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Publishing of "Male Sex Aggression on a University Campus"
The study, “Male Sex Aggression on a University Campus,” is one of the first studies about sexual violence on a college campus and is published in the American Sociological Review (Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 52-58). Link text -
Passage of Title IX
Title IX, Education Amendments of 1972 requires gender equity in educational programs or activities that receives federal funding, including state and local educational agencies. This bill is enforced through the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, which investigates complaints sexual discrimination in education as well as obligate schools to prevent and address harassment against students. This Office may impose financial penalties on violating institutions. -
Book Release: I Never Called It Rape: the Ms. Report on Recognizing, Fighting, and Surviving Date and Acquaintance Rape
I Never Called It Rape: the Ms. Report on Recognizing, Fighting, and Surviving Date and Acquaintance Rape is published in Augsut 1988. Following up on her grounding breaking article in Ms. Magazine, Robin Warshaw writes a heartbreaking account of how women are raped by men they know. Using first-person stories and data compiled from nationwide studies, the book reveals the prevalence of rape in college campus as well as date rape. https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-06-055126-1 -
Signing of the "Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act)"
“Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act)” was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. Using federal funding as an incentive, this bill compels institutions of higher education to record and disclose information about crime on their campus and surrounding area. This bill was written after a woman was raped and murdered on a college campus; as part of the information collected, the bill requires schools to track accounts of sex offenses. -
Establishing of New Jersey Campus Sexual Assault Victims’ Bill of Rights
As part of the Clery Act, the "Campus Sexual Assault Victims' Bill of Rights" was established in 1992, and in 1994, the State of New Jersey established a “Campus Sexual Assault Victim's Bill of Rights” (NJ Rev Stat § 18A:61E-2 (2013)). Within these Bill of Rights, the state committed itself to a responsibility to serve victims of sexual violence. http://oavi.pages.tcnj.edu/files/2011/07/NJ-Campus-Victims-Bill-of-Rights-Statute.pdf -
Supreme Court decides Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education
The Supreme Court decision’s in Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education changed how institutions of higher education must handle cases of sexual violence. Not only did the Court find that there is a right to education under Title IX, but also that an institution may be liable for damages if found to act with “deliberate indifference to harassment that is severe enough to prevent victims from enjoying education opportunities.” -
The College of New Jersey establishes the Sexual Assault Task Force
After being federally investigated for failing to properly disclose sexual assault investigations on campus, TCNJ’s President Gitenstein establishes the Sexual Assault Task Force. Using the task force’s findings and a grant, TCNJ created the Office of Anti-Violence Initiative. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education found significant improvements with the College’s sexual assault reporting system; however, it did say that the College failed to properly classify hate crimes on campus. -
U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights Dear Colleague Letter Guidance
The OCR writes a Dear Colleague letter to issue guidance and clarify the requirements of Title IX on sexual violence. Within the letter, the office provides guidance on educating students on what constitutes sexual violence, best practices for prevention, remedies for responding to incidents of sexual violence, and how schools will be subject to enforcement of Title IX. This letter reveals how the Obama administration is expanding its efforts to combat sexual violence on college campuses. -
The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act
President Obama signs the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which includes the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act. This act charges with institutions creating prevention programs and providing victims with options regarding resources available. http://thecampussaveact.com/faq/ -
White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault publishes "Not Alone" Report
In January 2014, then President Obama created the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, and in April 2014, the Task Force issued the “Not Alone” report which is now a website with information and resources for anyone interested in preventing and responding to incidents of sexual violence in an educational setting.
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U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights 2014 Title IX Q&A Guidance
The OCR under the Department of Education releases a 53 pg Question and Answer Guidance on Title IX regarding sexual violence. This Q&A document expands on the 2011 Dear Colleague letter. The Obama Administration expanded the protections of Title IX to include schools providing resources such as free counseling services for students and training for faculty and staff on procedures for cases with LGBT students, students with disabilities, and foreign students. -
"The Hunting Ground" Documentary is released
"The Hunting Ground" is a documentary that re-counts the stories of sexual violence experienced by women and men while in college and their experiences seeking help from their institution of higher learning. Described in the New York Times Movie Review as a “must-watch work of cine-activism,” the movie painfully shows how institutions continuously fail these students and students like them across the country. -
Department of Education Secretary DeVos Office of Civil Rights Dear Colleague Letter Guidance
Under DoE Secretary DeVos, the OCR issues a new Dear Colleague letter that states that the 2011 and 2014 guidance documents “led to the deprivation of rights for many students” nor did it provide any “clarity for educational institutions.” In addition, the guidance document reverted standards back to the Department’s Revised Sexual Harassment Guidance issued in 2001 and decreased the standard of proof for verdicts for accusers to a threshold of “clear and convincing evidence".
