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(08/25/09 11:38pm)
Violations of the Standards of Conduct, commonly referred to as a "VSOC," are now part of the past, Resident Life Co-Chair Adam Reitelbach said.\nA VSOC signified a breach of the 12 Standards of Conduct, which are applicable to all University students. Examples of breaches include physical and sexual assault and any violation of federal, state or local laws. After filling out a VSOC form, resident advisers in the past forwarded the information to a senior resident adviser, who then dealt with the student individually.\nReitelbach said the Office of Resident Life is simply revising the procedure through which resident advisers deal with alcohol violations by underage students, citing due process as one reason for the change.\n"The [University Judiciary Committee] is the only one charged by the University to deal with violations of the Standards of Conduct, which is what the VSOC [was] for," Reitelbach said.\nOther than the elimination of VSOCs, Reitelbach noted that the process through which RAs report underage students who consume alcohol in University housing will not change.\n"It's really the same thing that RAs have been doing." Reitelbach said. "We're really just not handing out pieces of paper called VSOCs."\nMeanwhile, the University Judiciary Committee will continue dealing with alcohol violations as it always has, UJC Chair Michael Chapman said.\n"[The Office of Resident Life] chooses to have their own system of keeping track of alcohol violations, and when they see a pattern they can bring those cases to us," he said, adding that "[the changes] won't pose any problems for us."\nWhen students are found guilty of alcohol violations, the punishment is decided by a UJC trial panel, Chapman noted.\n"There are instances where you can end up with a variety of sanctions like doing community services, oral or written admissions, and taking an alcohol class with the Center for Alcohol and Substance Education ... It's really up to the trial panel as they have full discretion."\nReitelbach noted that the revision will not eliminate alcohol consumption of underage students all together.\n"Some students will still choose to disobey policy, but we're taking the educational approach," Reitelbach said.\n-compiled by Jane Ma
(04/21/09 5:39am)
In light of recent alleged incidents targeting minority University students, the University administration’s responses to such bias-related occurrences continues to be a topic of discussion among students and officials on Grounds.Three additional incidents were reported to the University this weekend. Someone drove past Cohn’s on the Corner Thursday around 11 p.m. in a red Nissan Pathfinder and shouted a racial slur at a black student, said Lauren McGlory, a fourth-year College student and president of the Black Student Alliance. McGlory, who is a Lawn resident, also said someone wrote sexual vulgarities on her Lawn whiteboard both this weekend and several weeks ago. A statement from Dean of Students Allen Groves also noted an argument recently overheard on the Corner, during which one participant used a homophobic slur.McGlory said she believes these incidents constitute a violation of the community of trust. The University community needs to needs to ensure that people feel comfortable in their own rooms or on the Corner, she added. “Since we do rely on student self-governance, it’s left up to the students to try addressing different concerns,” McGlory said. “It’s great that we had the vigil on Thursday evening,” she added, referring to the response to the April 4 bias-motivated assault involving a male University student and his guest, “but we need the administration to remind students, certain actions that you do take ... do have repercussions or consequences.”When the Office of the Dean of Students receives reports of bias-motivated incidents, the dean on call is responsible for contacting the student who filed the report within 24 hours and asking to meet with the student to get more information, Groves said. After the meeting, the dean documents the details in an incident reporting system, and information is given to the police.If identified, perpetrators of these acts can be brought up on charges before the University Judiciary Council if their act violates the Standards of Conduct defined in the Undergraduate Record, Groves said. If the action is potentially criminal, the Office of the Dean of Students refers the matter to the police and offers support to the victim, he said.The Office of the Dean of Students then follows up with the student who filed the report to keep him or her aware of what actions are being taken and to offer support through Counseling and Psychological Services or assistance in contacting his or her professors, Groves said.Every year, the University also analyzes all of the past year’s bias reports to look for trends, Groves said. If any areas on Grounds appear to be especially dangerous, the Office of the Dean of Students might recommend increased police patrols around that area. If a particular community seems to be targeted, the Office of the Dean of Students contacts the Office of Diversity and Equity, as well as possibly an office or professor involved with the group, Groves said.Other actions that the Office of the Dean of Students may take could include issuing a statement from Groves about the incidents for informational and educational purposes, he said.Unfortunately, the University can only do so much about these incidents.“We have to be realistic about what we can and cannot control,” Groves said, adding that the administration is limited in its ability to control a stranger driving down the street and shouting something out his window.The administration also can ask the community to be alert about these incidents and support and inform the student body, Groves said. “Just because we can’t stop everything that happens, no different than any other place in society, doesn’t mean that we’re not able to show concern, compassion and support, which can be very important in a case involving bias,” he said.First-year Engineering student Seth Kaye, president of Queer and Allied Activism, said he had difficulty assessing the University’s effectiveness in responding to bias incidents.“I don’t want to diminish the University’s responsibility for these things,” he said, “[but] you can’t change people’s minds overnight just because they come to the University of Virginia.”— Prateek Vasireddy contributed to this article.
(04/17/09 5:50am)
The candles held by attendees of the Stand Against the Violence Vigil were a visible sign of attendees’ support and solidarity, as University community members reflected about the hate crime that occurred on Grounds earlier this month.Around 3 a.m. April 4, five Caucasian males physically and verbally assaulted a University student and his guest based on their perceived sexual orientation, Dean of Student Allen Groves stated in an e-mail April 10 describing the incident. When the student tried to call 911, the attackers broke his phone. The victims were able to get away and were treated for minor injuries at the University Hospital, but law enforcement officials have not made any arrests since the incident.In a show of community support, leaders of the Lesbian Gay Bi-Sexual and Transgender, Queer and Allied Activist groups and others organized the vigil last night to bring the University community together and take a stand against bias-motivated violence.“I didn’t want to see you tonight,” said first year College student Seth Kaye to the audience, regretting that a Vigil had to take place for an incident that never should have happened in the first place.“Empower yourselves and others ... so there will be no need to have events like this tonight,” he added.University Police Lt. Melissa Fielding , who was asked to discuss safety tips at the Vigil to prevent future incidents like the one that occurred April 4, noted that the attack earlier this month was in no way the victims’ fault.“Anybody in our community should be allowed to walk down a sidewalk without fear of being attacked,” Fielding said.She also urged anyone with information about the incident to call a confidential tip line.Groves, meanwhile, described the incident as “cowardly and bred out of the fear of difference.” He said he believes this case was especially significant because “the victim wasn’t targeted for any reason other than because of who he was.”First-year College student Samantha Dodbele came to the vigil because the attack “didn’t sit well” with her. Dodbele said she was glad that the event had a variety of groups involved in the showing of support. She noted in particular the painted rainbow “Z” on the steps of Garrett Hall overlooking the Amphitheater, and the letter from the Seven Society that speakers at the event read condemning the attack.“It makes [the issue] more wide reaching,” Dodbele said.In addition to talking about the attack, speakers brought up ways for community members to stop even subtle acts of homophobia in their everyday lives, encouraging members to stop using the word “gay” in a derogatory sense.Kay added that those who still harbor homophobic views should never act on these views.“If for some reason you do have some bias against a minority, it should never manifest in violence,” he said.Groves echoed this sentiment, noting that the University community must strive to address problems before they become violent incidents.“The University of Virginia is not a place for hatred, bigotry or violence bred from intolerance,” said Groves. “We will continue to work together to create a safe and supportive community for all students, faculty and staff ... and we will not settle for anything less.”
