A recent Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate resolution and the combined efforts of Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER) and administrators have led to progress on revisions to Tufts' much−criticized sexual assault policy.
The movement to revise the policy, which also involves Health Service, is a product of concern for past victims and the widespread desire for a more comprehensive policy that is on par with those at other private colleges and universities.
TCU Senator Wyatt Cadley, a freshman who serves on the Administration and Policy Committee, recently introduced a resolution stating the Senate's support for SAFER and Health Service's efforts to craft a new sexual assault policy.
The Senate on March 14 unanimously adopted the resolution, which calls for a policy that details a list of available resources for sexual assault victims. It also proposes that the new policy be ready for implementation by the fall 2010 semester.
"The most important thing that we need in this policy is clarity for the average student," Cadley said. "I don't feel like we have enough of that right now, and that's something that is incredibly disheartening to see."
A meeting between administrators and student leaders is scheduled for April 6, although it is currently unclear whether this meeting will involve the actual presentation of new policy language or merely further discussion, according to SAFER President Alexandra Flanagan, a senior.
According to Senior Director of Health and Wellness Service Michelle Bowdler, administrators have made significant progress on the new policy and will likely present drafts at the meeting.
While the sexual assault policy at Tufts consists of just a few paragraphs on the Student Affairs Web site, the policies at other academic institutions are pages long, according to Cadley, who sent out the original e−mails making the Senate aware of this discrepancy.
Cadley called the current list of options for victims "a hodge−podge of miscellaneous resources" and explained that the current policy language is neither comprehensive nor clear, especially when compared to the policies in place at institutions like Bowdoin and Middlebury Colleges.
"[Middlebury and Bowdoin's] policies are incredibly thorough and are examples of what we're trying to do with our new policy," Cadley said.
Flanagan echoed Cadley's concerns and said that clarity and establishing step−by−step guidelines for victims have been the top priorities of the ongoing dialogue.
The experience of a Tufts student who had been a victim of stalking illustrates the confusion surrounding the current policy. The source, who requested anonymity, was involved in a post−relationship situation that required a stay−away order and said that clear procedural guidelines were lacking.
"I didn't really know where to turn to and I had to actually look on Tuftslife and figure things out," the source told the Daily.
She was eventually able to speak with Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman and other members of the administration who outlined her options. She then managed to procure a stay−away order against the student who had been stalking her and following her around campus.
Still, she described the stay−away order as a Catch−22 because, although it is easy to obtain one without much evidence or personal information, a stay−away order does not provide for much physical protection against the perpetrator. For example, it does not include distance requirements.
The student hopes the stay−away order will be sufficient but says she will seek further action if necessary. "If things don't improve from this point, then I have no problem pursuing a more severe course of action," she said.
SAFER formed at Tufts during the spring of 2009 and became engaged in the issue of revising the sexual assault policy shortly thereafter, according to Flanagan. Cadley and the Senate became involved this past semester.
"I thought that this was a really important issue [and] that the Senate had a chance to really make a substantive difference," Cadley said.
Cadley began discussing the topic with SAFER and Health Service, establishing the Senate's role as a lobby to the administration.
Bowdler said that her involvement, which began last spring, was a natural consequence of her position overseeing mental health and health education on campus. She noted that she has since come to understand students' misgivings about the policy.
"What I would say is that students expressed concerns about the existing policy and that they felt like there wasn't a clear statement in a way that students could go to one place to look for information and resources," Bowdler said. "[The students] were incredibly helpful and very involved, and unfortunately these kind of things, when you want to do them right, just take a bit longer than you would like."
Still, the process is nearing completion. "I would think that students should hear very soon, and certainly they know that we've made significant progress," Bowdler said.
She added that the students involved have dealt tactfully with the sensitive topic.
"I've been really impressed with the SAFER students," Bowdler said. "This really doesn't feel at all like a [contentious] conversation but it really feels like we're working together to come up with something that reflects Tufts' values and is going to be helpful to students."
Cadley stressed that sexual assault is a serious issue on campus and affects every student. "Certainly, this is an issue that can spark a lot of human emotions," Cadley said.
Both Cadley and Flanagan said the new policy language should be finalized by the semester's end and should be ready for implementation next fall, but any progress is dependent on the administration's continued responsiveness.
"We're cautiously optimistic that come next semester we're going to have this new policy in place," Cadley said.
"There's no reason why we shouldn't have a policy ready for implementation by the fall," Flanagan said. "We can't wait to see what it's like and I'm sure the Tufts community can't wait too."
