Corinne Mammarella: Victims of campus assault deserve better

Each school year, universities reintroduce themselves to their students, flooding them with exciting opportunities, programs and events. The fall semester, however, yields a community of students who have been forced into disillusion.

The Red Zone marks the period of time between the first day of classes and Thanksgiving break, when most sexual assaults occur at institutions of higher education (IHEs). When the processes in place for survivors fail, over and over again, the luxury of collegiate bliss is stripped from these students. I know this, because I was one of them.

Fifty percent of sexual assaults that occur on college campuses happen during the Red Zone. Female identifying college students are twice as likely to be sexually assaulted than they are to be robbed. Most times, the assailant is someone the victim knew and trusted.

Through Title IX, colleges are supposed to have adequate support and processes in place in order to confront this sobering reality. Yet, despite this, most schools do little more than window dressing. Support for survivors of sexual violence at IHEs stops at the signage, especially during this time period that matters most.

Among the countless flyers for fall semester activities covering college campuses, students can also find resources for sexual assault and Title IX. This messaging invites students to feel empowered and seek support if they have been a victim of sexual trauma on campus. By my junior year of college, having seen Title IX signage throughout my university for three years, I decided to put my faith in them. I later found out that advertising support does not actualize it, and I was left to face the harsh reality that the support systems at my university were a facade.

When I found the courage to share my sexual assault and report to my university’s Title IX office, I expected to be met with support but instead found it difficult not to feel that I had been tricked. It is disrespectful to encourage survivors to come forward with nothing in return. We survivors understand that a university cannot guarantee a positive outcome or a seamless process. However, universities do guarantee a process. How is it that IHEs advertise Title IX as a viable option for students seeking justice, while simultaneously slowing this process to a halt? What is the point of asking survivors to come forward and participate in a broken process, other than to eventually silence these victims?

While participating in a Title IX investigation, a survivor is put in a position where they must continually recount their trauma. Prolonging this process can increase retraumatization, secondary victimization and a loss of faith, all ways students may be driven to stop seeking justice.

Title IX cases at IHEs are delayed in a variety of ways. For example, the Title IX administration at my university told me that my case would be completed within 60 days, while it instead took seven months. Additionally, my guaranteed university-appointed adviser was never granted to me. When I eventually took matters into my own hands, found an outside attorney and requested that the university cover the legal fees, they attempted to have my attorney sign a contract that we felt could have prohibited us from speaking publicly about my case. Thankfully, my attorney at the time elected to assist me pro bono. If I did not find an outside attorney who was willing to help me, for free, I am confident that I would not have completed my Title IX case.

Even though my case eventually reached an outcome thanks to an outside attorney working pro bono, the retraumatization that occurred left it difficult to accept that I am one of the lucky ones. It’s no wonder that the vast majority of sexual assaults on college campuses go unreported. I suspect that many survivors, like myself, are still grappling with whether or not coming forward was worth it. However, without survivor voices being amplified, real and necessary change will never occur. That is why I am speaking out.

The issue of inadequate support for survivors was not bred in captivity; it’s part of a larger system of discrimination. Most survivors of sexual assault are from marginalized groups. Additionally, many survivors of color choose to forgo Title IX reporting because of systemic issues within the process itself.

IHEs choose to uphold their discriminatory Title IX systems because they know that if they acknowledge the injustices, they will be forced to face their entire culture, one that is rooted in patriarchy and white supremacy. These institutions know what they are doing; they are unabashedly silencing victims, female-identifying, LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC victims, predominantly. Rather than supporting survivors who attempt to uplift injustices, IHEs remain distrusting and exhaust survivors into not seeking justice.

Survivors deserve so much more, but at the very least, we deserve not to fall victim to false advertising. For future generations, avoiding this trap will take education and grassroots efforts. We’ve learned that when a university fails to uphold the resources they advertise, we cannot solely turn back to the university and request change. We need to attack the issue at all levels, and education will help get us there.

Organizations like I Have the Right To work with K-12 schools and higher education to increase awareness about sexual violence, empower survivors to speak out about their experiences, educate youth about healthy relationships and consent, and provide trainings to educators on how best to support students — which is why I am joining them as a facilitator. I hope to continue to share my story and the truth about Title IX at IHEs. Organizations like I Have The Right To give me hope, not only for broader change, but for a sense of empowerment that I have been searching for ever since I came forward as a survivor.