Curbing Sexual Assaults on Grinnell’s Campus

Since 2010, colleges across the United States have been required to report the number of sexual assaults that occur on their campuses. All actions from unwanted sexual touching to violent rape are grouped together under a single federally mandated category of “forcible sexual offenses.” From 2011 to 2012, the number of reported forcible sexual offenses on Grinnell’s campus rose from six to 18. That number dropped to eight in 2013.

Nationally, sexual assaults are underreported. Angela Voos, Grinnell’s Title IX coordinator, says that the incidence rate is believed to be close to 20 percent for college women and that it would be a mistake to think that the number of reports reflects the number of incidents. “We don’t know if the increase of 2012 or decrease of 2013 in reported sexual assaults reflect a change in the number of incidents; rather, the increase in reports in 2012 may indicate that students feel more comfortable coming forward to report assaults — for which we are deeply grateful — and that perhaps there was a backlog of issues that came forward,” says Voos. “Our hope is that our campus community knows where to go to get confidential help and how to connect to the many resources Title IX can provide.”

The increase in reports corresponded with the implementation of a series of initiatives to educate the campus about sexual assault and provide more support for those subjected to it. The College established a Task Force on Prevention, Safety, and Responsibility that focuses on preventing sexual assault and abuse of alcohol and other drugs. It also implemented faculty and staff training and a campuswide information campaign and website, conducted an audit of Clery Act compliance, devoted attention to the student conduct process, and named four deputy Title IX coordinators: Jen Jacobsen ’95 for prevention, Deanna Shorb for confidential response and support, Jeff Pedersen ’02 for athletics, and Andrea Conner for case management.

In March 2013, the federal Campus Sexual Violence Elimination (SaVE) Act was enacted. This law outlines standards of transparency, accountability, and education that colleges and universities must meet. The one measure of prevention explicitly stated in the act is active bystanderism. “Active bystanderism is a great fit for Grinnell because it’s applied self-governance. It helps give our students the tools to embrace the responsibilities that come with self-gov,” Jacobsen says.

In addition to active bystander training, the College has taken other steps to help students remain safe on campus. Events in the Harris Center and in Gardner Lounge are better lit than in previous years, and food and water are available in the Harris Center’s lobby to allow a transition period between parties and heading back to residence halls. These suggestions came from students through a baseline sexual respect survey conducted by Christopher Ralston, assistant professor of psychology. Jacobsen says the College relies on students and their feedback — through surveys and more directly — to develop strategies to shape a culture of sexual respect on campus.