N.J. task force has to-do list for colleges on curbing sex assaults

Don't blame alcohol for sex assaults on campus, or the clothes young women wear. Walking alone at night is not an invitation to be assaulted. And instead of blaming the victims, colleges should work to discourage would-be perpetrators.

That's how the co-chair of the New Jersey Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault summed up its findings Monday.

"Sexual violence is caused by learned behavior," said Patricia Teffenhart.

In its first-ever report, the task force, appointed by the Legislature and Gov. Christie, issued recommendations in nine areas to address the problem of sexual assault on campuses. One key proposal: Every New Jersey college and university should conduct periodic surveys of students to better assess the prevalence of sexual assault on campus.

Other proposals include intervention and prevention services, and beginning education against sexual violence sooner than college.

"The reality is that no one single piece of legislation can isolate our campuses from the impact and prevalence of sexual violence," Teffenhart, executive director of the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said in a statement. "This report reflects the breadth of considerations that must be made if we wish to truly keep our campus communities as safe as possible."

According to statistics cited in the report, about one in five female undergraduates are sexually assaulted on college campuses, most often in their first year of school. In nearly 85 percent of sexual violence cases, the victims knew their attackers, the report said.

Statewide statistics for New Jersey's college campuses are not available, Teffenhart said in an interview. Federal law requires colleges and universities to disclose campus crime statistics under the Clery Act, signed into law in 1990 and named after Jeanne Clery, who was assaulted and murdered while attending Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.  But sexual assaults are often unreported by victims, especially on college campuses, she said.

"That's a sad reality, that we just don't have good statistics," Teffenhart said.

About 10,000 sexual-assault victims seek counseling annually at New Jersey's rape crisis centers, according to Teffenhart. Only about 1,300 cases were reported to law enforcement in 2015, the latest figures available.

The task force believes that conducting a "campus climate survey" every three or four years would help college officials assess the problem by getting information that may not have been reported from students about assaults, whether they feel safe on campus and whether the administration supports them. It recommends that colleges create action plans to better respond to assault allegations.

In one of its research sessions over the last year, the task force examined the relationship between alcohol abuse and sexual assault and whether alcohol should be banned from college campuses in an effort to prevent sexual assaults.

"Alcohol is often involved in sexual violence cases, but sexual violence is not caused by alcohol," the report states.

The panel said prohibition is not the answer. Colleges should better educate students about alcohol use and make sure that they know that a person who is intoxicated cannot give legal consent to sex, it said.

The 12-member task force was created under legislation signed by Christie in 2015, and had a year to come up with ways to help prevent sexual assaults on college campuses and help schools improve how incidents are reported. It has been meeting monthly since June 2016.

Rowan University has tackled the issue by convening Title IX summits that have attracted college officials and students from across the country to discuss best practices to reduce campus sexual assaults, said Richard Jones, vice president for student life and dean of students. In 2015, the school reported a dozen rape or fondling cases on its Glassboro campus, compared with 10 the previous year. This month, Rowan was ranked 38th among the 100 safest colleges in America by the National Council for Home Safety and Security.

"We have a lot of good things going on," said Jones, adding that "until we can make sure that the college experience is safe for everyone, of course there is work to do."

Teffenhart said the task force had completed its assignment with the 39-page report it submitted to the Legislature for review. But the group has requested reauthorization for two years to monitor implementation of its recommendations and serve as a resource for college officials, she said.

"This is just the beginning. We know that we have a long road ahead," she said.

The task force includes representatives  of colleges, law enforcement, the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and a campus sexual assault survivor.

"The task force has provided us with a detailed blueprint to address this epidemic from a legislative standpoint, and I'm eager to get to work with my colleagues to ensure that our college campuses are a safe and welcoming place for students to flourish," said Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D., Bergen), who sponsored the legislation creating the Task Force.

The panel recommended the creation of a separate task force to look at sexual violence in middle and high schools. College, the task force said, "is too late to begin such education."

One in nine girls and one in 53 boys under age 18 experience sexual abuse at the hands of an adult, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. Eighty-two percent of all victims are female, and females ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.

Among the other recommendations released by the task force during a news conference is that steps must be taken to ensure that students' rights are protected, and that the victims and the accused receive equal protection.

Students should know where they can file a confidential report in the event of a sexual assault, the task force said. They should also be informed about the availability of victim witness advocates, who can assist with the legal process, the report says.