HOW WOFFORD HANDLES A NATIONAL PROBLEM—
Sexual misconduct is a national problem on all college campuses. As a result of Title IX, it is federally mandated that all collegiate educational institutions have personnel on campus to handle acts of sexual misconduct, separate of the academic faculty and staff of the college. A common misconception that exists on college campuses is that sexual misconduct is reported to law enforcement and dealt with there. Because of this federal mandate, colleges have their own pro- cess of dealing with Title IX violations. Unless the victim of sexual misconduct wishes to press charges through the law enforcement, the issue is handled completely by the college.
According to the United States Department of Justice, 20 percent of women in college are victims of sexual assault. 95 percent of such incidents go unreported, and 50 percent of them involve alcohol. Perry Henson, counselor for Wofford College, says “in our experience at Wofford, almost all reported cases of sexual assault involve alcohol.”
However, not all acts of sexual misconduct are physical. In addition to assault, harassment and stalking also fall under the umbrella. Any sort of interaction that is sexual in nature and not consensual is an interaction that can be reported to the college’s Title IX staff. Wofford’s Title IX coordinator is Carole Lister, who handles cases that deal with employees. Matthew Hammett is the assistant Title IX coordinator and handles cases involving students.
But reporting may be where the issue lies. According to the campus safety crime log on the Wofford College website, there have been only six reports of sexual assault at Wofford since 2012. Four of those incidents did not lead to trial. As of September 2014, the other two incidents are still listed as under investigation on the website, though both of those incidents occurred in 2012 and 2013. Senior Courtney Parsons, who volunteers as a counselor, is concerned about these numbers and how they may not reflect the reality of sexual assault on campus. “That number seems very low, even for a campus Wofford’s size. Students may be scared to report such an incident because of the silence about the issue on campus” says Parsons.
Elizabeth Wallace, the associate vice president for student affairs, agrees. However, according to her, the reason behind the lack of reporting is partially due to confidentiality. “Title IX is a double-edged sword,” says Wallace. “It mandates reporting for everyone on campus except councilors, the chaplain’s office, and other entities who are bound by confidentiality.”
Even though some personnel are bound by confidentiality, Henson says, “Any employee of the school, including all Residential Assistants, is what we call a mandated reporter. If someone employed by the school is aware, or should be aware, of sexual misconduct happening on campus or to any of our students, they are required to report to the Title IX coordinator to open an investigation.” Even staff who work as part of the grounds crew or maintenance go through Title IX training.
At Wofford, the approach to student awareness starts with first years. All first years go through a program called “Sex Signals,” which focuses mainly on sexual assault. They are also familiarized with the Title IX policy, as well as the Title IX staff on campus, through their FYI class during the fall semester. Henson says, “We try to educate students, and each year our programs get more comprehensive.”
— Katie Sanders and Joe James