UW System President Approves New Sexual Violence Prevention Training, This Week In Washington

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• This Week In Washington – December 7, 2016

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  USA Today’s Paul Singer joins Central Time for our weekly look at the most pressing issues in national politics.

• UW System President Ray Cross Approves Sexual Violence Prevention Training For All UW Students And Employees

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  On Monday University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross announced his approval of sexual violence prevention training for all students and employees at the UW System. This program comes as part of a more comprehensive policy on sexual violence and harassment across campuses in the system. A task force commissioned in 2014 recommended this training as well as other policies to help prevent sexual violence on campus. We talk to a representative from the UW System about the task force, this training, and other recommendations to help prevent sexual violence on campus.

• UW System To Offer Sexual Violence Prevention Training For All Students, Employees

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  In an effort to address alarming statistics both nationwide and across state campuses, the University of Wisconsin System will soon offer sexual violence training for all employees and students.

  UW System President Ray Cross made the announcement Monday, which was first recommended by a task force back in 2014.

  Stephanie Marquis, a UW System spokeswoman and interim director of communications, said the comprehensive training will be paired with other policies that came together after counseling with the system’s health services staff, members of the LGBT community, student services, law enforcement officials and human resources among other representatives.

  Approximately one in four female undergraduates at UW-Madison reported experiencing sexual assault while enrolled as students, according to a national survey reported in 2015. Alcohol was also commonly involved. The same survey found the national average among college students to be about one in four women, and one in 16 men.

  Marquis said it’s important to recognize these aren’t just statistics.

  “These are real people,” she said. “These are our sisters, our friends, our daughters, our sons. And what we’re really looking for is how do we prevent this, and how do we have folks if they were to be an unfortunate victim of a sexual assault or sexual harassment, how do they feel empowered to report those type of things?”

  “The sad thing,” added Marquis, “is that about 90 percent of the victims don’t report these assaults.”

  The UW System has been scrutinized for the way it handles reports of sexual assault when it does receive them. Earlier this year, the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education announced it was investigating cases at both UW-Madison and UW-Whitewater for their handling of sexual assault complaints and whether those who reported incidents faced a “sexually hostile environment.”

  Marquis said the training will address healthy relationships, how bystanders can intervene, alcohol and drug abuse and helping to connect victims to resources.