Last Wednesday, undergraduate student Jordan Ward submitted a proposal to the administration outlining her ideas for revising the OU sexual assault policy.
In a previous edition of The Daily, Ward explained how the existing policy is inadequate, something she learned first hand after being raped at a fraternity party last year.
Ward identified two primary problems with the existing sexual assault policy: the 30-day statute of limitations for pursuing student-conduct charges against rapists after first report, and the apparent lack of knowledge campus police officers have of said statute of limitations.
In Ward’s proposal, she offers ways to remedy these two problems by making reasonable modifications to the present state of affairs. First, she urges the administration to lengthen the statute of limitations to one full calendar year. Longer statutes of limitations are not without precedent: Duke University has a two-year statute of limitations, double what Ward is proposing.
The present 30-day statute of limitations is outrageously short given the documented effects sexual assault often has on its victims. These effects — such as emotional trauma and shame — can make it difficult for victims to act within such a short period of time.
Second, Ward proposes the OU Police Department be better trained about the sexual-assault policy. In her column, Ward noted the officers she interacted with told her she could come back at any time to pursue charges, something that was not actually true. This proposed change — like lengthening the statute of limitations — is an obvious one for which no serious objections could be raised.
It is not just Ward who has endorsed these changes. Ward and friends have been soliciting support from campus student groups, and have already received endorsements from OU Hillel, OU Women’s Rugby Team, members of Gamma Phi and two other campus groups.
The administration would be in the wrong to reject these changes; this much is clear. But more than that, the administration also would be completely in the wrong if it did not make these changes as soon as possible.
Having worked in the past to make modifications to university policies, I know how long and arduous that path can be. Meetings can take more than a month to set up, and bureaucratic hoop-jumping can be dizzying and often unproductive. Ward has already avoided some of the problems by submitting her proposal directly to Student Affairs and OU President David Boren, eliminating the step of having to mess with the student government (something students generally ought to do if that have real concerns).
But even with that step, the campus administration can be just as slow. For some policy changes, that might not pose a big problem, and it might even be beneficial to have delays to ensure proposed changes are positive.
But in the case of the sexual-assault policy, the administration must move quickly. Every day the present policy remains intact is a day someone might be victimized.
If the administration does not move quickly, I think drastic efforts should be made to pressure it to do so. With only six weeks remaining in the academic year, supporters of serious reforms should not let themselves be restrained by the slow machinations of the campus bureaucracy. Sit-ins, occupations and other tactics should be on the table if the administration does not move quickly enough. The urgent nature of this problem demands nothing less.
— Matt Bruenig, philosophy senior
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kdbp1213 1 year, 1 month ago
report crimes to other local law enforcement entities, also. in OU's case, we have norman police and cleveland county sheriff's office.
can't speak of being a rape victim but don't delay in reporting. you lose details. trauma shortens one's memory. you're apt to quickly forget bad events in your life. i've been victim of a felonious crime. i immediately reported once the bad guy left the scene........... being a dumb bad guy, he was caught within a week of my reporting. because i willingly testified, he's doing/done his time.
briareus 1 year, 1 month ago
Why would it take someone a year to figure out that they had been sexually assaulted?
MRambrose 1 year, 1 month ago
briareus, it may take time for a survivor of sexual assault to figure out 1. that they were sexually assaulted. living in a world infested with rape culture, it can be confusing. it took me YEARS to learn what consent really means and that i had been sexually assaulted. it's more complicated than you would think. rape culture is to blame. 2. even if you know you have been sexually assaulted, reporting a friend, a family member, a boyfriend, or someone you see on campus every day takes some guts. it can be a very difficult process in many different ways. if we all work towards ending rape culture, both 1 and 2 with become easier to achieve for survivors of sexual assault and abusers will pay. a great step is allowing more time for a survivor to report their abuser!
thanks, brubru for writing an excellent article. <3!
simba 1 year, 1 month ago
The time element is due to trauma. You might not wish to report the crime at first because your attacker might have threatened you, your friends, or your family if you did. Also, it could take time to come to terms and cope with what happened to you. Fear of being ostracized on campus is also a factor.