focused on teaching sexual violence awareness and changes to the student conduct code.
Some speakers re-lived past frustrations. Carol Stabile, a professor of women’s and gender studies, recounted an instance when she arrived at the university and saw shirtless fraternity brothers roaming campus in the back of a flatbed truck with the words “tits” and “vag” painted on their chests. One student in Fraternity and Sorority Life said she was approached the same day by a non-student on campus and told the way she dressed was “asking to be raped.”
The senate resolution comes on the heels of last Wednesday’s university senate meeting where President Michael Gottfredson promised to make the UO a leader in quelling sexual assaults on campus.
Stabile, who is also the director of the Center for the Study of Women in Society, called Gottfredson’s statements to the faculty senate last week “over-rehearsed.” She also said the administration should not be the only party in charge of addressing sexual assault.
“We need an investigation that is fully independent of the influence of big sports or the Greek system,” Stabile said. “We need an investigation that asks the hard questions about system breakdowns in our policies, procedures and campus climate. And then we need to look the answer in the face, publicly and bravely. Anything less just isn’t going to cut it.”
Within the resolution is a proposal for a task force that would work closely with the UO Board of Trustees, the ASUO, the university president and the university senate to report and recommend policy changes.
The task force would consist of two elected members of the university senate, a person nominated by the UO Coalition to End Sexual Violence, two students and a member of the administration. The resolution is sponsored by sociology professor Michael Dreiling.
Still, speakers pleaded for more support. Though alleged actions of three members of the men’s basketball program in early March provided a lightning rod for the issue, many insist sexual assault has run amok at the UO and on campuses nationwide, and has been for some time.
Jennifer Freyd, a psychology professor who has helped spur demonstrations on the Johnson Hall lawn for the past month, read a letter from December 2012 portending a sexual assault problem at UO.
“Currently, the University of Oregon fails to comply with its obligations under Title IX regarding sexual harassment and its discriminatory impact on students,” Freyd said, reciting the letter. “We cannot wait until a Penn State-type incident occurs until we take these issues seriously.”
Carly Smith, a graduate student in psychology, spoke about the research she’s conducted alongside Freyd. Smith mentioned the statistics that one in five women will experience some form of sexual assault in college.
“I think about that statistic and I think about those who will not be walking across the stage in a few weeks because they left the university; because they fell behind in class and won’t be done in time to walk with their friends; because they don’t want to commemorate their time at UO,” Smith said. “Maybe they’d rather forget it entirely. These are all outcomes of sexual assault.”
The next senate meeting will pick up this discussion on May 28.