Sexual Violence Protection Services and Title IX Policy at USC
By: Sumaya Hussaini ‘22
With recent events on campus like lawsuits being filed against the USC Student Health Center and growing conversations over sexual assault, it’s imperative that students understand the services that their university has to offer. If you’re unaware of USC’s current policies and regulations concerning sexual violence prevention and protection, don’t worry! This article will explain Title IX policy, RSVP Student Health Services, information regarding rape kits and date rape drug testing, and what the Undergraduate Student Government is doing to protect the sexual health and safety of its students.
Title IX Policy at USC
Sexual violence is a prevalent issue on college campuses, with 1 in 4 women experiencing a completed or attempted rape. While these statistics may seem daunting, a far more horrifying fact is that most instances of sexual assault often go unreported due to feelings of shame, helplessness, and fear of victim blaming.
Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 is a federal law designed to prevent discrimination on the basis of sex, which is interpreted to include rape at universities. Unfortunately, under the Trump Administration, Education Secretary Betsy Devos has passed legislation to amend this federal statute which would limit the definition of what is classified as sexual violence. Her regulations would also allow for restorative justice measures to take place, forcing the victim to have frequent interaction with their alleged assailant. These amendments have drastically changed how colleges handle complaints of sexual misconduct, adding unreasonable protections for the accused.
At USC, the university has begun doing live hearings because of California case law that came down in January, creating regulations that are similar to what Devos has suggested in her new policies, creating the opportunity for each party to be cross examined by the other party. Brenda Ingram, the Director of Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention and Services at USC, explained the negative implications of these restorative justice measures. “Most students don’t want to do live hearings because it makes them nervous, wanting to pull out of the whole Title IX process. It’s scary having to be in the same room with someone who did harm to you,” Ingram said.
Not only does being forced to have face-to-face interactions with one’s alleged assailant risk psychological harm for victims, it also creates issues of disparity in access to class-based resources. “Everyone puts forth their evidence and each party can have someone, like an attorney, to question the other party on their behalf. This can become a class issue because not everyone can afford an attorney. However, USC is trying to make sure that legal advocacy is available for both reporting parties and respondents,” Ingram explains.
Despite state and federal policies, USC is trying to do more to support its students by providing resources and opportunities through the RSVP department by focusing on prevention and protection. However, the effectiveness of their policies is limited by state and federal laws.
USC Sexual Violence Prevention and Protection Services Post Gynecologist Scandal
USC’s former full-time gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall, faced serious accusations of inappropriate behavior with his female patients during exams, but was allowed to continue seeing student patients for decades. It’s likely that many USC students are now hesitant to visit the Student Health Center for matters concerning sexual health.
While Ingram completely understands why students may feel uncomfortable visiting the Student Health Center in light of recent events, she wants to reassure students that USC is working towards providing more resources to support students who have experienced sexual trauma. “We have instituted new safeguards including placing chaperones in each room and creating various reporting mechanisms for students to go online and report anything they felt uncomfortable with. We want to encourage students to speak out if something doesn’t feel right, and let them know that they have the right to say no to any procedure. We have more mechanisms for students to report their experiences, and staff is being trained on how to conduct sensitive examinations,” Ingram explains.
The RSVP Department at USC focuses its efforts on both prevention and protection for sexual violence. Prevention efforts are ways to mitigate the likelihood of having to conduct interventions. This includes affirmative consent workshops, bystander intervention training, and partnering with residential life and student government organizations to train students.
Protection efforts are an attempt to provide support services for all students who have been impacted by forms of gender, sexual, and power based violence. These services include counseling, crisis intervention, advocacy, and Title IX advisors who provide emotional support with students as they go through the reporting process and help them with academic accommodations.
There are different avenues for filing a report of sexual violence, and it entirely depends on what the outcome a victim wants is.
- Title IX: if a student wants to report their experience with the campus, they can file a report with Title IX. They will be assigned a Title IX coordinator who is responsible for investigating complaints and enforcing disciplinary actions, as well as collaborating with other departments to ensure compliance with Title IX laws and campus policies.
- Los Angeles Police Department: this is the avenue for students who want their report sent to the criminal justice system. When reporting with local police department, the investigation falls out of administrators and Title IX coordinators’ jurisdiction, and creates the possibility of opening up a criminal case.
- Reporting anonymously with Callisto: Callisto is a confidential online reporting source on campus. Students can fill out a form online and put in their information, and decide whether they want the report to be anonymous. This is useful for victims who aren’t ready to come forward, but may be in the future, because if they decide to pursue a Title IX or police investigation, they can use their initial report. It also creates helpful patterns for police to form a profile on repeat offenders, which helps with future prosecutions for sexual assault.
Rape Kits and Date Rape Drug Testing Services
Unfortunately, USC does not provide rape kits or date rape drug testing services. There are 7 centers in LA country that provide these resources, which is clearly not enough for the 10 million people living in LA. This lack of access to services for victims of sexual assault is a nation-wide issue that isn’t limited to USC.
The RSVP department is not planning on pushing for providing rape kits and date rape drug testing services on campus as of now, because it is a complicated process. “It would require an emergency medical room that has to be part of a hospital. Having a SART center on campus would require building a hospital with certified doctors, forensic nurses, and a litany of resources,” Ingram explained.
For victims of sexual assault, Ingram recommends utilizing the Rape Crisis Center in Santa Monica because it is far more sophisticated and has the capability and capacity to hold onto rape kits for years. This allows students who are sexually assaulted to have the rape kit handy as evidence in case they decide to file a Title IX or police report in the future, but keeps it safe even if they are not yet ready to press charges or file a criminal report.
USC provides students with supportive services like providing advocates to go to these centers with victims, helping them with transportation, providing emotional support, and being there with them as they go through the rape exam.
What Role Does the Undergraduate Student Government Play in Sexual Violence Prevention?
Hailey Robertson, a recently elected Senator for USG, aims to expand the services offered at Engemann for victims of sexual assault. She views the current conditions as unacceptable.
“Survivors at USC deserve better. The last thing you want to do when you’ve just experienced unimaginable trauma is to have to Uber to a part of town you’ve never been to, alone, and navigate a medical system that you’re unfamiliar with,” Roberton said.
Roberton recognizes that since Engemann isn’t a full service hospital, providing rape kits would be unfeasible and too expensive. However, she views these excuses as not being a valid justification for not having basic resources like rape kits or crisis counselors available at a college health center.
“Given the unique prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses — 1 in 4 women, 1 in 6 men — we have to do better. If USC knew that 1 in 4 students was going to be infected with the flu, we would treat it like a health emergency and immediately buy more cases of vaccines and hire nurses to administer the shots. Why doesn’t sexual assault get the same attention?” Robertson asks.
Despite all the new resources and programs the Student Health Center has instituted, there is clearly still a lot of work to be done. Title IX policy must be reformed, and the Student Health Center must start giving victims of sexual violence the same attention as they would give students with physical sicknesses. The fight isn’t over until USC provides rape kits, date rape drug testing services, crisis counselors, and stops conducting restorative justice hearings that re-traumatize victims.
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