ADVOCACY PERSPECTIVES ON SURVIVOR EMPOWERMENT: REVISITING THE INTENT OF TITLE IX AND A GENDERED LENS TO ADDRESS VIOLEN

1. ADVOCACY PERSPECTIVES ON SURVIVOR EMPOWERMENT: REVISITING THE INTENT OF TITLE IX AND A GENDERED LENS TO ADDRESS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES Jennifer Rose, JD Gender Equity Specialist University of Hawaii at Manoa

2. A BROADER PERSPECTIVE: ADVOCACY FROM THE GROUND

3. PREVALENCE OF GENDER VIOLENCE SHOULD WE NOT BE OUTRAGED AND ALARMED BY THE EPIDEMIC NATURE??

4. What coercive behaviors do we hope to prevent and address: Gender Violence Lens • Dating violence and sexual coercion • Predatory SV • Stalking and Predatory SV • Stalking and IPV • Sexual harassment, particularly by persons in a position of formal authority • As intersecting with academic coercion; • Gender hostility and discrimination; • Manifested through a battering relationship;

5. TITLE IX AS A TOOL FOR COMPLIANCE AND SURIVOR CENTERED JUSTICE? The liability of college campuses to eradicate gender discrimination

6. TITLE IX And GENDER DISCRIMINATION: Challenges • No precise gradations of sexual harassment; overlap with gender discrimination • Linking equity in education with sexual violence • Less overt, less “violent” behaviors supporting the patriarchy and gender hostility – within academic circle and the broader campus community • A new hook to help increase accountability • “Informal” resolutions- Who and how? • Will it help with perpetrator accountability? • Balancing survivor autonomy and confidentiality with due process

7. Lessons Learned from the VAW Movement: DV and SV • VARIOUS FRAMEWORKS AND INSITUTIONAL RESPONSES • Criminal justice lens, civil rights framework (sexual harassment, gender discrimination) • Overlap between SV, DV, and Stalking • Advocacy principles from DV movement should apply • What are survivors’ goals? • Safety as defined by survivors • Survivors from marginalized populations • What services do immigrant and international student survivors need?

8. USING A BROADER LENS: LET’S STOP SILOHING Research and Experience in the Movement

9. A NATIONAL CONVERSATION: FUTURES WITHOUT VIOLENCE AND AVON FOUNDATION PROJECT BACKGROUND, CAMPUS ADVISORY BOARD, AND BEYOND TITLE IX: GUIDELINES FOR PREVENTING AND RESPONDING TO GENDER BASED VIOLENCE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES

10. Excerpt from FWV “BEYOND TITLE IX” Guidance • “…While legal requirements shape how campuses address gender-based violence, this document goes beyond…and points the way to systems, practices and policies for leadership in prevention and response. Although many campus policies, as well as the Dear Colleague Letter, address only sexual misconduct explicitly, intimate personal violence and stalking also contribute to an environment hostile to women and are often interrelated..”

11. Recommendations from FWV/AVON Guidance • Has the college collected data and identified “hot spots” on campus which create particular risks for sexual misconduct, intimate partner violence, and stalking? Are there targeted efforts to address these groups and locations? • Are faculty and staff encouraged to promote healthy relationships and community responsibility on campus and in classrooms, including discouraging sexism and offensive language? • Does the college/university support and fund research on the experience of gender based violence amongst its students?

12. Barriers for Survivors • Shame, self blame, trauma, in crisis • Barriers to what? Seeking help versus “reporting” • Normalization of gender violence • Cultural Barriers • Fear of Retaliation

13. Institutional Barriers for Survivors • Lack of understanding by students and first responders as to which behaviors constitute violations of Title IX, student conduct codes, other relevant university policies, and civil rights laws • Academia- hierarchy, so much at stake students lack resources and “capital” to address politics of power in situations involving a perpetrator of authority • Lack of appropriate or visible resources on campus– who is uniquely and visibly situated to help students navigate through options?

14. Institutional Barriers for Survivors • Confusion about roles of “off the record” and offices of notice offices; confusion about what other first responders can and can not do • Judicial process- lack of training by fact finders and decision makers regarding sexual predation, survivor perspectives, cultural competency issues • Complicated procedures with respect to informal and formal resolutions • These procedures often mirror criminal justice response

15. Some Barriers for Immigrant and International Students Survivors • Discriminatory and marginalized experience within academia—national origin and accent discrimination within the classroom, amongst peers, and professors • Legal status—maintaining student visa • Lack of understanding of legal rights and university policies governing student and faculty behavior • Lack of familiarity with social services (such as rape crisis centers) • Cultural issues • student’s timeline for graduating or returning home (maintaining a positive image)

16. SPECIAL CHALLENGES for Various Populations of Student Survivors • For sexual violence: vulnerable survivors (freshmen, “loners”, etc) • Where the alleged perpetrator is a faculty member or someone in a position of authority • Graduate students • Student employees • Intersections with other forms of discrimination: race, LGBQ students • Issues for international and Immigrant students • Indigenous populations- cultural considerations

17. WHAT ARE SOME HELPFUL SUPPORTS? Institutional Student-led safety planning, master plan to address VAW, institutional commitment including resources, allies, good advocacy…

18. HELPFUL SUPPORTS FOR STUDENTS • Friends, roommates, and informal networks of safety and support • Talking the same language: understand the violence as the student perceives it; prevention efforts that “speak” to students real experiences • Talking the same language amongst first responders: institutionalizing screening for DV, reproductive health, sexual coercion, stalking, etc.

19. ADVOCACY: BACK TO THE BASICS • Revisiting lessons learned from VAW movement • Gendered violence lens • Understanding of vulnerable population • Trauma Informed Services • Case Management! • Individual and systemic advocacy • Funding and support for advocacy resources

20. ADVOCACY “GOOD” PRACTICES FOR SURVIVOR EMPOWERMENT • Guiding philosophical approach • Services beyond initial safety planning, crisis intervention, and options • Resources and time to help survivors tell their story, while getting therapeutic assistance and addressing PTSD • Safe spaces that encourage “talking story” • Understanding of confidentiality issues at all levels, including advocate’s role • Strong links to the community

21. OTHER ADVOCACY GOALS Conducting Vigilant Institutional and Systemic Advocacy! • Building Allies on campus • Strengthening working relationships with Residential Life, Athletics, Health Services, International Students Services, etc. • Developing community support and dialogue • Hosting educational sessions for all stakeholders

22. ADVOCACY “GOOD” PRACTICES • All advocates need to be trained on compliance and relevant policies and procedures; the “rights” piece must be provided! • Assessment of the situation: power mapping and understanding of the politics of academia • Strategies: ally building, strength-based case management • Recognize what skill sets and knowledge base is required –trauma informed, creative problem solving

23. TRAINING, TRAINING, and COLLABORATION • Not just to meet compliance goals of Title IX, although it is a great hook to mandate faculty and other employees • Cross training between and amongst first responders (counseling center and advocacy programs) • Training on VAW issues, specific behaviors that impact vulnerable populations (universal, special populations) • Identifying emerging and effective models of survivor intervention in the community and partnering/replicating

24. QUESTIONS? Jennifer Solidum Rose, JD Gender Equity Specialist University of Hawaii at Manoa 2600 Campus Rd, QLC 210 Honolulu, HI 96822 Email: Rosejenn@hawaii.edu