Catholic University’s Annual Title IX Report Released -

By Katie Van Lew

Since the fall of 2015, Catholic University has conducted campus climate surveys every two years in accordance with Title IX of Education Amendments which prohibits sexual discrimination on college campuses. Annually, the Office of Equal Opportunity releases the Title IX Annual Report, consisting of statistics from the survey’s findings.

Frank Vinik, Catholic University’s Title IX coordinator, has been dedicated to the mission of analyzing cases of sexual assault on campus. Every year, Vinik conducts an anonymous survey which typically receives eighteen to twenty two percent of respondents from the school’s population. The survey is administered annually, but the reports are compiled every two years in order to decipher what needs to be improved upon in regards to keeping Catholic University students educated and safe.

According to the school’s Title IX report, the percentage of respondents sexually assaulted has declined from ten to eight percent. The female population of students, who are the majority of students assaulted, has decreased from 15% to 11% since 2015.

On college campuses everywhere, there is typically a strong correlation between alcohol consumption and sexual assault. The role of alcohol both in assault victims and perpetrators has declined significantly from 77% to 50% in the last four years. Out of the total reported assaults, the percentage of incapacitated victims has reduced from 54% in 2015 to 36% in 2019.

The Catholic University has taken preventive measures to ensure that the campus remains a safe climate for students. During orientation for freshmen, students are educated about sexual assault prevention through an online course as well as mandatory sexual assault awareness sessions.

“I think they need to do a better job in incorporating the entire student population on sexual assault prevention,” said Ally Noccioli, junior biomedical engineering major. “The online sexual assault course that you take freshman year is not enough.”

There has been a high percentage of students who are aware of receiving information about sexual assault and prevention. However, students reported a lack of information in regards to what to do when reporting a sexual assault, access to confidential resources, and investigation procedures.

“I think Catholic could be doing more on educating students about sexual assault,” said junior nursing major Kayla Ruffo. “You have to wonder if the survey is actually accurate because many victims could be too scared to speak up and report their experience.”

Since the release of the first survey, Catholic University has taken initiative to improve upon educating students on sexual assault.

Catholic University utilizes a plethora of resources and preventive initiatives to provide awareness and a safe experience for students. Sexual assault prevention and training is conducted for all freshmen students and full-time faculty. Additionally, the student athletes are required to complete a Title IX course annually before they are eligible to compete. Students and staff affiliated with positions of authority, such as faculty, campus ministry, and resident assistants, are required to go through extensive training, as they are likely to receive a report of sexual assault.

“I want to emphasize that a lot of the work we are seeing is the result of dozens and dozens of people on campus,” said Vinik. “It’s the Dean of Students office, it’s the PEERS group, Campus Ministry, the Residential Assistants, and the Counseling Center.”

Vinik accredits Peer Educators Empowering Respectful Students (PEERS) for their dedication to educatinng and fostering a safe environment for students to converse about subjects such as mental health awareness and sexual assault.

“We’ve been working really hard to destigmatize sexual assault,” Vinik said. “If you talked to someone who went here seven or eight years ago, they would say that sexual assault was not spoken about, and it was a topic that the university could not talk about it. The first step to solving a problem is acknowledging it exists and that is what we found with these surveys.”

Since the first campus climate survey was distributed five years ago, Catholic University’s atmosphere has improved significantly according to the results of Vinik’s analysis of sexual assault on campus. The surveys allow the administration to take the initiative to make campus a safe haven for students, while providing students with necessary resources to aid them. Programs such as PEERS are essential in allowing students to use their voices to advocate for sexual assault awareness and prevention. The Title IX survey report exhibits Catholic University’s continued advocacy for raising awareness for sexual assault and providing the necessary support to all students.