The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Colleges evolve on preventing sexual assaults
FAIRFIELD — In the last decade, change has come quickly on college campuses.
Across the country, with increased attention on the issue of campus sexual violence, colleges have needed to evolve along with changing federal policy. In Connecticut, recent legislation has changed the ways in which consent is defined on campus and sexual violence prevention is taught.
More pressure on institutions and increased dialogue on the topic have, some say, resulted in more proactive steps taken to prevent sexual assault and harassment.
“As someone who has been doing this work for almost 20 years, the needle is definitely moving in the right direction,” said Amanda Posila, director of education and community engagement at the Center for Family Justice, a nonprofit that provides domestic and sexual violence services. “Universities are responding by taking a collaborative approach, to really collaborate and talk about what their resources are and what their limitations are.”
Much of Posila’s work involves educating students on topics like consent and preventative measures at local colleges, including the University of Bridgeport, and Sacred Heart and Fairfield universities.
She’s seen school administrators take a more proactive approach in recent years, but some critics question whether even amended policies do enough to protect victims of sexual assault.
One of them is Hannah Lawlor, a 20-year-old Fairfield junior who was allegedly sexually assaulted her freshman year. Lawlor reported the incident through the school’s Title IX office, but she said she came away from the experience feeling traumatized and frustrated with the university’s response.
Lawlor feels the school downplayed the severity of her claim and said she crossed paths several times with the alleged perpetrator after the incident. After an internal school hearing determined the student committed non-consensual sexual contact, his hours on campus were limited while he was allowed to finish the semester before being dismissed from the university.
Two years later, Lawlor has come forward with her story in hopes of protecting other students, amid what she perceives are the university’s belated efforts to modernize its policies and procedures.
Fairfield University, however, touts several years of enhancements in the way it handles sexual violence and harassment.
A new era on campus?
Through a spokeswoman, the school declined to comment on Lawlor’s complaint and did not provide access to faculty and staff working on prevention initiatives. But the school outlined several ways in which it supports students and works to prevent sexual violence.
“Fairfield University is very committed to the safety and security of its campus and ensuring the well-being of students, faculty and staff,” Susan Cipollaro, the university’s associate director of media relations and content marketing, wrote in a statement. “Our university has been a leader in the prevention of sexual misconduct through education and awareness programs, presented by a variety of campus and community partners.”
The school is the recent recipient of a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women to reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking on campus. In particular, the grant is aimed at increasing awareness and education.
The $300,000 grant is meant to help fund a collaboration among the university, the Fairfield Police Department and the Center for Family Justice, a Bridgeport nonprofit that provides domestic and sexual violence services. Sacred Heart University and the 17 institutions comprising the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities network also recently qualified for the grant.
Funding provides resources for the education and training of students and staff, including an annual workshop for all first-year students, resident assistants and student leaders on bystander intervention. The training is also meant to educate students on the resources available to them, including the Center for Family Justice, and the various channels through which sexual violence or misconduct can be reported.
Among the goals of the training and collaboration is to change the culture on campus and promote more positive conversations around sexual misconduct, including among Fairfield University faculty.
Cipollaro pointed to the work of Dean of Students Will Johnson as an example. In 2019, as part of the White Ribbon Campaign, which seeks to engage men and boys on the subject of sexual violence and prevention, Johnson was honored by the Center for Family Justice for his continued partnership with the organization and the Fairfield Police Department. Johnson is credited with increasing awareness and providing education to students, including training on prevention strategies.
Jay Taylor, a social worker with the school, is a resource trainer and educator with A Call to Men, an organization that lists decreasing the prevalence of domestic violence and sexual assault as part of its mission.
“In addition, and in compliance with the law, Fairfield University with its Department of Public Safety and a full-time Title IX compliance coordinator, provides a comprehensive response to reports of sexual misconduct, and seeks to promote campus safety and a prompt, equitable resolution to incidents of sexual misconduct,” Cipollaro wrote in a statement.
The university has also adapted to mandated statewide changes.
In 2016, Connecticut’s Affirmative Consent bill was signed into law, requiring all of the state’s colleges to apply a new standard when developing policies on sexual assault.
“Affirmative consent,” according to its student handbook and Fairfield’s 2019 Clery Report — an annual, federally mandated document that details oncampus crime data — is defined as “an active, clear and voluntary agreement by a person indicating willingness to do the same thing, at the same time, in the same way to each other.” The term “affirmative consent” does not appear in the school’s 2018 Clery Report, which listed nine instances of sexual offenses in 2018 and two instances of dating violence. In 2017, the numbers were six and one, respectively. The 2019 data is not yet available.
A proactive approach
Angelo Simoni Jr., executive director for student relations & compliance at the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education, said the Affirmative Consent Law — among the first of its kind in the country — was perhaps the most significant recent procedural shift at the state level.
“That shifts the paradigm from ‘no means no’ to ‘yes means yes,’” Simoni said. “Connecticut really has been at the forefront with making sure we have victimcentered policies.”
Recent proposed legislation would create a statewide sexual misconduct survey for all Connecticut colleges and would also provide amnesty for students reporting alleged assault. Representatives from the University of Connecticut and Yale University spoke against the proposal, asking for more flexibility and autonomy.
Kerry Dalling, Fairfield Police Department’s domestic violence coordinator, said the partnership between the school and her department has become increasingly close in recent years. Between Fairfield and Sacred Heart universities, Dalling estimated her department investigates around 10 complaints of sexual misconduct each year.
The partnership is due, in part, to Dalling’s relationship with Fairfield University’s Department of Public Safety, led by the town’s former police chief, Gary McNamara. Dalling said she’s also attended training on sexual violence prevention with representatives from the university and participates in Posila’s annual workshops.
The workshops, Dalling said, gives her and other law enforcement officers the opportunity to speak directly with students, which she said is a crucial part of crafting education on sexual violence and prevention.
“You want to hear from the students, you want them to have a say in what’s going on in the culture and where do we need to educate people,” Dalling said.
In general, Dalling said she has seen an increased understanding around topics like consent, but certain myths about victims persist both on and off campus.
“I see it even in law enforcement,” Dalling said. “‘Why didn’t she do this? Why didn’t she do that?’ That’s really an unfair burden. There’s no victim handbook. These are young people and they’re in situations that are very scary. There’s trauma, for sure. And how you’re going to react in a traumatic situation is absolutely unpredictable.”
Debunking certain misconceptions about sexual assault and inviting all parties to the conversation are also important aspects of Posila’s training.
“There’s been a lot of focus on covering drinks or going out in the buddy system, but we know that most sexual assault perpetrators know their victim,” Posila said. “So all these tips about prevention could be perceived as victim blaming.”
Disproving those myths is one of several areas in which the colleges and universities can improve.
Instead of teaching victims that they’re responsible for their own safety, Posila said it’s more beneficial to educate all parties to recognize red flags and intervene before an interaction becomes harassment or assault. Early education is also important, and a constant struggle for organizations like hers, reliant on public funding that is often insufficient. Posila estimated around 80 percent of students attending her workshops haven’t had any prior prevention training.
Inviting all parties, male and female, to be part of the conversation is also crucial, Posila said. Whereas men may have felt indicted in the past when conversations about sexual assault came up, Posila said she strives to make men and boys feel like partners.
Taken together, these initiatives — as well as partnerships between schools, law enforcement and advocacy groups — could change campus culture in a meaningful way, experts said.
“The idea was that this was a long-term partnership,” Posila said of her work with Fairfield University. “We wanted to see the campus culture change. I think I’ve seen that shift happen tremendously. I think all those things have really changed the culture of campuses to be much more proactive than reactive.”