Post: #1

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/educ...=rss_local

Survey shows most colleges lack data on campus sex assaults, Sen. McCaskill says

Most colleges and universities lack accurate information about the number of sex assaults on their campuses, and many fail to encourage students to report such violence, according to a report Wednesday from a Senate Democrat.

The report from Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), drawing on a survey her staff conducted of four-year institutions, concluded that many schools have major shortcomings in how they handle sexual violence on campus.

Among the chief problems, the report said, are the failure to train students, faculty and staff on how to prevent and respond to sexual violence and the use of “biased and harmful” procedures for investigating and resolving complaints.

Of 236 schools that answered questions in a national sample of 350 institutions, the report said, more than 20 percent provided no sexual assault response training for faculty and staff. More than 30 percent provided no training for students.

The survey also found:

●Many large public universities allow students to help adjudicate sex assault cases.

●Some schools give their athletic departments oversight of sexual violence cases involving student-athletes.

●Relatively few schools — 16 percent of respondents in the national sample — conduct campus “climate surveys” that a White House task force has recommended as a key measure to determine the prevalence of sexual assault on campus. Experts say these surveys turn up essential information because students often do not report the crime to authorities.

McCaskill, a former prosecutor, has been prominent in congressional debate on sex assault in the military and at colleges. Her staff sent questions to 350 four-year schools of various sizes in a national sample, as well as the 50 largest public universities and 40 private, nonprofit universities with at least 15,000 students each.

From the national sample, 67 percent responded. For the largest public schools, the response rate was 98 percent. For the large private schools, the rate was 85 percent.

McCaskill’s report is likely to be the prelude to legislation on the issue. The Obama administration also is ramping up oversight of colleges. More than 60 colleges and universities face federal investigations for possible violation of the 1972 antidiscrimination law known as Title IX related to their handling of sexual violence complaints.

A Washington Post analysis of federal campus safety data from 2010 to 2012 found a rising number of reports of forcible sex offenses at many schools.