(04/15/09 5:56am)
Nearly 80 percent of all sexually active men and women will contract human papillomavirus at one point during their lifetimes, according to the American Social Health Association.So why doesn’t it seem that everyone is running into Student Health in a mass panic, believing they have contracted a sexually transmitted infection? The answer perhaps lies in HPV’s misunderstood complexities and the debate surrounding its preventative vaccine Gardasil. According to the Center for Disease Control, there are more than 100 different HPV strains. Most HPV infections do not cause symptoms.“There are often no obvious symptoms of having HPV, which is why it is so important [for women] to get their annual pap [smear] to check for internal cellular changes,” said fourth-year College student Julia Villageliu, a Peer Health Educator and Office of Health Promotion intern. Some infections may actually disappear on their own. “Students should know two things about HPV: almost everyone will get a form of the virus at one point and that HPV will not cause problems or cancer unless it is persistent,” said Christine Peterson, gynecology director and physician at Student Health.Peterson explained that a persistent virus does not exit a person’s body on its own and will cause a patient to develop genital warts if he or she has contracted a low-risk strain or cervical cancer, which is associated with a high-risk strain. HPV is passed through skin contact and genital contact as well as through vaginal, oral and anal intercourse. The STI can spread rapidly among sexually active people because many men and women who have HPV do not realize it, and can thus easily transmit it unknowingly, said third-year College student Elizabeth Greksouk, a Women’s Center intern and a member of Sexual Assault Leadership Council.Using condoms is necessary when engaging in any sexual activity to prevent contracting the STI, Villageliu said. Condoms, however, are not the only preventative measure. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration, Gardasil is a vaccine designed to prevent women from contracting the infection. The creation of Gardasil has increased awareness of HPV and how to combat it. Gardasil, which is manufactured by Merck & Co. was approved by the FDA in June 2006. According to the CDC, Gardasil protects women from four HPV strains — two strains that cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and two strains that cause 90 percent of genital warts cases. The FDA has approved the Gardasil vaccine for females between the ages of 9 and 26. The vaccine could potentially prevent the more than 250,000 deaths of women worldwide that occur each year from cervical cancer. In the United States alone, an estimated 3,800 women die each year from cervical cancer.Gardasil is offered at Student Health for $149 per shot; three shots are necessary to fully guard oneself against the infection. Although pricey for a college student, many insurance companies are now footing the bill for the regimen, Peterson said. She said she believes that women should get the vaccine before they become sexually active. “Students still need to be well educated on HPV even if they do choose to vaccinate because the vaccination does not protect against all strains of HPV,” said Jamie Leonard, Peer Health Education coordinator and faculty advisor at the Office of Health Promotion. “Other sexually transmitted infections are spread similar to HPV, so while learning how to protect themselves from HPV, students are also learning how to protect themselves from other STIs.” Leonard compared Gardasil to the flu shot.“Even if someone got the flu shot, I wouldn’t advise them to be sharing cups, kissing, etc. with people who they know currently have the flu,” she said. Despite the evidence from medical professionals and researchers that the vaccine can effectively prevent both cervical cancer and genital warts, controversy still surrounds its administration. “First, there is a contingent in society that is just anti-vaccine in general, whether it’s for measles, small pox, HPV, etc.,” Leonard said.Peterson and Leonard, though, agreed that not vaccinating young women is not an ideal decision. “It is a poor decision to not get a young woman vaccinated because at some point, the woman is going to become sexually active,” Leonard said. She suggested that instead of trying to ‘guess’ when sexual activity begins, it is more beneficial for girls to get vaccinated when they are young and still not at risk. She added that some parents believe that their daughters cannot acquire the disease because it is sexually transmitted.“They also may believe that by vaccinating, they are giving their daughters ‘permission’ to have sex,” Leonard said Greksouk said she does not believe that receiving the vaccine will encourage sexual activity. “Regardless of the vaccine, there are still plenty of other STIs to discourage against unprotected sex or not staying abstinent, if this is your choice of birth control,” Greksouk said. “Thinking that the vaccine would cause promiscuity or less pap smears is simply uninformed.”Groups who advocate against the vaccine claim that Gardasil has several potential side-effects including paralysis, permanent injury and death.. Peterson said, however, that these harmful side effects are no more likely to occur from an HPV vaccination than they are from a placebo vaccination. Despite the controversy, Villageliu and Greksouk both emphasized the importance of educating students about both HPV and Gardasil.“With HPV, as with all STIs, know your status,” Villageliu said. “Get your annual pap exams, talk to your sexual partners about their history, talk to your doctor about getting the HPV vaccine. Stay on top of what is happening with your body, and the likelihood that the infection will become serious will be greatly reduced.”There are many groups on campus that support and educate about HPV and Gardasil, including Peer Health Educators, the Women’s Center and Student Health’s gynecology department.
(04/15/09 5:36am)
Student Council passed a resolution last night condemning anti-gay violence in response to the recent assault against a University student and his guest.The resolution, sponsored by College representative Eugene Resnick, formally denounces violence against any member of the University based on sexual orientation or gender identity.Additionally, the resolution shows Council’s support to the University’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community by funding $350 to provide 1,000 candles for a vigil to be held in the Amphitheater Thursday at 6:30 p.m.“We want to have something that’s tangible to show that we’re working together as a community,” Resnick said.Resnick also said members of the contracted independent organization Queer and Allied Activism needed funding for the candles for the unexpectedly large crowd who plan to attend.“Right now they’re experiencing an unprecedented amount of people who are going to be going to the vigil, so they don’t have enough funding to do that,” Resnick said. “They were expecting ... only about 100, 200, or 300 people, but then the Facebook [event] indicated that over 1,000 people are going to attend.”Seth Kaye, president of Queer and Allied Activism, expressed his support for the Council resolution, adding that he hopes it will encourage others to take action as well.“It’s certainly a great symbolic effort, but I hope it can inspire real activism and real action ... in the University community,” Kaye said.Student Council President John Nelson said Council will pay for the candles using Student Activity Funds.“The $350 would come from our SAF funding,” Nelson said, adding that despite the troubled economy these funds should be sufficient to provide enough candles for the expected turnout without taking away from other Council initiatives.Resnick also stressed the importance a Council-endorsed statement following the assault.“I think it would be very appropriate for Student Council to voice its support for the LGBT community ... and bring the community together to talk about the incident,” he said, adding that “when you have ... people in power who are being ... helpful about it, it kind of gives it a cushion of support.”Resnick and Kaye both hope the resolution will be the first of many Council initiatives made in partnership with the Queer Student Union and the Queer and Allied Activism group to promote equality. They said they hope to gain Council’s support in the future about topics such as gender neutral housing and a queer studies minor.
