A Safe & Equal Sexual Climate

 

I want to go to a Yale where students of all genders and sexual orientations feel safe, and where Yalies who choose to be sexually active have safe and consensual sex. The AAU survey and regular UWC reports show that sexual harassment and rape are far too prevalent on our campus, but we know this not just from reports we receive in our inbox, but conversations we have with our friends. We need to be honest about the fact that we have a crisis, and take decisive action to change it. We need better enforcement and need to ensure that more survivors who wish to report do so. We need to name, address, and change our sexual climate so that enthusiastic consent, not just informed consent, is the socially acceptable standard.

Yale should:

  • Commit to ensuring that the composition of the University-Wide Committee (UWC) reflects the diversity of the student body.

  • Enhance sensitivity training for members of the UWC so that they are more conscious of the nature of the questions they ask of survivors during procedures.

  • Improve enforcement of no-contact orders.

  • Require the UWC to commit to meeting deadlines set out in its bylaws, but remain flexible during high points of academic obligations and stress for survivors.

  • Respond to correspondence sent to the Title IX Office, the UWC, and other offices and resources for survivors of sexual misconduct within 24 hours.

  • Ensure that Mental Health & Counseling staff, including not just therapists but administrative staff, are adequately trained to speak to survivors of sexual assault. The leadership of SHARE already serve on the board of Mental Health and Counseling, but the leadership of MHC does not serve in SHARE.

  • Revamp the web platforms for SHARE, Title IX, and the UWC so that students can more easily navigate them and retrieve critical information.

  • Publicize the informal complaint process in the literature about resources for survivors of sexual misconduct, in freshman orientation programming, and in online resources. The AAU data and past YCC reports suggest that this informal process is underutilized.

  • Consider prior knowledge of university sexual misconduct policy or experience working with survivors of sexual assault as a plus factor when determining which new residential college deans and masters to hire.

  • Clarify to the student body the variety of penalties imposed by the UWC, particularly no-contact orders and counseling, to improve the transparency of the process for students even before they report.

  • Provide more support to complainants during and after the reporting process to ensure confidentiality and privacy.

  • Review the list of resources for survivors of sexual misconduct provided during Sophomore CCE Bystander Intervention training.

  • Send an email to the student body from the Title IX Office each semester reviewing the resource offices for survivors of sexual misconduct, which one students should contact in different situations, and the specific point of contact for students in each office.

  • Require undergraduate organizations that apply for UOC/YCC event funding to undergo CCE training about how to ensure a safe sexual climate at events that they host.

What YCC Can Do:

  • Continue our advocacy for the recommendations outlined in the joint YCC-Women’s Center Report on University Sexual Misconduct Policies & Procedures.

  • Collaborate with CCEs to ensure that all YCC and Class Council-sponsored events are contributing to a safe and positive sexual climate.

  • Assign a YCC representative to be the liaison to the Yale Women’s Center. In addition, the President should have regular meetings with the leadership of the YWC to get their counsel on all issues related to gender justice on campus, including sexual climate.

  • Ensure that queer, transgender, and non-binary students are included in YCC discussions about sexual climate and sexual assault.