Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

UMass needs to actively combat sexual assault

(Shaina Mishkin/Daily Collegian)
(Shaina Mishkin/Daily Collegian)

The University of Massachusetts has a problem with sexual assault – hence the various legal battles over it, hence the public relations campaign by the University against it, hence the countless whispered-yet-never-publicized stories of one woman after another forced into non-consensual sex. When it comes to the propriety of women over their own bodies, UMass has a crisis on its hands.

The administration, however, doesn’t seem very interested in addressing this crisis. Despite a Justice Department investigation, the desperately needed campus-wide conversation that exposes the interstices between patriarchy, rape culture and the vast power differentials between some members of the campus “community” and others has yet to arrive.

Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, President Robert Caret and the Board of Trustees have issued platitudes against sexual assault, but they have not set up an independent investigation to dig deep into the roots of sexual assault on our campus. They have said nothing that offer us “analyses of the world-wide absurdity of endangered female existence,” to quote the literary critic June Jordan. They have been silent about the complex ways in which some women are more endangered by the culture of silence than others, particularly economically disadvantaged women, women of color, disabled women and transwomen, all groups that experience higher sexual assault rates.

While the silence is ominous, the facts are even worse. The Justice Department investigation into the University in regards potential violations of Title IX, which bans sexual assault and sexual harassment at universities receiving federal funds. Over the past five years, of the 187 complaints of sexual harassment or assault made to the University’s Title IX enforcement office, only 23 resulted in enforcement action of any kind. Of the 23, only eight resulted in termination or demotion – the other 15 were effectively perfunctory slaps on the wrist.

This disconcerting information has not been previously released. I filed a public records request for it in April and did not receive the relevant data until July. The data presents us with only two possible conclusions: One of these is despite numerous studies indicating that the vast majority of sexual assaults and harassment go unreported, five out of six people who make a report to the Title IX office are either exaggerating or lying about their claim. The other possible conclusion is there is a culture of non-enforcement when it comes to sexual assault and harassment on our campus. The latter is the only intellectually honest conclusion that I can come to.

If we acknowledge that the Title IX reporting system has broken down, it needs to lead to a corresponding acknowledgement that the chancellor, the president and the Board of Trustees have demonstrated that they are wholly uninterested in bringing about an end to this crisis. The campus needs to come together, independently of the administration, to receive justice.

One way to get justice is to expand the institutions that place a check on the administration’s otherwise free-flowing power. The only institutions on this campus that do this are the five labor unions. For union members who have been sexually harassed by a supervisor, they can go through the grievance procedure for an independent way to address the situation at hand. Yet workers at auxiliary services and the whole mass of undergraduate student workers, with the exception of resident assistants, lack even this basic way to attain justice. Strengthening the contracts of the rest of the workers on campus will also ensure that all union members on campus can work with the reassurance that if they are sexually assaulted, they will receive justice.

We need to consider the ways in which the present form of hierarchical leadership at UMass is utterly incapable of meeting the needs of the students and workers, and how we can replace them with a nonhierarchical educational model premised on the goals of equity and inclusion. A new culture of worker militancy, beginning with undergraduate workers unionizing, is necessary for undergraduate women to be able to report sexual assault or harassment on the job without fear of retaliation, and for the campus to start this much needed conversation.

We know where the administration stands: maintaining their bloated bureaucracy and power at all costs, to the clear detriment of everyone on this campus, and particularly the women who find themselves victims of rape, sexual assault or sexual harassment. The question is where do we – UMass’ 99 percent – stand?

Matthew Cunningham-Cook is a Collegian contributor. He can be reached at [email protected].

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  • F

    ForRealThoOct 1, 2014 at 5:23 pm

    Most UMASS guys couldn’t get laid in a whorehouse with a fist full of dollars. So they drink and fight, mostly. Most of the women on campus couldn’t get a decent guy they’d be proud to bring home to their parents to even look at them, let alone get into a relationship. So, you have drunk dudes making bad decisions and drunk chicks making even worse decisions as the fallout of a disgusting, cheap one night stand lands more on them physically and emotionally. With its Yes means Yes campaign/law, California has just about successfully completely emasculated the American male. UMASS is way ahead of that curve. True rapists should be castrated and hung from the tallest near tree. Hazy pre-dawn hookups in the wee hours is just a shitty choice made both parties.

    Now, to analyze one of the hilarious passage of the author:

    “While the silence is ominous, the facts are even worse. The Justice Department investigation into the University in regards potential violations of Title IX, which bans sexual assault and sexual harassment at universities receiving federal funds.