(04/14/09 5:44am)
Let's get one thing straight: the “bias incident” last week was an anti-gay hate crime. "Bias-motivated assault” is a euphemism that masks the severity of the bashing that occurred on grounds on April 4. The survivor was holding hands with his friend when walking back home and was viciously assaulted by five young white males. They did not rob him, so clearly the only motivation for this unprovoked crime was hate.Hate crimes rarely occur in a vacuum. They require an environment in which unacceptable behavior such as violence against queer people becomes naturalized and acceptable in the general consciousness. A peer and ideological network must exist to support this normalization. Random acts of violence are equally unacceptable, and too often have tragic consequences. A hate crime differs from a random act, however, in that the perpetrators of hate crimes tend to believe that something about their victim like race, religion, or sexual orientation justifies their violent behavior. Hate crimes, unlike random acts of violence, indicate a systematic problem: something beneath the surface, something we must address.We don’t know whether the perpetrators were students, and in a way, it doesn’t matter. This horrific event has afforded us the opportunity for some serious self-reflection. It is our duty to make sure that our University lives up to its ideals of honor in every way. Non-violence was the original impetus behind the creation of the “community of trust” we proclaim to foster. But if some members of this community cannot trust that they will be accorded the same basic rights to personal safety that others enjoy, then the entire system is degraded. This means that we must eradicate from our midst the kinds of prejudices and hateful thought patterns that excuse violent behavior.We think the inadequacy and delay of the administration’s response to this most recent hate crime is symptomatic of a systematic problem — an apathy towards the struggles of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer individuals at the University. A mentality that fails to view the queer community as a legitimate and marginalized minority is consistent with the kind of environment queer people face today: a confused and often unhelpful administration, prevalent use of hateful and hurtful rhetoric, and now, the all-too-real threat of violence.Typically, e-mail notifications on crimes go out the day after a crime is reported, but the administration didn’t think that the severity of this crime warranted notification and so the e-mail was sent out a week later after prompting from concerned students. The fact that the administration did not feel this hate crime was a grave enough threat to notify students is alarming and disturbing. However, Police Chief Mike Gibson said that if something like this were to happen again, he would send out a timely notice and in retrospect, regretted withholding the information from the student body. This is a step in the right direction and we hope that the administration follows through with its promises. While the administration clearly made some mistakes, we do believe that anger toward the administration is ineffective, and misdirected. We hope that you can focus your frustrations on the attackers themselves and the atmosphere that allowed it to occur.What can we do? Language is one factor in this dangerous equation that every one of us has the power to change. Hateful and hurtful language proliferates a lack of concern for the dignity of those against whom the language is biased. The use of phrases like ‘faggot,’ ‘no homo’ and ‘that’s so gay’ in everyday speech, enforces the dominant cultural mindset: a general sense of fear, disgust, and separateness from the queer community. It reflects a deep-seated cultural intolerance for people who display “nonconventional” sexualities and gender identities. ‘Gay’ is not a synonym for stupid. This type of language is precisely what creates the breeding ground for hatred which leads to violence. So pay attention to what you say and what you hear as you go about your week. If you hear someone being offensive or insulting, call them out. It can be as simple as “Whoa, not cool” or “Really, that test was so gay?” People only use hurtful language when it goes unchallenged. It is your responsibility as a member of this community to stand against hatred.We have had a slow start in responding to this incident, but let us move forward. Show your strength and your integrity. Send a message to the world: no matter your color, your religion, your gender identity, no matter where you are from or whom you love, you are a welcome and valued member of this University. Show the survivors of this crime that we care about what happened to them, and that we are determined not to let it happen again. Seth Kaye is the President of Queer and Allied Activism and Lauren Groetch is a LGBTQ activist.
(04/14/09 5:27am)
A University male student and his male guest were attacked by five white males on Grounds April 4, University Police Lieut. Melissa Fielding said. The assault was motivated by bias against the perceived sexual orientation of the two victims, according to a statement from the Office of the Dean of Students.Fielding said the crime took place around 3:00 a.m. near Scott Stadium. Five white males approached the student and his guest, yelled homophobic slurs and then hit them, she said. When one victim attempted to call for help, the attackers smashed his cell phone. Eventually both victims were able to run away. They were then treated for minor physical injuries at the University Hospital and released from care, Fielding said. Because of the ongoing nature of the investigation, Fielding said she could not yet say whether the police department has identified any suspects in the case.The Office of the Dean of Students sent an e-mail statement to the University community April 10 to explain the incident.President of Queer and Allied Activism Seth Kaye, a first-year Engineering student who is also a friend of one of the victims, said the e-mail statement sent by Dean of Students Allen Groves was accurate, though some details were missing. The two victims were holding hands, which likely made the attackers notice them, Kaye said, noting that the victims were not dressed flamboyantly or in a way that might have identified them as homosexuals. He also said the crime was not a robbery because the attackers did not steal anything from the student or his guest, even if they destroyed a cell phone.When a crime is committed against a University student, a campus-wide police alert is sometimes sent to members of the University community, as happened last month when a student was robbed in his Madison Lane apartment. Kaye noted that an alert was not sent immediately after the April 4 incident, a fact he said leads him to believe police officers did not think the crime was serious enough to warrant that kind of response. The University student victim did not respond to an e-mail inquiry about the incident as of press time.Part of the reason, Fielding said, that University Police did not send an immediate e-mail alert was because officials at first were confused about whether Charlottesville or University Police had jurisdiction of the case. The Charlottesville Police initially took charge of the investigation, but after the student and his guest gave complete details about the location of the crime, the case was transferred to the University Police. Fielding added that in the event of a similar crime in the future, the University Police likely would move more quickly to send out an alert than it did after the April 4 incident.Fielding also said because the assault was a hate crime, it carried delicate issues of privacy and confidentiality and was thus best handled by the Office of the Dean of Students.“Crimes that are motivated by bias against any type of group are particularly repugnant and can be difficult to handle,” Groves said, adding that if the attackers were students, they could face charges by the Commonwealth’s justice system and the University Judiciary Committee.UJC Chair Michael Chapman, a fourth-year Education student, noted that while any assault on a University student always has been considered a serious matter, a recent amendment to the UJC constitution makes bias-motivated assault even more serious.“If any crime, especially assault, is motivated by bias, it can carry a more serious sanction, including expulsion from the University,” Chapman said.Groves said bias-motivated crimes are hard to deal with because of the effect they can have on their targets. Groves’ office helps students that are victims of such crimes by contacting the student’s professors, connecting the student with counseling and psychological services, and, if the victim is a first-year student, by checking in with his or her resident advisor, he said.The LGBT resource center also is seeking to offer support by organizing a Stand Against Hatred rally Thursday. Groves and a representative from the University Police will speak about the incident and how to prevent similar events from occurring again. The event will culminate with a moment of silence and vigil. Groves also will lead a discussion following the rally.The rally is meant to raise awareness of hate crimes, said third-year College student and LGBT volunteer Christi Thomas. “A strong show of support will demonstrate how far we’ve come how far we have to go,” she added.
(04/10/09 5:57am)
Take Back the Night held its annual vigil in the Amphitheater last night in a culmination of Take Back the Night Week, which aims to raise awareness about sexual assault in the University community.“The main goals are raising awareness and helping survivors to heal,” Vigil Chair Jenny Anderson said.At the vigil, survivors were able to speak out about their experiences anonymously, while fellow students and community members sat in support in the Amphitheater, many holding candles. Sexual Assault Resource Agency volunteers were around for survivors to talk to if they needed support, Anderson said.“When all the candles are there, it’s amazing to see how many people are supporting you,” Anderson said.The vigil was the final event of the Take Back the Night Week, which began Monday with the “How to Date a Survivor” panel, Anderson said. This was followed by a Sexual Assault Board mock trial Tuesday and a community art project Wednesday.Vigil co-chair Cristina Liebolt also noted that the Consent Campaign, run by Take Back the Night and the Dean of Students office, was another important event that was held this week. The Consent Campaign aimed to try and make clear to the University community what consent is.“I think its extremely important especially in a college community,” Dean of Students Allen Groves said. “I think the objective to raise awareness and understanding is very important. And like many things at U.Va., I’m proud of the fact that its primarily student driven.”Before the vigil yesterday night, University and local community members gathered at a rally at Lee Park in the Downtown Mall and then moved in a march to the Amphitheater. Anderson said the rally’s goal was to empower people before the vigil.Liebolt said throughout her time at the University, she has seen growing interest and participation in the events.“Several of my professors have encouraged their classes to come out to the vigil and rally tonight to show their support,” Liebolt said.Anderson noted that Take Back the Night continues to see participation because it is able to reach out to many people throughout the University community.“I think it continues today because obviously sexual assault and date violence is still an issue that affects many more people that you’ll ever realize,” she said. “The largest part of the problem is that people don’t talk about it and that its not seen as a problem if people are acquaintances.”Take Back the Night is a newly formed contracted independent organization, which began this semester and is cosponsored by Feminism is For Everyone and the Sexual Assault Leadership Council, the umbrella organization of sexual assualt-related student groups.
