Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson announced “an enhancement of the Office of Student Conduct’s efforts to broaden its response to sexual misconduct” in an email sent to the Georgetown community on Tuesday.
The changes include a commitment by University Counseling and Psychiatric services to hire more therapists specializing in trauma, which GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ‘15) and Vice President Omika Jikaria (SFS ‘15) lauded as a critical step toward improving the resources available for sexual assault survivors.
“We can’t stress enough the importance of hiring additional resources,” wrote Tezel and Jikaria in an email to the Voice. “This is a tangible, demonstrated financial commitment by the university to more appropriately address the issue.”
Georgetown will also be adding a staff of “trained investigators,” a role recommended by the White House’s report on campus sexual assault, who will produce comprehensive reports on alleged incidents of sexual assault.
“The investigator will interview both parties, individually, and any other identified witnesses deemed by the investigator to be helpful in the case,” wrote Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson in an email to the Voice. “The complainant and the respondent will be provided an opportunity to review and discuss their individual summaries with the investigator, prior to his/her submission of the report to the Office of Student Conduct.”
According to Olson, the final investigative report will be shared with both the accused perpetrator and the survivor, and each party will be allowed to submit his or her own written statement to the Office of Student Conduct.
While the investigators will play a role in all future sexual assault cases, they will not be able to offer conclusions regarding alleged Code of Conduct violations—that is, they will not have the ability to determine guilt.
According to Olson, guidance from the White House also informed the decision to update Georgetown’s Sexual Assault Procedures manual. The updated manual is now available on the Office of Student Conduct’s website.
Additionally, the number of members on the hearing board charged with adjudicating cases of sexual assault will be reduced from five to three, in accordance with a recommendation from the Office of Student Conduct.
“This has been identified by numerous external organizations, including the Department of Education, as best practice in adjudicating sexual assaults,” wrote Tezel and Jikaria. “It can sometimes be intimidating for survivors to be testifying in front of large boards, so we see this as a welcome addition.”
The University also pledged to use closed-circuit video technology at all sexual misconduct hearings, with the goal of limiting any possible interaction between survivors and perpetrators during hearings.
GUSA issued a press release later on Tuesday applauding the reforms and crediting those organizations involved in implementing them, namely the Georgetown Sexual Assault Peer Educators, the Sexual Assault Working Group, Take Back the Night, the Women’s Center, the Office of Student Conduct, and Health Education Services.
According to GUSA Secretary of Student Health and Safety Nora West (SFS ‘15), a member of Georgetown’s Sexual Assault Working Group since last fall, the changes won’t provide an ideal level of support for survivors of sexual assault.
“Survivors of sexual assault need guaranteed amnesty for drug use prior to their assault,” wrote West in an email to the Voice. “Staff and professors need to be better trained on how to support survivors inside and outside of the classroom setting. Survivors who take a medical leave of absence need to be supported as they return to campus. Sexual assault programs need to be fully funded. There are so many things that need to be done and these changes are encouraging, but of course more work is needed.”
