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New Policy to Encourage Reporting Assaults
by Rebecca Roa and ShaTara Drummond
A new Sexual Misconduct Policy has been proposed that outlines the options available to any Mars Hill College student who has been a victim of rape, sexual assault, or sexual harassment.
The six-page policy, now in draft form, lays out definitions and consequences of unacceptable sexual conduct. In addition it defines a new process for reporting, investigating and hearing cases of sexual misconduct that occur on campus.
If the policy is approved as written, these cases will not go through the regular campus judicial process, said counselor Bill Dycus, who wrote the policy. Mainly for confidentiality and privacy reasons they will be handled by a small panel consisting of one student and two faculty members.
"This is a great update to the old policy," said Craig Goforth, dean of student life. "It sends a clear message to anyone who might think about assaulting someone and provides a security blanket for victims… This needs to be spoken about in all classes and to all clubs and teams on campus."
Sanctions for sexual misconduct will depend on the seriousness of the charges and will range from being admonished, to having to pay a fine or provide some community service, all the way up through permanent suspension from school. Any school sanction would be completely independent of any law enforcement investigation that would be going on.
Dycus stressed that just because you report to school officials, you do not have to report to police or press charges; however, if you wish to press charges, campus officials stand ready to back you up and support you. Either way, victims will be offered counseling and medical attention.
Limited immunity from punishment for drinking will be extended to victims who come forward to report sexual misconduct. "We do not want the fear of getting in trouble - because someone was underage and drinking, or drinking to excess, or violating some school rule having to do with alcohol - we don't want that to be a reason for them to not come forward and report something that happened to them," said Dycus.
One reason a person may not come forth and report is because they are afraid of what will happen next, Dycus said. "We are trying to provide as much support as possible to the students."
"There are several ways you can report..." Dycus said. You can report anonymously and will not be forced to give any information about your own name or the people involved. You can report confidentially, giving your name with the understanding that it will not be shared with anyone else.
Finally there is a third option, "which is the one we would encourage students to utilize…" says Dycus. You report that an assault has taken place and that you want that perpetrator to go through the judicial process. You agree to be identified to the alleged perpetrator. You agree to provide a written statement, and the investigation begins. The Dean of Student Life will decide if there is enough merit to the allegations to proceed with a hearing.
An accused student has the right to know who is making the accusation, the right to a 48-hour notice in advance of a hearing, the right to bring relevant witnesses to speak on his/her behalf, and the right to ask questions. Accused students are presumed innocent unless found responsible through an impartial and fair hearing.
Dycus was influential in the push for the policy because until now there has been no clear outline of unacceptable sexual misconduct or the choices students have for reporting it.
He comes to Mars Hill College having worked as an educator and counselor for Our Voice, the sexual assault services agency in Asheville, and he comes from over ten years of work in the sexual assaults services field.
"We don't want to believe that (sexual assault) happens as often as it does…we don't want to believe that any given female who enters college when she's 17 or 18 has a 20 percent chance of being sexually assaulted or raped by the time she leaves college. That's one in five," said Dycus. "But we do have to confront the reality that these crimes occur frequently, and work together to ensure that rape and sexual assault are brought to an end."
Reader comment:
Katherine Meacham - Professor of Philosopohy, 4/11/2006 5:59 p.m. - Thank you, Hilltop Advisors and Staff, for your excellent articles, pictures, and questions you have on the sexual assault and rape problem on this campus. You have done really good work on a really important issue. Thank you. How about maybe doing a side article now on athletes and sexual assault, since the Duke Lacrosse team has been so much in the news. None of the DNA tests from the Duke Lacrosse team came out positive, so no one has been accused of rape, but it might be interesting to get some story -- not only from the perpsective of athletes but also from the perspective of other students on campus. Thanks again.
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