(03/31/09 5:42am)
Late one cool April night, you’re seated in the Amphitheatre surrounded by a few friends and hundreds of strangers. You hold out a hand in front of your face, but the night is so black that you can’t see anything as you wiggle your fingers. A few candles flicker in the hands of the students around you. Suddenly, a voice cuts through the darkness, timid at first but gaining strength with each new syllable: “I am a survivor of sexual assault.”Welcome to Take Back the Night’s candlelight vigil, one part of a week-long campaign to raise awareness of sexual assault at the University. The program, now in its twenty-first year at the University, is described by public relations chair Nora Eakin as “a highly public event that really speaks to the consciousness and awareness among students of the problem of sexual violence, and an active desire to prevent it.”Sexual assault is an issue that is all too easy to push to the fringes of our consciousness. It’s easy to think that it couldn’t happen to you, because you don’t drink that much, or you don’t dress in short skirts, or you’re always careful when you’re walking at night. Unfortunately, the reality is that sexual assault can happen to anyone, and that more often than not — as frequently as 7 times out of 10, according to United States Bureau of Justice statistics — the attacker is somebody that the victim knows. The fear of a stranger jumping from an alley is a real one, but what’s far more likely is a familiar face in a familiar place taking things just a little too far.Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 20 to 25 percent of college women will experience rape or attempted rape during their four years at a university. At the University of Virginia, a study done in 2006 of about 800 college women found that 19 percent were victims of rape while at the University, 10 percent victims of attempted rape, and 34 percent victims of unwanted sexual contact.These statistics are staggering, but considering the college culture in which we live, they’re less surprising than they seem at first glance. Our generation has been termed the “hook-up generation” for our tendency to shy away from serious relationships while remaining sexually promiscuous. This new style of courtship, to use the term quite loosely, grew out of the sexual revolution, when new forms of contraception, like the birth control pill, decreased stigma regarding premarital sex and the availability of legal abortion resulted in less anxiety about the consequences of casual intercourse. As a result, we no longer equate emotional connectivity and responsibility with sexual encounters.These “casual sex” situations can get messy quickly, especially when alcohol is involved, and one or both parties wake up with only a partial memory of what occurred. A girl may have no recollection of giving consent — and, technically, consent given while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is not legal consent —and a boy may not remember if he used any kind of protection. And while these kinds of gray areas, which are often painful for both parties, are all too frequent, malicious sexual assault — such as engaging in sexual acts with a girl against her explicit wishes or while she is drunk, drugged, or unconscious — is still a disturbingly common reality at college campuses across the country. Take Back the Night is designed to help students understand the causes, consequences, and realities of sexual assault on college campuses. Last year, the candle light vigil alone was attended by over 600 students, faculty members, and community members. The vigil is proceeded by a rally with food and a capella performances and a march to demonstrate support and solidarity for survivors of sexual assault. Other campaigns include a panel on how to date someone who has been sexually assaulted in the past and a Sexual Assault Board mock trial that will help clarify the process involved in reporting a rape, attempted rape, or assault. “Hearing survivors’ stories makes sexual assault real in ways statistics and facts don’t — especially when those stories come from your peers,” said Eakin. “Getting people to realize that someone sitting next to them may have gone through this really makes one think twice about discounting our beloved Grounds as immune from these issues.”Too often, victims of sexual assault are afraid to speak out. They blame themselves: If only I hadn’t worn that outfit, if only I hadn’t had that last drink, if only, if only. Furthermore, these women are often scared to report their attacks because their attacker was someone they knew or trusted, they’re afraid of being labeled a “slut,” or they want to believe that the whole thing just “wasn’t that big of a deal”. The truth, however, is that sexual assault is never the victim’s fault. Reporting it does not label one promiscuous or careless. Take Back the Night strives to show survivors of sexual assault that it is not only safe but right to report the violence they have experienced, and that there is a large community of people willing to offer help, hope, and support. “We want to raise awareness and get people thinking about these issues, so they can support the survivors they know,” said Eakin. If you or somebody you love is a survivor of sexual assault, or if you’re simply moved by the frequency of sexual assault on college campuses, get involved in the University’s Take Back the Night programs next week.Michelle Lamont is a Cavalier Daily Associate Editor. She can be reached at m.lamont@cavalierdaily.com.
(03/24/09 5:53am)
In developing SpermPaint, a substance that causes sperm to glow when examined under a florescent microscope, University researchers have found a new method to analyze rape kits. Researchers previously identified two proteins, ESP in the heads of sperm and CABYR in the tails, which are only found in sperm cells, said Daniel Rausa, a third-year College student and undergraduate researcher. Rausa worked with Cell Biology Prof. John Herr, director of the Center for Research in Contraceptive and Reproductive Health, then used SpermPaint to find these proteins and attach to them, causing the parts of the sperm cells to glow under a fluorescent microscope, he said.“Where it could take someone five hours to find one sperm cell [under the current methodology,” Rausa said, “it could take me close to a minute to find a sperm cell, because it’s just going to glow right in front of me.”SpermPaint, which consists of monoclonal antibodies and a fluorescent dye, could revolutionize forensic analysis of rape kits, enabling scientists to quickly identify sperm cells and analyze samples collected years ago, Rausa said. The substance will also allow scientists to more effectively analyze samples taken up to three days after an assault, which is difficult using current techniques.In many states, a sample for a rape kit must be collected within 72 hours because the heads and tails of sperm cells start to separate, Rausa said. Forensic scientists currently use a “Christmas tree” stain — a type of tri-color stain — to analyze the swabs in rape kits and can only identify intact sperm cells, Herr said.The samples taken from sexual assault swabs often include bacteria and yeast, among other obstructions, Herr said. It therefore becomes very difficult and time-consuming to identify sperm cells in a forensic setting, Rausa said.SpermPaint, however, can help identify broken sperm cells. Because SpermPaint also works much faster than the current methodology, it may help to reduce the backlog of evidence found in almost every court, Rausa said. “Confirmation of a sperm continues to be one of the central pieces of testimony of sexual assault cases,” Herr said. Women who may not have been able to find success in court yet may do so with SpermPaint, Rausa added.“Justice can be achieved, because you don’t need an intact sperm cell,” Rausa said. “You can just have a head or a tail.” This also may encourage rape victims to come forward with their cases, Rausa said. Women whose rape kits were collected 72 hours after their assault could be more likely to take their cases to court.Rausa is currently working on clinical trials, using the protocol for SpermPaint to analyze mock rape kits to test the reagent’s effectiveness and stability. A standard operating procedure must also be developed, he added.About 360 forensic laboratories across the country will begin to use SpermPaint after a paper is published about the findings, Herr said. Rausa said he expects to finish collecting and analyzing data this fall.
(02/24/09 9:26pm)
I wanted to raise my objections to the “Got Stalk? Log On to Facebook” ad that appeared in The Cavalier Daily (2/24/2009). The ad is pointless and unnecessary, and tries to make a throwaway joke about a serious topic. A January 2009 Bureau of Justice Statistics report estimates that 3.4 million persons in the U.S. were stalked between 2005 and 2006, with women being at much greater risk to be stalked. More than half of stalking victims fear bodily harm to themselves or their family members, and many fear that if angered their stalker could physically assault, sexually assault, or murder them. Stalking is a serious form of mental assault which can severely harm the lives of those subjected to it. When an ad like Tuesday’s makes the subject into a joke to be taken lightly, people lose appreciation of what a major problem stalking is and how it damages real people’s lives. Please think twice about using your space to make jokes that trivialize serious subjects.