    – Gotta love the federal government. Banning a university from committing sexual assault or harrassment. It’s comical. How exactly do you ban an institution from committing those crimes which are already addressed in myriad legislation for every US citizen at the federal and state level?

    Over the past five years, of the 187 complaints of sexual harassment or assault made to the University’s Title IX enforcement office, only 23 resulted in enforcement action of any kind. Of the 23, only eight resulted in termination or demotion – the other 15 were effectively perfunctory slaps on the wrist.”

    – 187 complaints of harrassment OR assault. Well, which is it? What is the exact breakdown? Because those are two completely different things, as any thinking person well knows. AND, over a 5 year period at an institution that has more than 23k people. Statistically speaking, that seems like quite a low incidence rate – roughly 37 incidents per year out of a population of 11,000+ women? Especially if only a handful of them were actual assault/battery instead of the more benign “harassment.”

    – Of the complaints, only 23 resulted in enforcement action. Why assume that all 187 were legitimate complaints? And were the sexual harassment complaints based on physical harassment or the far more prevalent “hostile workplace environment” type harassment that is classified as harassment based on sex (gender)? BIG distinctions there, Matty-O! I am happy that at least the 8 true psychos were dealt with, as it should be. As to the other 15, evidence was probably limited, but knowing this stifling regulatory environment, the slap on the wrist is more likely, at minimum, an embarrassing mark on a permanent record, whether truly deserved or now (which we have no way of knowing).

    There is no crisis, Matt. Just a bunch of stupid people hooking up and taking things to far when impaired.

    Reply
  • M

    MikeOct 1, 2014 at 12:00 am

    Wow, the author of this piece is clearly an adult.

    Mike

    Reply
  • M

    MattSep 30, 2014 at 7:27 pm

    Hey “That’s How Enemas Work,” Thanks, but think through the “joke”: Enema or not, I imagine I’m lighter than a “contingent” of other people. Further, comparing my weight after the enema wouldn’t be relevant to judging whether I was full of shit beforehand. And further still, if Matthew was referring to the weight of the enema’d fecal matter, he’d want to say it was heavier, because there’s so much of it. And what does Dave Matthews have to do with anything at all?

    Thanks for focusing on the important bit!

    Reply
  • T

    That's How Enemas WorkSep 30, 2014 at 5:13 pm

    I believe, Matt, that other Matt was saying that you are “full of shit.” So an enema would take care of that right quick.

    Reply
  • A

    AlexSep 30, 2014 at 4:24 pm

    You are very, very wrong if you think that UMass isn’t “interested in addressing this crisis.” UMass has done a 180 turn since the Justice Department education, and it’s not necessarily a good thing. You claim that “there is a culture of non-enforcement” but the truth is that a culture of over enforcement is now in place. Going overboard when it comes to claims of sexual assault is actually hurting people.

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/18/is-umass-amherst-biased-against-male-students-in-title-ix-assault-cases.html

    Reply
  • M

    MattSep 30, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    Hey Matthew, I’m not sure how quoting your article at length addresses any of my concerns, since they were about the very passage you quote. I am asking for a more nuanced look at the data, specifically taking into account the difficulty of prosecuting assault/harassment charges. I then suggested some other seemingly intellectually honest conclusions the data-as-presented supports. I also cited an example of a seemingly specific call to action you make (that the university administration “analyze” “endangered women”), and asked for clarity.

    Your cryptic remark about enemas and Dave Matthews’ fans wasn’t particularly helpful, only leading me to believe you understand neither how enemas nor insults work.

    Reply
  • M

    Matthew Cunningham-CookSep 29, 2014 at 3:31 pm

    “While the silence is ominous, the facts are even worse. The Justice Department investigation into the University in regards potential violations of Title IX, which bans sexual assault and sexual harassment at universities receiving federal funds. Over the past five years, of the 187 complaints of sexual harassment or assault made to the University’s Title IX enforcement office, only 23 resulted in enforcement action of any kind. Of the 23, only eight resulted in termination or demotion – the other 15 were effectively perfunctory slaps on the wrist.

    This disconcerting information has not been previously released. I filed a public records request for it in April and did not receive the relevant data until July. The data presents us with only two possible conclusions: One of these is despite numerous studies indicating that the vast majority of sexual assaults and harassment go unreported, five out of six people who make a report to the Title IX office are either exaggerating or lying about their claim. The other possible conclusion is there is a culture of non-enforcement when it comes to sexual assault and harassment on our campus. The latter is the only intellectually honest conclusion that I can come to.”

    Reading is apparently quite difficult for some. If Matt and Ryan were given enemas, they would be lighter than a contingent of Dave Matthews Band fans.

