Penn Women's Center, DPS partner to address sexual violence

On Oct. 2, a student was sexually assaulted by a man unaffiliated with the University, according to Division of Public Safety Spokeswoman Stef Karp, who added that there were no reported injuries.

The crime illustrates the increasing need to confront sexual violence at Penn, a task toward which Penn administrators renewed efforts recently.

This month, which is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Penn Women’s Center and DPS’s Special Services unit will find out if their United States Department of Justice Violence Against Women Act grant will be renewed.

Despite the large number of federal programs that are being slashed at the moment due to the economic recession, the VAWA grants have not been affected, as violence against women is a “big issue” for U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Director of the Women’s Center Felicity Paxton said.

The VAWA grant has allowed for a “unique and unusual cross-collaboration” between different departments at Penn, which is “not the norm” at most universities, Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said.

One such collaboration is that between the Penn Police and the Women’s Center. For the first time this year, Women’s Center staff received self-defense training from the Penn Police.

“Penn is regarded as a benchmarking campus,” Paxton said.

The grant, which is nearing the end of its three-year cycle, has paid for a full-time violence prevention educator and has funded projects such as the Student Anti-Violence Advocate program.

After a student experiences a sexual assault, “we can’t predict who they’re going to go to” for support, Paxton said, adding that the student may confide in a residential adviser, friend or professor. For that reason, the SAVA program, which trains students on how to help a victim, hopes to reach as many students as possible to create “more of a supportive campus environment.”

The Women’s Center and DPS have also launched the “Call It What It Is Campaign.” Paxton explained that students admit to experiences that should be defined as sexual assault but hesitate to call the action by its legal name. If you had sex and you didn’t want to, it’s sexual assault, Paxton reiterated.

The campaign, which consists of student-designed posters that will be alternated over time, will target other issues such as stalking and “textual harrassment” via text messages.

“I think [sexual assault is] a problem across the country,” Rush said. “It’s not a problem at Penn; it’s a symptom.”

On college campuses, one in four women will be the victim of a sexual assault or attempted sexual assault, Director of Special Services Patricia Brennan said.

In any case, “we shouldn’t have any sexual assaults at all,” Paxton said. “Is one okay? What are the acceptable numbers for you?”

The last reported case of sexual assault within Penn’s patrol zone before Oct. 2 was on Sept. 17. No one affiliated with the University was involved.

It is Penn’s job to “create the best possible learning environment” for the students, Paxton said. Being a victim, feeling threatened and hearing others’ stories of sexual assault can all interfere with learning, she added.

Administrators aren’t the only ones buckling down on sexual assault. Student participation has “grown immensely” in programs run by the Women’s Center, said College senior Anthony Francomacaro, president of One in Four, an all-male peer education group addressing violence against women.

In addition, students will have the opportunity to participate in programming in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. On Wednesday, the student group Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention will hold an event called The Pledge, where students can sign to indicate that they will not condone or support physical, emotional, sexual or financial abuse in a relationship, ASAP President and College senior Joseph Lawless said.

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