(01/28/09 5:24am)
One out of every six American women has been a victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime — a total that adds up to 17.7 million, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network Web site. The site also indicates that college-age women are four times as likely to be sexually assaulted. At the University and in the Charlottesville community, several organizations aim to educate about, prevent and respond to sexual assaults.According to RAINN, sexual assault is one of the most under-reported crimes, with an estimated 60 percent of sexual assaults and rapes left unreported by both male and female victims. This percentage, however, has not gone unnoticed. The University and the Charlottesville communities have a number of resources to help victims of rape and sexual assault, as well as programs dedicated to raising awareness and sensitivity about this issue. One such resource is the Sexual Assault Leadership Council, an umbrella organization that organizes and coordinates the efforts of the peer-education groups Sexual Assault Facts and Education, Sexual Assault Peer Advocates and One in Four. “SALC serves to unite the three groups and also allocates the funding to them,” SALC Internal Co-Chair Liz Greksouk said. “SALC figures out which programs are reaching out to which groups and makes sure the most people are reached.” She added that first-year students are an example of the types of people SALC tries to reach because she said there is not a comprehensive program for educating them about sexual assault upon entering the University. Each of the groups within the larger umbrella organization also works to help specific groups in the University community. SAFE trains students to advocate for survivors by suggesting helpful resources, like the University’s Sexual Assault Board and the other support groups that meet around Grounds, while SAPA is a peer group that promotes an environment of support among survivors.One in Four, meanwhile, is a national, all-male sexual assault peer education group with a chapter at the University. It has two main programs, both of which aim to educate and challenge traditional notions about sexual assault, said James Anderson, president of the One in Four chapter at the University.The first One in Four program, known as the Men’s Program, focuses on educating other men about helping survivors of sexual violence while working hard to change prominent stereotypes about sexuality that degrade women and nurture the “rape-culture” that exists in many college atmospheres, Anderson said. The group’s second program is the Fraternity Education Program, which involves members speaking to new pledges a few weeks after fraternity bid day in a seminar or forum setting, asking questions about the definitions of rape and masculinity, Anderson said. The organization’s mission is to teach young men to see sexual assault as a problem at the University as well as to show them how to identify and effectively speak out against rape. Anderson said the group’s members approach this rape education not by preaching to the men but rather by enlisting their help to change social ideas that make rape and sexual assault seem commonplace or even justifiable.The Sexual Assault Resource Agency, meanwhile, hosts a series of intervention and prevention programs, including a 24-hour crisis hotline for survivors, friends, families and those affected by sexual assault, Crisis Services Coordinator Laurie Jean Seaman said. Volunteers are trained to assist those who have recently experienced an assault or are beginning to deal with assault psychologically, Seaman said. The volunteers also are available to answer any medical questions, as well as legal questions about the criminal justice system, and can explain reporting options and how to file an assault report if a survivor chooses to do so. They also provide accompaniment to the emergency room or other health facilities by request.Seaman indicated that SARA also provides counseling and various support groups, including adult survivor groups and parent and caregiver support groups for those who interact with children who have been victims of assault as well as community presentations advocating prevention. Although the organization is not clinically based, she said, it does have counselors available on staff for those who would like to work with one. “We help people think through making their own decisions,” Seaman said. “It’s hard in times of crisis to think about in a situation in the way you normally would.” SARA receives about 600 calls a year, Seaman said, and estimates that 400 of those calls come from new clients. Those who use SARA’s resources respond well to them, Seaman added, though there is a “fair amount of resistance” to the organization among Charlottesville citizens. “People don’t want to think about sexual assault in their community,” she said. “They think about children and people getting hurt. They don’t know how to deal with it.” The Women’s Center, a community-oriented organization, seeks to address these concerns and serves as the connection between University and Charlottesville resources. The Women’s Center is home to Sexual and Domestic Violence Services, which touts a mission of strengthening the University’s responses and policies regarding survivors in an effort to end violence, according to its Web site. It is open to both University students and residents of the larger Charlottesville area. According to its Web site, it provides third-party, anonymous reporting as an “unofficial means to inform the University administration that a sexual assault has occurred” through the Internet, with the purpose of encouraging victims to report the crime without the risk of exposure or being asked to press charges. Police, however, cannot make an arrest on this report because it is unofficial. The Women’s Center also offers various other resources, such as self-defense classes during certain times of the year and training for those who want to help survivors.Third-year College student Katie Gorman, an outreach intern at the Women’s Center, said she thinks it is difficult to gauge how well people respond to these services.“It’s hard to tell because these services are designed to be anonymous,” Gorman said. “That’s one of the problems with sexual assault; there’s such a stigma around it and it keeps people from seeking the help they need.”Furthermore, victims are not always sure whether to classify themselves as rape victims.In a February 2008 editorial piece in the Los Angeles Times, Heather Mac Donald, contributing editor to City Journal, wrote about sexual assault on college campuses, particularly at the University of Virginia. She suggests that there is not as overwhelming a quantity of campus rapes as many campus organizations may suggest, because those who were considered to be rape victims did not necessarily define what happened to them as rape. Similarly, Mac Donald also stated that the number of rapes reported indicates that the push on college campuses across the country to educate students about rape is exaggerated; girls who drink excessively often put themselves in situations that these groups could consider to be sexual assault.Lastly, she dismissed the University’s Sexual Assault Board, which many of these student organizations encourage victims to use. “Out in the real world, people who regret a sexual coupling must work it out on their own; no counterpart exists outside academia for this superstructure of hearings, mediations and negotiated settlements. If you’ve actually been raped, you go to criminal court,” Mac Donald stated.Her article stirred up a loud response, particularly from students. “Mac Donald completely misunderstands the actual study that she’s trying to highlight,” Anderson said. “Women surveyed believed they hadn’t been raped because many women don’t realize what the legal definition of rape is or that their rights are being violated, and that doesn’t mean that the campus rape crisis doesn’t exist.” Anderson also rejected Mac Donald’s suggestion that there is a lack of response to rape, though he did admit it could be more effective.“Part of the problem is because of people like her and the articles that she’s writing, shaming and accusing women who are victims, calling them radical feminists and focusing on their clothing,” Anderson said. “This only perpetuates rape myths and makes women more reluctant to speak out against their predators.”As discussion continues, sexual assault becomes less of a taboo subject, and more organizations have begun to advocate prevention. Though some suggest these organizations unjustly promote disputable claims, others believe sexual assault to be a very real problem and support and advocate awareness and prevention programs. Regardless of the extent of sexual assaults on or near Grounds, a wide variety of University and local community resources are available for those who choose to use them.
(11/24/08 5:29am)
In response to a 2004 complaint filed by the non-profit organization Security on Campus, the Department of Education has ruled that aspects of the University’s sexual assault policies at the time requiring confidentiality violated federal law.Security on Campus filed the complaint on behalf of Annie Hylton, a former University student who was sexually assaulted and chose to bring her case to the Sexual Assault Board, an autonomous subcommittee of the University Judiciary Committee. Hylton was forced to agree not to disclose information about the hearing in order to receive its results, explained Daniel Carter, Security on Campus public policy director. The organization believed this constituted a violation of the Clery Act, a federal law that requires that both accused and accuser be informed of the outcome of any institutional discipline hearing, and therefore filed the complaint with the Department of Education, Carter said. Susan Russell also joined in filing the complaint on behalf of her daughter, former University student Kathryn Russell.The Department of Education’s ruling, handed down in a letter to University President John T. Casteen, III found that Hylton and Russell’s actions in speaking about their cases were not in violation of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, as the University argued. The ruling also found the Sexual Assault Board’s confidentiality policy at the time to be in violation of the Clery Act.The ruling states that the Department of Education is aware that the University has worked to improve and evaluate the effectiveness of the policies of the Sexual Assault Board as well as to bring them into compliance with the Clery Act.“Nevertheless ... the University is required to conduct a comprehensive review of its Clery Act policies and procedures to identify and address violations or weaknesses in its Clery Act program,” the ruling states.The University is required to submit a copy of current Student Assault Board policies and procedures, a summary of changes between the current policy and the one in place at the time of the complainant’s hearing and a copy of the most recent Campus Security Report. The Department of Education currently is not imposing any fines or sanctions on the University.Asst. Dean of Students Nicole Eramo, Sexual Assault Board chair stated in an e-mail that the letter is still under review and that the University currently has no comment.University spokesperson Carol Wood said the University’s policies regarding sexual assault have changed significantly since this complaint was filed. “We have implemented numerous changes and revisions to the policy,” Wood said, “in order to be more aggressive, flexible ... and nimble in responding to sexual assault cases.”Wood also said University President John T. Casteen, III has spoken a number of times about the University’s zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault.“[President] Casteen has come out very vigorously in the past about how we do not tolerate sexual assault at the University,” Wood said.The letter is currently under review by the general counsel’s office, she added, and the University plans to formulate a response once the letter has been thoroughly examined.Carter spoke about the significance of the ruling, explaining that “this decision empowers victims with the freedom to talk about what disciplinary action, if any, was taken against their alleged assailant.” The Department of Education’s ruling will have a nationwide impact, Carter said, noting that the confidentiality policy criticized by the Department of Education is common on campuses across the country.“It’s an important point that the University cannot silence victims, and it’s not just them relaxing the policy,” Carter added. “[These are] clear guidelines that the United States Department of Education appl[ies].”The Department of Education’s ruling echoed its 2004 decision regarding a case in which a Georgetown student was forced to sign a confidentiality agreement. The recent decision concerning the University “makes it clear that [the Clery Act] doesn’t just apply in cases where there’s a written agreement,” Carter said. “It applies in cases where there’s a verbal agreement or [where] there’s just the threat of a sanction for talking.”Victims’ right to talk about their experiences is important for two main reasons, Carter said. First, it “can be an important part of the hearing process ... [and] they should have that freedom,” he said. Secondly, it allows victims to seek a redress of grievances if necessary. Carter explained that before, “if they believed there were problems with how the process worked, they were unable to raise those concerns in a public forum.” Fourth-year College student Matt Arango, a member of sexual assault awareness group One in Four, said confidentiality is important for victims in the sense that the people victims choose to share their experiences with keep the information confidential. Speaking about their experiences is a crucial part of the healing process for victims, Arango said. “There can’t be any real sort of healing if the survivor isn’t able to talk about it — whether that’s just because they feel they’re not going to be believed or because there is some sort of legislation put in place that sort of prevents them from talking about it,” he said. “Being able to talk about the experience is important and can be very helpful in the right circumstance.”Russell, who is also the founder of the Web site uvavictimsofrape.com, said she hopes the decision is empowering.“I would hope victims would see that it is OK to speak up, and even when the administration tells you they’re right, that doesn’t mean they’re right,” she said. “It’s OK to question the policies of the school.”Russell said she this ruling as part of a larger battle. The complaint she filed also charged the University with violation of Title IX, which includes the standards of truth used for student tribunals in sexual assault cases. Title IX requires a “preponderance of evidence,” while the SAB required the evidence to be “clear and convincing,” which is a higher standard than held in civil court and constitutes a violation of Title IX, Russell said.
