3 Lessons the Military Can Teach Colleges About Responding to Sexual Violence

The U.S. armed forces have pioneered promising new ways to address sexual assault among its soldiers. Three prevention strategies in particular apply to institutions of higher education.

2. View sexual violence prevention as an issue of cultural change, not merely compliance
The U.S. military in general has made a concerted effort to tie the issue of sexual violence to the ways in which service members view their branch’s core values. Intervening is an act of courage, honor and commitment. They are never to leave their battle buddy behind. This messaging clearly communicates that sexual violence prevention isn’t merely about checking a box; it is about being in alignment with the institution’s values.

This stands in stark contrast to the approach taken by many universities, particularly in regard to their fear of being sued for violating the provisions of Title IX. At our company, we are frequently asked if our individual programs are “Title IX compliant.” The answer is that it is not the program that must be compliant; it is the institution that must be compliant.

Sadly, this question is driven more by the need for the institution to say, “We did it, we shared all the information you made us share; we’re done.” This is clearly not representative of an earnest effort to approach the problem. What is necessary is a thoughtful evaluation of the entire campus culture. Additionally, identify an ongoing, mutually reinforcing series of programs that enables the various stakeholders on campus to reflect on the issue, and moreover, to get it in their bones enough to act on the information.

At the vast majority of college campuses, the only mandated sexual assault prevention education occurs during freshman orientation. Obviously, this is a time when new students are deluged with a ton of new information, and understandably overwhelmed by the newness of the college experience. By contrast, most military service members receive multiple mandatory trainings per year. Some would argue that this can be overwhelming, but it does communicate clearly that military leadership doesn’t view the issue as one resolved by the “spray and pray” method of education.

We currently work with Naval Training Base Great Lakes in Illinois and deliver three different programs as part of their overall approach to sexual assault prevention. New sailors receive two programs during their time at Great Lakes. One is in a large group, and the other is in a single-sex, small group discussion format to maximize the engagement of participants. The third program is delivered to all leaders, including officers and civilians, and addresses how leadership may respond to the range of challenges posed by the issue.

We have also collaborated with new sailors on a social norms campaign, providing some guidance and support on creating a poster series on sexual violence prevention that they distributed around the installation. As it has been publicly reported in the last few years, the number of anonymous reports of rape has declined over 70 percent at Great Lakes, a remarkable statistic that many believe is the result of Great Lakes’ communicating clearly and unequivocally that this issue matters.

3. Understand the very real consequences of failure
For the military, they understand that the loss of a service member can impair the mission. They understand that sexual violence can undermine the trust and cohesiveness of a unit and telegraph the unintended message that while the military is often referred to as a “family,” one can’t really trust their family. This corrupts and degrades the very ideals the military aspires to represent.

Much like universities, the military has and continues to wrestle with the perceived contradiction of a good service member being a rapist. For academic institutions, it’s manifested in the belief that their students are smart and talented, and that they don’t rape; they make mistakes. As much as I don’t want anyone to see sexual violence as purely a legal issue, the failure to correctly label a felony as a felony communicates to the larger community that rape is a negotiable misunderstanding, not a serious issue.

A huge part of the problem is that if the focus is only on numbers and reporting, the academic community misses
the genuine opportunity to educate students on what positive, respectful intimacy looks like in the first place. It fails to identify a baseline for what the community has a right to expect from its membership, and instead, focuses on what not to do, as opposed to what a healthy society could be.

I know it’s ironic that in an article about campus safety, I have yet to mention campus-based law enforcement and security departments. When I was a victim advocate, I found my best allies were in our campus police department. This issue, however, cannot be compartmentalized as solely their problem. I urge leaders to create working task forces – that incorporate the expertise of the counseling center, student affairs and advocacy centers staff, along with law enforcement – designed to craft thoughtful, integrated plans for prevention and response. The goal is to build a coherent response and foster the interdepartmental relationships to execute it over the long-term.

Lastly, leaders: you need to fund it. As my colleague Dr. Jackson Katz says, “A budget is a moral document.” It communicates what really matters to a university. The military has certainly made funding these initiatives a priority, and it is time for higher education to do the same.

While the military isn’t perfect, I cannot tell you how genuinely impressed I have been by the commitment of many of their leaders and first-responders. I have yet to have as informed, passionate and thoughtful a conversation with a college president as I have had with a general or a colonel in the armed forces. It is time to use the spotlight for good. To use it as an opportunity to create change that is sustainable and not in reaction to the fear of getting caught. Victims of sexual violence – and all college students – deserve nothing less.

Dr. Gail Stern is the Co-Owner of Catharsis Productions, LLC, and has served as a subject matter expert to the U.S. Department of Defense, the White House, and each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on issues related to sexual violence. She is also the founder of the University of Illinois at Chicago Campus Advocacy Network, a victim/witness assistance program for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and hate crime.

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