Amid ongoing controversy over the way that colleges and universities handle rape cases, some schools have positioned themselves as leaders in the push toward reform. It can be a risky move. When universities attempt to become public examples of places that are getting it right, their own students may see things pretty differently.
That’s exactly what’s currently unfolding at UC Berkeley, where more than 500 university administrators and staff members from across the country convened this week for a national conference to address campus violence.
A campus spokesperson told the Associated Press that the event was intended to give educate college counselors, deans, and student affairs coordinators “a frank look” at the current sexual assault crisis and why so many students feel dissatisfied with the way their cases proceed. The conference included sessions related to bystander intervention programs, supporting students who are healing from trauma, and designing internal adjudication systems to ensure a fair process for accused students.
But over the past two days, the conference sessions have been plagued by protests from Berkeley students who say that their school shouldn’t be help up as an example of a place that’s supporting survivors.
Berkeley is one of the dozens of schools currently under federal investigation for allegedly mishandling rape cases in violation of Title IX. Sofie Karasek, one of the sexual assault survivors who joined in that Title IX complaint, told ThinkProgress it’s “extremely insulting” that her school is hosting a conference about how schools can go above and beyond what’s legally required under the law.
“It’s insinuating that Berkeley is already a role model for handling sexual assaults,” Karasek wrote in an email. “We are upset that while survivors have been publicly calling on the University of California to change for over two years, we’re continuing to hear from students and friends that they’re being disbelieved, mistreated, and betrayed when they try to seek support or report sexual assaults.”
Protesters crashed the conference on Tuesday and Wednesday to draw attention to their criticisms about During one panel discussion, students with duct tape over their mouths held signs displaying quotes that survivors say they encountered while attempting to work with the university to file a sexual assault complaint. Students also used those quotes to line the steps of the building where the conference’s keynote speech was held.
One of the quotes, for instance, is along the same lines as the common trope comparing rape to unlocked bikes and burglarized homes. Karasek said that a school psychologist told a survivor of sexual assault: “What happened to you was like when someone takes their iPhone to Bart and decides to use it while riding Bart. You know it’s dangerous, but you do it anyways. It also wasn’t right for someone to take your iPhone.”
The implication is that there are common-sense prevention measures that people should take to avoid becoming the victim of a crime. But critics say that’s a victim-blaming attitude that puts the onus for rape prevention on the wrong person.
Activists also allege that Berkeley didn’t seek survivors’ input during the planning stages of the conference, or seek them out to invite them to speak on the panels. University officials have disputed that claim — in a statement provided to the press, a UC Berkeley spokesperson said that “student government leaders were on the conference planning committee, and other students were involved in workshops and presentations” — but the protesters say the school chose to include students who have not been involved in this issue over the past several years.
“Berkeley officials are quick to applaud student activists for raising the issue of campus sexual violence, but then when it comes to actually inviting us to the conference or having us share our experiences to improve the campus response in general, they don’t even bother inviting us,” Karasek said. “There is a systemic, pervasive dismissal of student survivors who have been raising their voices and speaking out about what’s wrong and how to improve our campuses.”
Other schools that have come under fire for allegedly mistreating victims of sexual assault have also recently taken steps to recast themselves in a more positive light. Last summer, following several high-profile controversies related to sexual violence on campus and a subsequent drop in admission rates, Dartmouth College hosted its own national summit about the campus rape crisis.
It’s clear that colleges want to make progress in this area, particularly now that the White House has turned its attention toward campus sexual assault. But figuring out the best way to accomplish that is a messier question, particularity as elite institutions are invested in maintaining their good reputations. Survivors have been skeptical of the paid consultants that colleges have hired to help get them in compliance with Title IX, and have accused administrators of making policy changes that are solely PR moves.