(11/20/08 8:08am)
Lie, cheat or steal and face the single sanction: expulsion. Some students think it is a brutal concept, while others have said instituting a uniform punishment that eliminates bias is ideal for the community of trust. Tonight, students will have the opportunity to voice their opinions about the issue at an open forum hosted by the Single Sanction Ad-Hoc Committee. The committee hopes to create a dialogue between the Honor Committee and the student body, committee chair Adam Trusner said. The committee is composed not only of Honor Committee members but also of members from the Minority Rights Coalition and Hoos against Single Sanction. The committee holds closed sessions as well as open forums during which students are invited to share their thoughts about the single sanction. At last week’s ad-hoc committee meeting, committee member Sam Leven, president of Hoos Against Single Sanction, presented a proposal that offered alternatives to the single sanction. Leven said that under the terms of this proposal, a student who is found guilty of act and intent but acquitted of non-triviality would be punished with a lesser sanction by the Honor Committee. According to Leven’s proposal, if a student is found guilty of act, intent and non-triviality he or she would still be expelled from the University.Leven said he believes the proposal addresses several problems with the current system.“It separates out expulsion as the default penalty,” Leven said. In addition to providing alternatives to the single sanction, Leven said the proposal narrows the gap between punishments.“Students who get off with nothing wouldn’t get off with nothing,” Leven said. “Expulsion versus nothing or expulsion versus a two-year suspension. The latter is better.”Trusner said he felt Leven’s proposal draws the line at triviality, and triviality may not always be the deciding factor in convicting or acquitting a student. If a student were accused of plagiarizing 1,000 words from a 1,500-word paper, the student could be found guilty or acquitted depending on the jury that tried the accused, Trusner said. It could never be known, however, whether the jury made its verdict based on triviality or intent, he said.School of Medicine Rep. Will Derry echoed Trusner’s concerns.“We would run into the same problems that we run into now in terms of randomness,” Derry said. “When juries are voting on non-triviality, randomness applies there. One jury can vote ‘yes,’ another vote ‘no.’”Trusner also raised another concern: The proposal could lead to a problem with impartiality because Honor Committee members — rather than a randomly selected jury — would determine the punishment.Leven, however, said he believes the issue of impartiality will not pose a problem when Honor Committee members sanction a student.“I’ve never seen anything in the U.S. judicial system to make me think that that’s a problem,” Leven said. “I don’t think you lose your impartiality that you’re ultimately going to have to decide punishment. That’s how it works in the U.S. judicial system; judges remain impartial.”Leven proposed a measure two years ago that would have completely eliminated the single sanction in addition to non-triviality and intent, he said. The jury would have chosen a punishment from a list of several sanctions. Nearly 6,500 students voted on the referendum, and it failed to reach a simple majority by 62 votes during spring 2007 elections.When creating the new proposal, Leven said he wanted to “work within the bounds of the current system.” He also said students were uncomfortable with the idea of juries choosing a student’s sanction because juries do not sit on multiple cases; this was a reason why he decided to amend the proposal so that Honor Committee members would sanction the students. He also added that students felt the referendum two years ago “demeaned the system” — something the new proposal would not do.“It would leave the constitution largely intact as it is now, which would leave the framework for fixing problems,” Leven said. “We’re working within the current framework.”First-year College student Aaron Ross said he supports the idea of looking into alternatives for the single sanction. While Ross said he believes a one-sanction system creates a uniform and concrete standard when convicting students, he believes the punishment is somewhat harsh.“The fact that you can’t get kicked out of the University for sexual assault but you can get kicked out for cheating on a test is a little bit ridiculous to me,” he said.He added that he believes the single sanction deters students from reporting honor offenses.“There have probably been times when I should have said something but I didn’t just because of that,” Ross said.Second-year College student Reginald Benbow, Jr. said while he likes the idea of exploring alternatives to the single sanction, the current system still remains an effective way of eliminating partiality.“Everyone — if they lie, cheat, or steal — gets the same punishment,” Benbow said. “There’s no room for bias if the Committee had a gender or racial bias in terms of sanctioning.”Leven plans to present his proposal formally at tonight’s open forum meeting at 7 in the Chemistry Building auditorium.
