MARISSA BURR
Opinion Editor
Trigger Warning: sexual violence, brief descriptions of assault
The results are in, and they aren’t stellar.
In March 2023, the campus began administering an online survey in order to gain information about the student and staff community’s knowledge about topics surrounding sexual assault, the Title IX Coordinator and consent. Participants were asked many questions, but the statistic that stood out to me was that 42.9% reported that the person who victimized them was affiliated with the campus community.
As a transfer student in my first semester at Fredonia, this was concerning.
As a survivor of sexual assault, this was terrifying.
In 2021, while living in an off-campus apartment in Buffalo, I was assaulted by my roommate who was a recent graduate of Canisius University (College, at the time). He was a successful cross-country runner and a future high school health and physical education teacher. This man was quite well-known throughout our small college, so despite the fact that he had graduated, I was terrified I would encounter him on-campus and he could hurt me again. It disrupted the following three semesters and ultimately led to transferring back to my hometown college just so I wouldn’t be forced to look over my shoulder everywhere I went. So, I know how hard it is to have the perpetrator be a part of the place you’re supposed to feel comfortable.
The fact that almost half of the students surveyed—which can be extrapolated into a large percentage of the campus population as a whole—share this feeling with me is nauseating. I’m aware that sexual assaults can occur anywhere, and statistics show that no university is immune, but that doesn’t make me feel better about the results released in this survey.
If you look at the SUNY Fredonia website (fredonia.edu) where they list these results, they have not pulled out statistics concerning the amount of students and staff that have been harassed or assaulted. You actually have to download the form and scroll through sixteen pages to get the full picture.
It states that the students are “generally aware” of the definition of affirmative consent. But what the hell does that mean? Everyone knows the definition of murder, but that doesn’t mean people still don’t kill others. Just because the students know what affirmative consent means doesn’t mean they won’t assault someone.
My own assaulter, if given this survey, would probably check the box saying he understood what consent was, but his actions showed a lack of caring. He was a “stand-up” member of the community and anyone you asked would’ve never believed that he was capable of sexually assaulting his roommate who was four years younger than him. He worked with kids in a youth sports program, had another part time job at weddings and was in the school newspaper representing Canisius many times for his accomplishments as a runner. Yet, this is the same man who choked me until I couldn’t breathe and caused permanent damage to my body.
The results Fredonia should be looking at are the number of students who have suffered sexual violence, not how many could mark on the computer that they understood that assaulting someone was wrong.
Let’s look at their word choice. To them, “generally aware” translates to 85.4% of the surveyed population. I don’t know if that’s necessarily something to be proud of. Especially when looking at the fact that 100% of students recognized that someone who is incapacitated is unable to consent, but only 96.8% of faculty and staff did. Even though recognizing it and actually refraining from taking advantage of someone being unable to consent are two different things, it’s severely concerning that 3.2% of the faculty and staff would not think that someone who is incapacitated would be unable to consent.
Growing up in the United States as a woman, I always feared adults more than my peers when it came to the possibility of being assaulted. Since my own assault happened when I was 18, I’d only just begun to realize that adults were now my peers. I will cross streets, carry pepper spray or keys between my fingers and have an escape plan anytime I am alone in public out of fear.
These fears aren’t unfounded. According to the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), 13% of undergraduate and graduate students are assaulted. The campus climate survey separated the types of assault into specific categories, and none of the results were close enough to zero for my taste. Here are three of the most concerning numbers:
17.3% – have been fondled, kissed, or rubbed in private areas without giving consent.
8.4% – have received or been forced to perform oral sex without giving consent.
8.4% – have been sexually penetrated without giving consent.
So what is the campus feeling? Well, they’re certainly proud of themselves, at least that’s what their language conveys. Towards the end of the survey results, there’s a section entitled “Discussion and Next Steps,” where aspects of the data are separated into successes and challenges. One of the challenges listed is “high instances of sexual harassment identified.” The first sentence in it’s explanation is that, “Overall, there are low incidents of sexual violence reported by students, faculty and staff at Fredonia.”
Key word: reported.
As proven by the survey, 0% of the students surveyed reported an incident to on-campus resources. National reporting rates according to RAINN show that 32% of non-student females report, but only 20% of student females reported in comparison. Yes, a lot of things keep people from reporting sexual violence, but if the national average for one sex is 20% and SUNY Fredonia’s numbers across all sexes is 0% for those surveyed, that should be seen as more than a challenge. That is a failure.
Our campus knew what it was doing by omitting that word from their results. If 42.9% of your community listed that they were victimized by a person in the campus community, but none actually reported it to the campus, then changes need to be made immediately. Don’t hide behind a word that makes you look better. You’ll show off your successes, so admit your failures.
