End Rape On Campus online tool spotlights college sexual assault stats

When deciding on the perfect university, prospective students have to consider a few things. They’re probably researching university academic rankings and are certainly comparing the numbers of high tuition versus accessible financial aid. Or maybe they’re more interested in a school’s sports programs, the alumni network, or the party scene. But one factor common to all students is the need for security, and a new one at that Campus Accountability Map and Tool(Opens in a new window) now offers critical insight into the college selection process: an opportunity to compare how well educational institutions are addressing and working to prevent cases of sexual assault on their campuses.

The digital platform was created by End rape on campus(Opens in a new window) (EROC), a 2013 student-founded initiative to end campus sexual assault through national advocacy and support for survivors. It is part of the non-profit association for social commitment citizen nation(Opens in a new window)which also funds initiatives like that It is up to us(Opens in a new window) Sexual Assault Prevention Campaign and Advocate Network We The Action(Opens in a new window). The organization describes the tool as the first of its kind to centralize information on university policies and responses to sexual assault – enabling transparency, accountability and support all at once – and its searchable map feature allows users to quickly find resources on campuses near and far .

“When this information is scattered across various federal databases and university websites, students and survivors face obstacles in understanding their campus policies, finding resources, and holding their campus accountable for protecting students on and off campus,” explained EROC in a statement to the press.

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Kenyora Parham, chief executive of EROC, said the tool is a technology-driven version of the organization’s foundational work. “In 2013, our founders drove across the country to meet with thousands of students to fill a gap in their understanding of their rights, particularly as it relates to Title IX,” Parham explained. “We like to think of the map and the tool as a mirror to that. Rather than, you know, going through different college campuses and giving every student this one-to-one interface, we basically have the data all in one central place, so it’s an easier, more accessible, and faster way to do it release information.”

The database collects information based on five parameters: numerical statistics, policy information, prevention efforts, investigative procedures, and survivor support, collected through university websites, self-reports, and federal databases such as the US Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security Data site. Accessibility Information and Title IX(Opens in a new window), a federal civil rights law prohibiting sex discrimination, is also included in the database. Users can even use the built-in comparison tool to rank university metrics side-by-side.

Credit: End Rape on Campus

Credit: End Rape on Campus

The current pilot version has compiled data on more than 750 college campuses(Opens in a new window) with the help of around 100 volunteers, including students, parents and lawyers. This pool includes eight Ivy League schools, community colleges, and the two largest four-year colleges in each US state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Parham stated that EROC wanted to prioritize data associated with their “Center the edges(Opens in a new window)“A framework that will focus and center historically underserved and marginalized student survivors in the campus anti-rape movement and address the unique needs of these survivors.” To that end, the organization prioritized the involvement of universities such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs ) , Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Rural Serving Institutions (RSIs), and Community Colleges in the first iteration of the resource.

“We know these students have historically been marginalized in this area. They’re often left out of the national discourse when it comes to campus sexual assault,” Parham said. “We wanted to ensure that this mapping tool puts them first and foremost, giving them access to information to help them navigate the Title IX complaints process and ways to hold their institutions to account.”

She hopes it can act as an intersectional feature of EROC’s work, building connections between students and advocates across issues. “We hope that through our programs — and through our partnerships with other survivor advocacy organizations that focus on other intersectional issues such as gun violence or access to abortion — other intersectional issues will also be incorporated as a feature in the mapping tool,” Parham said .

According to EROC, the tool is an evolving resource that will be updated frequently and adjusted as needed to best support student survivors. Individuals can use to request that a school be added to the map this online form(Opens in a new window)or report an error(Opens in a new window) in the database, if applicable

“We definitely want prospective students and their families to use the map and tool as part of their decision-making process,” she said. “And we want this mapping tool to revolutionize how we talk about safety – not just in our homes, but also what safety looks like in the classroom.”

If you have experienced sexual abuse, call the free, confidential National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or access 24-7 help online by visiting online.rainn.org(Opens in a new window).