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Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Katherine O’Dair discussed the recent and ongoing national conversation about sexual assault on college campuses, and how Boston College is dealing with these issues. O’Dair is also the University’s deputy Title IX coordinator.
To help us get a better understanding of the issues in play, let’s start with some basics: How is “sexual assault” defined at Boston College?
According to Boston College’s Student Sexual Misconduct Policy, and in line with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ definition, sexual assault is defined as any sexual penetration or sexual contact with another individual without consent. It is important to note that “sexual assault” is just one form of prohibited behavior under Boston College’s Student Sexual Misconduct Policy. This policy defines and describes a broad range of prohibited behaviors, including all forms of sexual harassment, sexual violence, relationship violence, stalking, and sexual exploitation. Students, faculty, staff and the greater Boston College community can learn more about our comprehensive Student Sexual Misconduct Policy online at www.bc.edu/sar.
How to define consent is at the center of the discussion about how colleges and universities are addressing sexual assault. How does Boston College define consent?
Consent is defined as words or actions that clearly indicate voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity. Consent is always freely informed and actively given. Silence or lack of resistance does not imply consent. Consent must be ongoing, and it may be withdrawn at any time. Consent for one sexual act does not imply consent for any subsequent sexual activity. Consent may never be obtained through use of coercion, intimidation, force, or threats.
Just this year we revised our policy to make it clearer to students the issue of incapacitation and the role of alcohol. As we say in the policy, consent cannot be obtained from an individual who is incapable of giving consent if the person: has a mental, intellectual, or physical disability; is under the legal age to give consent (16 years old in Massachusetts); is asleep, blacked out, unconscious, or physically helpless; or is incapacitated, including through the consumption of alcohol or drugs.
How does Boston College deal with sexual assault-related issues? Have there been any recent changes?
Boston College takes the issue of sexual misconduct very seriously. Over the past several years, the University has made significant changes to policies, enhanced and formalized response efforts, and expanded education, communication, and training. These efforts have been advanced with the aim of not only complying with changes in law and new guidance under Title IX, but also in keeping with our mission to care and support all of our students and to provide a safe campus environment.
Boston College has many resources in place to support and respond to members of the community who have been affected by sexual violence. In June, BC hired Rachel DiBella, MSW, to serve as the new assistant director of sexual violence prevention and response. Rachel has been working to expand and enhance the services of the Sexual Assault Network, which includes the SANet hotline, and to raise awareness about these services within the community. The hotline [617-552-2211], which has existed since 1982, is a 24-hour/7-days-a-week private resource that is staffed by advocates who are trained to listen, to provide options, and to support the survivor or friend of the survivor as they embark on the healing process. The hotline is also anonymous if the caller chooses not to provide identifying information.
Boston College has a coordinated approach to prevention and response, including a sexual assault steering committee that meets monthly and includes broad representation from individuals across campus who have a direct role in prevention and response efforts. A small case team composed of the Student Affairs Title IX coordinator, deputy chief of the Boston College Police, the associate dean of students, and the assistant director for violence prevention and response meets biweekly to review cases and ensure that students are receiving the proper care. This fall, I plan to talk with faculty who have expertise in this area, and will continue to engage the entire campus community in conversations about this important topic.
One major issue colleges and universities face is determining how best to investigate complaints in a manner that is prompt, fair, and impartial to all parties. How has BC sought to do this?
Like many universities, Boston College has moved to an investigator model for sexual misconduct cases. When a complaint is reported to the Office of the Dean of Students or when the University otherwise determines an investigation or conduct action is appropriate, an investigation will be conducted through the use of one or more internal or external investigators specifically trained in sexual misconduct investigations. Boston College investigators understand the complexity of sexual assault cases, and are trained to maintain an unbiased approach, ask fair and appropriate questions, and be knowledgeable about the issues that survivors face.
The Boston College Police Department provides assistance to victims including addressing immediate safety concerns, investigating incidents of sexual misconduct, filing a criminal complaint both on-campus and off-campus, and assisting victims with medical attention and care. There are 11 specially trained sexual assault officers within the Boston College Police who are available to assist students if they choose to report an assault to them.
How is the University proactively raising awareness about sexual assault and enhancing prevention efforts?
The first step in preventing sexual violence is responding to it appropriately when it does occur. Boston College is committed to educating the staff and faculty community about the importance of reporting a disclosure to me as the Student Affairs Title IX coordinator. This will help to ensure that individuals affected by sexual violence are all offered the same resources and all cases are handled consistently. I have already talked with hundreds of BC faculty and staff and in doing so have distributed our one-page document for faculty and staff that describes the resources, options, and reporting protocol. This document can be found at www.bc.edu/sar under “Faculty Guide.” I will continue to attend, and welcome an invitation to faculty and administrative staff meetings to discuss our policies, protocols, resources, and most importantly how to respond to students who disclose an incident of sexual violence.
For students, the Women’s Center has provided Bystander Intervention Education to the student community since 2008. The Bystander Program has trained approximately 3,500 students to prevent instances of sexual violence from occurring through helping students to recognize problematic behavior in various contexts, and to empower students to intervene.
Members of the Sexual Assault Steering Committee developed a follow-up Bystander “booster” module that will be provided to juniors and seniors through student organizations, retreat groups, and athletic teams.
Student Affairs developed a multi-program effort to educate the current freshman class to understand what sexual violence is, call out problematic behavior, and support those affected by sexual violence. All first-year students were required to complete HAVEN, an interactive online sexual assault prevention program module, prior to arriving on campus; attend “Are You Getting the Signal?” an improvisational educational performance that explores how social pressures, gender stereotypes, and false preconceptions all can lead to sexual violence during Welcome Week; and will all be trained in Bystander Intervention Education during the spring semester. All first-year student community bathrooms will contain information about the Sexual Assault Network Hotline.
Can you describe your role as Student Affairs Title IX coordinator?
My role is to oversee the University’s efforts related to the prevention, education, and response to incidents of student sexual violence and sexual harassment on campus. I can help an individual student connect to resources and/or explain how to file a complaint should the student choose to do so. I also take a broad view and track and monitor incidents of sexual misconduct on campus. To this end, I work closely with faculty and staff to ensure that they have the resources to help students who disclose. It is also important that faculty and staff understand that they must report these incidents to me so that I can take every measure to ensure that we have a safe campus environment in which students can learn and live. In my role as Student Affairs Title IX coordinator I act in a deputy capacity to Richard Jefferson.
Your role as Student Affairs Title IX coordinator is focused primarily on student-on-student sexual misconduct, but could you also briefly discuss how the University responds to faculty and staff complaints?
The University’s Discriminatory Harassment Policy describes the University’s response to harassment complaints by faculty and staff, including sexual harassment. Linda Riley, the University’s current harassment counselor, is available to meet with anyone who believes they have been a victim of discriminatory harassment at the University. Also, in accordance with the recent amendments to the Violence Against Women Act, the University will respond to any employee who reports to the University any incident of sexual assault, domestic violence, or stalking, regardless of where the incident occurred or the identity of the alleged perpetrator.
Employees are encouraged to seek the assistance of the Boston College Police, who will provide the employee with written information regarding on- and off-campus resources and options to pursue the matter through the legal system, including the right to seek a restraining order. SANet is also available to any member of the University community who needs support as a victim, bystander, or as the recipient of a report of sexual violence.