Our community’s safety should be your priority. I am scared to walk on campus alone because a lot of the time I don’t feel safe walking in the evening hours. Writing for The Leader means I have late-night meetings and office hours and I could be leaving after 9 p.m. sometimes. There aren’t enough lights near the Williams Center or the parking lot by Steele Hall where I’m often forced to park, far away from the secure buildings. A recent photoshoot at Igoe Hall had me traveling around in pitch-blackness at 6 p.m. with nothing but my phone’s flashlight to guide my way.
I’ve also been on-campus for almost an entire semester and haven’t seen a single University Police officer in the buildings, only in their cars. Having staff attend mandatory training and hanging posters informing students about Title IX resources is only helpful in the aftermath. What is actively being done to prevent sexual violence from happening so often?
I suggest a heavier law enforcement presence in the buildings and on the paths we walk on, especially this time of year. Not only is the sun setting earlier, making it so it’s dark before some leave class or meetings, RAINN reports that more than 50% of college assaults happen between the beginning of August to the end of November.
Complaints made by students or staff also need to be taken seriously no matter the degree to which someone has harmed or threatened them. If anyone on campus is brave enough to express concern, there should be immediate action taken such as walking them to classes or changing classes or housing. If the school shows students that they care about what they’re worried about, more reports might come in when something bad does happen. It will also build a level of trust and security that an online survey never could.
What else can the campus change? There is so much that is able to be done just to promote awareness about consent, the Title IX office, other resources on campus, dating violence and assault.
It can be as easy as making informative posters. If they were created and listed the contact information for different organizations on campus, that could help those who have been victimized know who to talk to. Hang these posters on every stall door in the bathrooms around campus (mens, womens and all-genders) and possibly have tearaway phone numbers.
Campus can also hold events all throughout the year, not just in April during sexual assault awareness month. Calendars are available and planning committees can target dates that pose the most risk to students.
This can include orientation week when a lot of people are new on campus and can be overwhelmed by the crowds and unfamiliar opportunities.
Within my first week of being in college I had broken boundaries I had set for the last 17 years because it was all so new and I had so much freedom. Reminding students they don’t have to do anything they’re uncomfortable with could be really helpful and help improve the new-student experience. Other events could include sorority and fraternity recruitment times, if there’s a bar crawl in town or large party weekends in the town.
Halloween is also such an important time to be reminding the campus community about consent because of the costumes, possible large amounts of inebriated people and going out after dark. I saw nothing this year outside of friend’s Facebook pages about having affirmative consent and not taking advantage of people, and you would think that following the results of this survey, Fredonia’s administration would be more worried about it.
I am pleading with them to do better in the future.
Working with the communications department would also be a wise move. The Fredonia Radio Station has a show called “Lovercall” where they discuss different things about relationships. Title IX, ANEW Center or the PAWS coordinator—all of whom were cited as resources within the campus climate survey—could work with them and do a special on unhealthy relationships and support if you’ve experienced trauma within one.
Our publication, The Leader, is also always accepting stories for the five sections from writers who are interested in something as simple as a topic or event that should be highlighted for students.
Student media is just that—for the students. The word can get out quickly through social media, the internet and so many other avenues.
Those who experience the horrible things measured in this survey may never recover. Not all will be brave enough to come back to a college campus after and continue their education—I almost didn’t. A university not protecting its students is to blame when they don’t come back. The initial fault is on the perpetrator, but anyone who cannot provide adequate support in ensuring their safety should also be held accountable.
I’m a third-year student who is from the community but only recently started attending Fredonia, yet I already see so much room for improvement. I feel called to action due to the results of a survey that I wasn’t even eligible to take! This campus’s survival relies on students’ continued desire to attend. If I had one thing to say to every resource for students on campus, it would be to make yourself more visible. Students are going to be less likely to seek you out if they aren’t familiar with you. Become a face they can trust, and make our campus community better.
To my fellow survivors of sexual violence on this campus: You are strong and you have survived. These results may be terrifying, and you may even be questioning if it’s right for you to continue on this campus.
Do what you need to do to feel safe, and don’t let anyone pressure you to make a decision one way or another.
Let me tell you, I started and stopped three semesters in a row, and my family, friends and school all thought I should just give up and go on without a degree. Their acceptance of this drastic change of my life at someone else’s hands infuriated me, and I took it as a challenge. I went back to school and took a one-credit course and worked on the newspaper at Canisius.
There I found my voice and a support system so strong it started to pull me back together. It was so hard to leave them, so hard to leave the school I’d fallen in love with, and I hate the man who assaulted me for many reasons but forcing me to feel uncomfortable at that college enough to leave makes me see red.
I will never get back what he took from me, but I sure as hell can control the amount that he disrupts of the rest of my life.
You can do the same.
These results show that you are not alone in this, as horrible as that is. I hope that no one ever has to experience what I did, which is why I’m using my voice.
It wasn’t loud enough the night it really mattered, but I’m on a mission to make sure that never happens again.
Keep going, whenever you’re ready, for you.
You’re stronger than them, and they don’t own you. No survey will ever be able to measure your strength to push through and continue on.