(10/22/08 6:55am)
“She doesn’t let me hang out with my friends. She says she should be enough.”This is one of six messages written on posters around Grounds for the Red Flag Campaign, an awareness campaign launched through the Women’s Center. The campaign attempts to draw attention to the problem of intimate partner violence, as October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.According to the Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, one partner is being abused in one out of every five college dating relationships. Many people associate domestic violence with physical abuse, but the Red Flag Campaign is trying to demonstrate that violence is not always physical — it can be emotional, too. The posters place an emphasis on identifying the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships as well as signs of abusive behavior, including coercion, sexual assault, isolation, jealousy, emotional abuse and victim-blaming.Many young people find it hard to identify violence in their relationships because serious relationships can be a new experience.“It’s hard for some students to distinguish how you should be treated, especially in college relationships, because they’ve never done it before,” said third-year College student Katie Gorman, the sexual and domestic violence services outreach intern at the Women’s Center. National statistics support this idea: According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 16- to 24-year-old women experience the highest per capita rates of intimate violence, at a rate almost triple the national average.In light of these facts, the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance decided to embark on the Red Flag Campaign to raise awareness about these issues where they are widespread: on college campuses.Claire Kaplan, director of sexual and domestic violence services at the Women’s Center and who also helped shape the Red Flag Campaign as part of the initial development committee, said planning for the campus awareness program started three years ago with a grant from the Verizon Foundation. A campus task force comprised of students, personnel and community-victim advocates developed the materials and vetted them past student groups. Last year the University hosted a focus group in which students provided feedback about the stalking content of the campaign.A variety of campuses across Virginia participate in this campaign, and the program is slowly spreading to become a national initiative.Campaign advocates are hanging up posters around Grounds, distributing flag pens that list qualities of healthy relationships and planting red flags around Grounds to remind students of the intimate-partner violence problem. What distinguishes this campaign from other awareness campaigns, Kaplan said, is its ability to speak to third parties.Both Kaplan and Gorman said friends and family of a victim are often the first ones to come forward about intimate violence, which is one of the reasons why the posters have not just examples of red flag behavior, but “talk boxes” that respond to those behaviors. “It empowers people to act,” Kaplan said. The campaign is “not just speaking to victims, it tells a third party, ‘You can do something, too,’” Warrenetta Mann, multicultural coordinator at Counseling and Psychological Services, praised these sorts of awareness campaigns.“Campaigns [like this] give individuals things they can do and actions they can take in everyday life to have a specific impact,” she said, noting domestic violence is “something growing amongst younger people and couples that lots of college counseling centers are worried about. I think it’s good that students are addressing it within their own community.”While the campaign is focused primarily on raising awareness, Kaplan reiterated the importance of peer education groups in the process and how they are expected to educate the student body. University students developed a forum to discuss these issues yesterday in the Kaleidoscope Room in Newcomb Hall.Fourth-year College student Evelyn Hall, co-chair of the Sexual Assault Leadership Council, said a representative from the Shelter for Help in Emergency gave a broad overview of domestic violence by defining it and giving signs and instructions about how to help a friend. The second half of the forum was a panel in which survivors of domestic violence shared their personal stories. The variety of panelists, Hall said, highlighted non-traditional forms of domestic violence and allowed attendees to understand the effects abuse can have on students’ broader experiences at the University.“The panel is an opportunity to gain very private insight on intimate partner violence experience of peers; it provides key insights about issues that are often swept under the rug,” she said. “Hearing personal stories is one of the most influential ways to change perspectives.”The work done by student education groups and the awareness campaigns attempts to bring light to a situation that Kaplan said students “may not even recognize because of a normalized environment.”Gorman agreed that people think intimate partner abuse “is a private issue,” she said. “But you need to speak up. You need to say ‘I don’t think he’s treating you right, you deserve better than this.’”Kaplan said for an aggressor to hear someone else speak about intimate partner abuse “is amazing — way more than I can do. This [campaign] makes people feel good that there is something they can do.”
(10/07/08 4:00am)
The University ranked 53rd out of 139 schools on the 2008 Trojan Sexual Health Report Card, an annual survey of U.S. colleges that measures the availability of information and services for sexual health. The University placed 37th in 2007 and 41st in 2006. The survey was created with the idea that “more sexual awareness is better so that students can make their own decisions,” said Bert Sperling, founder of the research firm Sperling’s BestPlaces, which Trojan chose to complete the study. The ratings involved an assessment of the sexual health services at each school. Schools received better scores for more accessible services, such as those that are open on weekends and allow drop-in patients rather than requiring appointments. The survey also examined student outreach and awareness programs for sexual health, the variety and availability of contraceptive methods, the availability and cost of testing for sexually transmitted diseases, the existence of programs dealing with sexual assault, and opportunities to receive anonymous health advice.Sperling noted that being ranked 53rd is “certainly very good,” but noted that “one could argue there is room for improvement.”Student Health Executive Director James Turner said he did not think the University’s ranking accurately reflects the sexual health services offered on Grounds. Turner, who said he was not previously aware of the survey, criticized its administrators for not contacting any faculty, staff or administrators in regard to the services that the University offers. Sperling said the survey relied on student opinion, noting that Sperling’s BestPlaces sent questionnaires to students and received 9,000 responses, which offered student perceptions of the availability and accessibility of sexual health services and information. The University received a score of 2.98 on a 4-point scale.Turner, though, said student perceptions may not be a true measuring stick to gauge the resources available, noting that the score provided is lower than he would have anticipated. He said national accreditation, such as that awarded by the non-profit Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organization, offers a better insight into the quality of a college or university’s sexual health services. This past April, the University’s Health Center received a top ranking from the JCAHO, he said.He also noted that data from the last 20 years show a decrease in the transmission of STDs and unwanted pregnancies at the University, as well as an overall increase in the accessibility of the University’s health services. This data helps verify the high quality of the University’s health services, Turner said. “Students need to be aware that Student Health exists,” Turner said noting that the University offers separate health services for men and women, HIV and STD testing services, and has a very active peer health education program.Leading all schools according to the 2008 report was Stanford University. The lowest grade was awarded to DePaul University of Chicago. Virginia Tech finished 52nd, just edging the University in overall sexual health according to the report.
(09/24/08 4:50am)
The consequences of one-night stands can extend beyond the immediate physical consideration of sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy into a person’s emotional and mental well-being. They may begin the next morning and continue as the encounter sinks in; however, discussion of those consequences often falls by the wayside as a person focuses on being tested for a laundry list of STIs: chlamydia, crabs, HPV, HIV, gonorrhea, genital warts and others. The psychological effects of being in a casual sexual situation are rarely addressed in such a methodic way. Many STIs can treated with a prescription, but the varied and complex mental and emotional fallout after a one-night stand can take a much longer time to recognize and process.Leonard Carter, assistant director of the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, said the mental effects of one-night-stands are “variable by the individual. Some people shrug it off and are OK with it; other people can be completely devastated and it could even ruin their whole year.”For some, regret may be the biggest issue after a hook-up. This can lead to self-blame, with questions like, “Why did I wear that? Why did I let that happen? What was I thinking?” first-year College student Carrie Mongle said. In cases consensual sexual activity, a student even can come to believe an encounter was his or her fault.Even in cases of mild regret, the negativity of a one-night stand can linger. For some, Carter said, “a one-night stand presents an initial thrill, but they may feel empty and dejected afterwards.”Interpersonal misunderstandings are another issue commonly involved in casual sexual activity.“You often find yourself more in action-mode than thinking about what you want out of the situation,” Carter said, also noting that before engaging in sexual activity, one should consider “safe sex, what your motivation is, and what you want to get out of the situation.” First-year College student Cypress Walker said that over the summer, a friend engaged in a hookup in which “she felt a connection, and he thought it was just a one-time thing.” Self-esteem and self-worth can greatly be impacted by the rejection stemming from misunderstanding.Religious beliefs can also play into the psychology of sexual relations. Many religions directly prohibit sex before marriage and even contraception within a marriage. Religious beliefs can deeply affect notions of culture and family, and betraying either one of those entities can result in a perceived loss of identity, exclusion from a religion or a distance from a spiritual being.In light of these complications, even the best-laid plans can go awry. One student who requested anonymity described a one-night stand that was fully thought through and arrived at the conclusion of, “Whatever, let’s do it.” She noted, “After that, I couldn’t call. He was my best friend, and it screwed up the friendship.” Actions, including sexual encounters, have unforeseen, and often permanent, consequences. Seemingly informed decisions can backfire, but proper planning, in terms of physical risks, can make for a smarter start.Because alcohol lowers sexual inhibitions, sizable numbers of students engaging in casual sexual behavior are those also drinking. The U.Va. Health Behaviors Survey 2007 found that 17.2 percent of students reporting alcohol use in the past 12 months “engaged in sexual activity which [the respondent] ordinarily would not have,” and 7.5 percent of those students “engaged in sexual activity without safer sex practices that [the respondent] normally use[s].” These numbers can be tempered by the fact that 51 percent of respondents who reported using their ordinary safe sex practices had a peak Blood Alcohol Concentration of more than the legal limit, 0.08. On the other hand, 85.1 percent of respondents who reported not using their ordinary safe sex practices had a peak BAC exceeding the legal limit.The psychological effects of casual sexual encounters do not differentiate between genders. For men and women, there is a “range of responses; some can accommodate, but for others [hook-ups] can be a real negative,” Carter said. While women — one in four of whom have been sexually assaulted — are the most-portrayed targets of sexual assault, 1 in 6 men have also been sexually assaulted by the age of 18, according to the Sexual Assault Resource Agency. If a line has been crossed by either gender, the University Women’s Center has a Web site for sexual assault survivors that includes third-party reporting and essential medical information.Emotional, physical and mental consequences cannot be ignored in the aftermath of casual sexual encounters. While the assessment of physical consequences may be easier to complete, emotional and mental risks can be unpredictable and long-lasting; such an investment of body, mind and soul seems to demand your full attention.
