As the campus dialogue about the University’s role in forming sexual assault policy develops, students and administrators alike should consider what the job of the University is in preventing sexual assault.
The University’s Emergency Evaluation and Action Committee is an important and complicated, if rarely discussed, administrative body that claims responsibility for responding to emergency situations that “arise in connection with student behaviors.”
Initially, the committee made evaluations of a student’s potential to self-harm or harm others based on past incidents of violence. The committee then worked with the student to figure out how to mitigate the perceived threat through a number of means, including medication or therapy.
But in the aftermath of shootings like that at Virginia Tech in 2007, the committee has tried to do more to prevent violence instead of addressing it after the fact. For example, a resident adviser could report worrisome behavior by a student through administrative channels to the committee, which would then consider the issue and work with the student.
Naturally, this leads to questions. How can an emergency committee deal with issues that haven’t happened yet? When is it fair to use the threat of suspension to force a student to undergo medical or psychological treatment for the safety of the community at large?
Students have every right to be safe. But in ensuring that safety, the University has to be sure to be clear, equitable and consistent in its treatment of perceived threats.
