COLLEGIATE SURVIVORS

The overall rate of non-consensual sexual contact by physical force or inability to consent since the student enrolled at the school was 13.0 percent, with the rates for women, TGQN (Transgender woman, Transgender man, Nonbinary/genderqueer, Gender questioning, or Gender not listed) and undergraduate students being significantly higher than for men and graduate/professional students.

If you're a victim of sexual assault and are enrolled at Columbus State University (CSU), Columbus Technical College, or any local higher education organization, the Center is here to help. Call our free and confidential 24 hour hotline to speak with a trained advocate (706.571.6010).

STATISTICS

The following statistics are from the Report on the AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Misconduct

NON-CONSENSUAL SEXUAL CONTACT

The overall rate of nonconsensual sexual contact by physical force or inability to consent since the student enrolled at the school was 13.0 percent, with the rates for women, TGQN (transgender woman, transgender man, nonbinary/genderqueer, gender questioning, or gender not listed) and undergraduate students being significantly higher than for men and graduate/professional students.

Reference

UNDERGRADUATE TGQN

Undergraduate TGQN and female students reported having the highest rates of other forms of sexual misconduct. Among undergraduate TGQN students, 65.1 percent reported experiencing harassing behavior since first enrolling at the school, 21.5 percent with partners reported intimate partner violence (IPV) and 15.2 percent stalking. Among undergraduate women 59.2, 14.1 and 10.0 percent experienced harassing behavior, IPV and stalking, respectively.

Reference

REPORTING TO UNIVERSITY

While 65.6 percent of students reported it was “very” or “extremely” likely that school officials would take a report of a sexual assault seriously, significantly fewer of those reporting an experience with non-consensual sexual contact by physical force or inability to consent had this same opinion (45.0%).

Reference

NON-CONSENSUAL SEXUAL CONTACT: GENDER & AFFILIATION

The prevalence rate of non-consensual sexual contact by force or inability to consent varied significantly by gender and affiliation:

The estimate for women undergraduates is nearly three times higher than for women graduate and professional students (25.9% vs. 9.7%).
Similarly, undergraduate men are twice as likely to report sexual contact by physical force or inability to consent as men graduate/professional students (6.8% vs. 2.5%).
Among TGQN students, 22.8 percent of undergraduates and 14.5 percent of graduate and professional students reported this type of victimization.

Reference

WHAT IS TITLE IX?

The following information is provided by Know Your IX:

WHAT IS TITLE IX?

Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972:

"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

Essentially, Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions that receive federal funding (the vast majority of schools). While Title IX is a very short statute, Supreme Court decisions and guidance from the U.S. Department of Education have given it a broad scope covering sexual harassment and sexual violence. Under Title IX, schools are legally required to respond and remedy hostile educational environments and failure to do so is a violation that means a school could risk losing its federal funding.

While Title IX was previously a powerful tool to stop sexual violence and harassment in schools, On August 14th, 2020, the Department’s new Title IX rule went into effect. Make no mistake: the Rule drastically rolls back protections for student survivors and makes it easier for schools to sweep sexual harassment under the rug. Visit Know Your IX's Hands off IX resources and toolkit to learn more about your rights in light of the rule and how you hold school administrations accountable.

We encourage you to contact a lawyer to discuss your complaint or suit.

UNDER TITLE IX, SCHOOLS MUST DISSEMINATE A NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION:

Under Title IX, schools must disseminate a notice of nondiscrimination. This notice does not have to specify that sexual harassment and violence are likewise prohibited, but the U.S. Department of Education (ED) recommends that schools do, since a notice that makes it unclear may qualify as a violation of Title IX. This notice is likely available in a student handbook or code of conduct in elementary and secondary schools and in an Annual Security Report (ASR) in higher education institutions.

This notice prohibiting sex discrimination must be widely distributed, available, and easily accessible to the school community each year. ED recommends schools:

Publish this policy online and have it available in print across campus so that school members may understand its purpose and utility

Include enough detail in the policy so that members of the community can realize sexual harassment and sexual violence are prohibited forms of sex discrimination

For additional information about Title IX Coordinators, Grievance Procedures, and Collegiate Responses to Sexual Violence, please visit Know You IX.

CSU SAVE Task Force

If you are a student at Columbus State University and would like more information on CSU's policies and procedures regarding sexual assault,

visit CSU's S.A.V.E. Task Force.

Title IX Coordinator:

Lauren Jones McKown, JD

706.507.8757

CTC Title IX

If you are a Columbus Technical College student and would like more information about Title IX, please visit:

928 Manchester Expressway

Columbus, Georgia 31904-6572

Title IX Coordinator & Director of Human Resources: Henry Gross