(09/05/08 7:52am)
No, I don’t plan to break out in song von Trapp style. I do, however, want to recognize some of the things on Grounds that have made returning to school and getting back into the swing of rigorous class work worthwhile.While the refurbishing of Clemons Library makes it a much more idyllic place to study, I have always been partial to Clark Library. The building itself, timeless and welcoming, is located in the ideal spot as a retreat between classes. When time proves to be of the essence, I can’t count how many instances I relied on Clark for printing a reading or typing a quick e-mail. Also, the staff keep the study areas immaculate and provide students with an unprecedented variety of comfortable chairs. While I could spend 10 minutes describing to you my favorite spot within Clark’s hallowed walls, I fear you’ll be there the next time I bring work to do. Long story short, if a place can make you enthusiastic to study then it’s definitely a worthwhile endeavor for which to leave your room. There’s something about those naked people on the mural in the foyer as well, I suppose.I may be partial to Clark, but I do indulge every once and a while (loosely translated to mean every day) and visit the esteemed Alderman Café. Personally, I feel they make the meanest cup of coffee on Grounds. There are many things a college student can survive without, but good coffee is not one of them. Alderman seems to be the most therapeutic place for someone feeling down and blue because, like “Cheers,” it’s the place where everybody knows your name. I often frequent Alderman with specific tasks set to conquer and walk out two hours later having nothing done, but it’s always worthwhile because I instead caught up with three or four friends I’d much rather talk to than face discussion reading or my inbox.Another one of my favorite spots quickly makes me think of what the good ol’ days at U.Va. might have been like, full of fresh-faced young men in tweed, herringbone and argyle — Randall Hall. As a history major, I think we lucked out with the coolest building on Grounds (I am of course excluding all Commerce students from this equation). This is the inner nerd in me speaking, but the white hallways with their crown molding and the checkered floors make walking in to see a professor like having a blast from the past.I could pontificate about my favorite buildings here at the University forever, but a student’s also got to eat. I realize that my hometown contains several bagel locations that have merit in their own way, but nothing compares to Bodo’s. Perfection comes in many forms, and one of those includes being able to spend $2 on a lunch and eat it out on the Lawn. Those people behind the counter move customers so fast it makes one’s head spin — even during the post-church rush on Sunday one can get in and out with bagels in less than 10 minutes. My parents still think it’s weird that that’s where I want to go when they come into town instead of something nicer (and of course, costlier). Bodo’s is, and always will be, where it’s at.And if you’re looking for lunch, whoever thought of the idea to sell off house dressing and bags of bread leftovers? Take It Away Sandwich Shop is, and always will be in my mind, a genius. Who knew something so simple and seemingly strange would be so delicious? This is another choice of cuisine my parents find incredibly odd (“Bread and sandwich spread? Are you really that poor at school?”) but if you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend it. A couple bags of bread ends and a pint of house dressing total about $10 and feed a large number of people. You won’t be disappointed.As I play around with my Sexual Assault Peer Advocacy pen and take a sip of water with my Honor cup, I am reminded that there are some things around Grounds that don’t cost anything. I thank all of those organizations that are cool enough to make free stuff for people like me who live for such things. I feel content in my extracurricular endeavors at this point in my college career, but don’t think for a second I didn’t go around to every table at the activities fair and pretend to be interested just so I could get the swag. Now I don’t need to buy writing utensils or drinkware. Thanks, guys!I think these tiny joys mean so much to me because my honeymoon period with this school has yet to end. I love being a student here and I am so happy to be back from summer vacation. I guess we’ll just have to wait until I get my first test or paper back, however, to see a list of things that drive me insane. Until then!Bailee’s column runs biweekly Fridays. She can be reached at b.barfield@cavalierdaily.com.
(09/03/08 7:30am)
In response to the April 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, University Police have recently purchased an instructional video that has been prepared to inform University students and staff about how to respond in emergency situations on Grounds.While the video, titled “Shots Fired,” is a new means of preparing for an emergency, discussions concerning emergency training have been an ongoing process.“We’ve been working on appropriate training for months,” Director of Emergency Preparedness Marge Sidebottom said. “We make sure what we choose is appropriate and available for the entire University.”More than a clear-cut guide for every possible emergency, Gibson said, the tape “creates an opportunity for people to think about what they would do in those situations so they can rehearse what they would do.”The tape is still in the evaluation stage and has not yet been implemented at the University, Gibson said, adding that University Police currently are considering how best to make the information accessible to students.One possible plan is to show the video in a setting where questions could immediately be answered. This presentation might take a similar form to the first-year Safety, Security and Sexual Assault talks, which have been occurring this week. Another alternative is to post the video online, which would allow the information to reach a larger audience, but would restrict the possibility of having questions answered, Gibson said. Some Virginia schools have opted to educate students online, such as James Madison University, which has placed an instructional slideshow on its Web site detailing emergency procedures.To determine the best means of implementation and to address other issues of emergency preparedness, police are cooperating in an ongoing effort with many University departments including mental health, law enforcement and emergency preparedness, as well as listening to students’ perspectives, Gibson said. “When we train here we have to train students, faculty and staff,” Sidebottom detailed. “In an emergency we’re all in it together.”
(08/28/08 10:29pm)
Christopher Noakes, the 39-year-old Charlottesville resident who pled guilty to two charges of sodomy in an February attack on a University student, was sentenced Tuesday to serve 40 years in prison, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Katherine Peters said.Peters said she believes this is a positive outcome for the commonwealth’s attorney’s office and noted that given Noakes’ age, “a 40-year sentence is considerable and it is tantamount to a life sentence.”Peters added that Noakes may be eligible to apply for geriatric release if he maintains good behavior, but added that is “unlikely that Mr. Noakes will be going anywhere.”Nicholas Repucci, Noakes’ attorney, said Noakes accepted his sentence as part of a plea agreement.The charges against Noakes were in reference to an assault that occurred Feb. 21 on the 1600 block of Grady Avenue, Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo said. Longo said the victim, a white female University student who was 20 years old at the time, was walking west on Grady Avenue early in the morning. The victim was talking on her cell phone when she heard footsteps coming from behind her and turned around to see a black male with a knife demanding money from her.The victim surrendered her purse, Longo said, and the perpetrator then threw her cell phone into the bushes nearby before he “assaulted her in the area of her head and face, knocked her to the ground, threatened her with a knife and performed a sexual act.”Longo added that the victim’s phone remained on after it was thrown, which “precipitated timely police response” at about 2 a.m. After attempting to flee the scene, Longo said, the perpetrator was apprehended, positively identified on the scene by the victim and later identified as Noakes. Longo said that in this case, the victim did not know her attacker, but “the vast majority of reports of sexual assault” involve victims who are acquainted with their aggressors.Claire Kaplan, director of sexual and domestic violence services at the University Women’s Center, said once or twice a month she hears a report of sexual assault in which a University student is victimized. She noted, as Longo did, that attacks by strangers to the victim are “quite rare” and said they statistically comprise 10 to 15 percent of sexual assault cases.“The most likely perpetrator of a sexual assault against a U.Va. student is a U.Va. student,” Kaplan said, adding “the single best way to be safe is to try your best to be in control of your own faculties when you are with other people.”Kaplan also added that “there is no right and wrong” when it comes to protecting oneself against attack, because typically, individuals walking alone are cautioned against talking on cell phones, but in this case that factor expedited the victim’s rescue.