    Reply
  • A

    AlumSep 29, 2014 at 2:22 pm

    This is an ancient debate and, to a large degree, a hyberbolized problem. Judging by my time at UMASS, the author of this article puts the real problem in perspective. Young women of UMASS, please be AWARE and stay safe.

    http://time.com/3444749/camille-paglia-the-modern-campus-cannot-comprehend-evil/

    Reply
  • R

    RyanSep 29, 2014 at 1:41 pm

    Matt gets an A+ in Intro to Logic. The various if/then scenarios seem to accurately recap the op-ed piece and then gets to the heart of the matter – evidence. Looks like we have a future lawyer in the house. I reject the notion that there is a widespread sexual assault problem on campus. As far as funding an “analysis” the analysis is that drugs/alcohol are most often the culprit for making bad decisions. There is no data to suggest that Amherst has a disproportionate amount of violent rapists running around. The statutory definition of Sexual Assault in MA is: “Sexual assault and rape are crimes of violence and control, using sex acts as a weapon. Rape and sexual assault are not sexually motivated acts; rather, they stem from aggression, rage, sexism, and the determination to exercise power over someone else. Rape is also a legal term that is defined in Massachusetts by three elements: penetration of any orifice by any object; force or threat of force; against the will of the victim. Sexual assault is often more broadly defined as any sexual activity that is forced or coerced or unwanted.” Does that definition sound like many sexual encounters with which your readers are familiar? I doubt it. The biggest problem is the same as it has always been – reckless drinking and drugging by underage individuals prone to making immature, and potentially harmful, decisions having long-lasting repercussions. This is not to say that one (or more) regrettable/ill-advised encounter is not impactful on a young woman, but I posit that the reason the enforcement numbers are so low is because (hopefully) very few of these incidents meet the standard articulated by the Mass. legislature. As a final note, the university has never been very good at managing any crises, personal or otherwise. If someone has been legitimately sexually assaulted or God-forbid raped, please go to the police!

    Reply
  • M

    MattSep 29, 2014 at 10:43 am

    Hey Matthew, I agree that there’s a huge problem with sexual assault and harassment on college campuses (and elsewhere). I was confused, however, by some of your criticisms, and was hoping you could clear some things up for me.

    For instance, you argue that the chancellor, president, and board of trustees should have offered “analyses of the world-wide absurdity of endangered female existence.” I suppose “endangered female existence” is a bit of hyperbole, since women make up roughly 50% of the world population, but I don’t see what the hyperbolic target is. Do you mean more literally that UMass administrators ought to “analyze” why women all over the world face sexual harassment and assault? (Does “analyze” just mean “explain,” here?) Surely it’s a bit beyond the purview of Chancellor Subbaswamy to find a common explanation for sexual violence facing women in, say, India, the DR Congo, US prisons, and college campuses. So, I guess my question is what you think such an analysis would look like such that it would be helpful in curbing sexual violence at UMass?

    I’m also a bit puzzled by your central argument that “there is a culture of non-enforcement when it comes to sexual assault and harassment on our campus.” As I read it, your argument is this:

    1. The vast majority of sexual assaults/harassment go unreported
    2. If the vast majority of sexual assaults/harassment go unreported, then most (all?) of the reported cases are true.
    3. If most (all?) of the reported cases are true, then the UMass must punish the accused in most (all?) of them
    4. UMass does not punish the accused in most (all?) cases.
    5. If UMass must punish the accused in most (all?) case but does not, then there is a culture of non-enforcement when it comes to sexual assault and harassment on our campus.
    C. Therefore, there is a culture of non-enforcement when it comes to sexual assault and harassment on our campus.

    I don’t see the link you suggest in premise 2, but let’s grant it. Premise 3 is harder to justify than it might initially appear: It’s not sufficient for a claim that X assaulted Y to be true in order to warrant the punishment of X. There also needs to be evidence. Sadly, it can be extremely difficult to prove sexual harassment/assault. What we’d want to see is how many cases have strong evidence behind them, and then how many of those are prosecuted.

    Further, premise 5 needs more justification. For one, perhaps this is just a particular incidence of a general unwillingness of UMass to punish its students/faculty. I’d like to know the rate of complaints/punishment in other areas too (say plagerism claims, larceny claims, etc.). For another, why say this is a culture of non-enforcement, and not, say a lack of resources to really do the job, or any other myriad explanations? I guess I’m saying that I’d like to see some more evidence for the particular claims here.

    Or maybe I got your argument all wrong! If so, could you clear up what’s going on here?

    Reply