Questions and Answers with
Mary Todd— Director & Victim’s Advocate, K-State Women’s Center
Susan Allen—Director, K-State Nonviolence Education

View the Policy: http://www.k-state.edu/studentlife/reportsandpolicies/violencepolicy.htm

What prompted the development of the Policy Prohibiting Sexual Violence? How long has the sexual violence policy been in effect? 

The KSU Policy Prohibiting Sexual Violence (PPSV) was instituted in the late 80’s. A rape case had occurred on campus that demonstrated the need for some type of University intervention—but there was no policy in place.

“The whole idea of campus sexual violence policies was new at that time” says Susan Allen, Director of the K-State Women’s Center. “But K-State was fortunate to have some extraordinary women on campus who were determined to create a policy here. As a consequence, K-State has been at the forefront of a national movement to make campuses more safe and equitable for women.”

These women included Susan Scott, who was the Associate Dean of Student Life, Diane Urban, who was the student attorney for many years, Judy Davis, former director of the Women’s Center, Sandy Coyner, former director of Women’s Studies, and the late Dorothy Thomson, former university attorney.

The PPSV has been revised several times, most recently in 2002.

What other steps, if any, should the university have in place to help prevent violence or discrimination?

“The university needs to continue its efforts to get ahead of the violence through the work of the Campaign for Nonviolence (http://www.k-state.edu/nonviolence/). In the past we’ve tried to isolate the violence problem and make it an individual matter—however, violence is also a community issue and won’t stop until addressed by the whole community, as a top priority. People tend to wait for a crisis to act—we need to learn to see violence on a continuum and begin addressing the problems that lead to violence, before they become acute,” said Allen.

How many students use the policy? Do all students who come into the women's center to talk about an incident use the policy?

Most of the students who have come to the women’s center in the past few years have not used the policy, according to Mary Todd, the advocate for victims of assault at K-State. “Reasons KSU women have given as to why they did not want to use the policy to help them either seek justice or get rapists off the campus included 1) that they feared retaliation by the rapist, 2) that they had concerns that others would be angry with them for pressing charges against someone who was popular or well-known on campus, 3) that they feared they would not be believed.

“Also--Many women wish to forget the trauma of a sexual assault incident, and don’t want to think about the assault, much less talk about it.” However, Todd stated that “Not talking rarely works in trying to forget trauma. An assault victim should at least speak to a counselor at KSU Counseling Services to speed up the healing process.”

Todd indicated that a victim’s fear of not being believed “is a tragic dynamic, that at the time a woman most needs support and comfort, she may feel she could be blamed or doubted by others. (The fact is that rape is falsely reported at the same rate as most other crimes-perhaps 2%-6%.)”

Many K-State women are probably not aware of the policy. If a student (while on the K-State campus) is sexually violated in any way, has been raped or the victim of an attempted rape, has been coerced into any sexual activity without giving consent, s/he can use the policy to bring disciplinary actions against a perpetrator. Students who are feeling harassed, or stalked, or threatened by another student can come to the Women’s Center and we will help begin the judiciary process to ensure that students are held to the KSU Student code of conduct, at least while on the K-state campus.

Why should students use the policy?

Todd states, “I think students should use the policy in seeking justice as part of the cultural shift that is beginning to be seen on campuses nationwide. No human, female or male, should feel ashamed to report that a crime has been committed. Individuals are increasingly aware that it IS the guy next door who may use manipulation, alcohol, drugs, and date-rape drugs to assault another person. Many campuses now have male organizations dedicated to changing men’s attitudes toward power and strength.

“The more women and men who come forward to publicly protest and hold to account unlawful and brutish behavior, the sooner we will have a safe campus. Although Manhattan is much safer than many places, we have our share of assaults, rapes, and date-rape drugs.

“Men who act in primitive, criminal, and callous ways need to know that they can’t hide behind the silence anymore. Victims of assault need to know that it is the criminal who should be ashamed, and that the university wants to support and assist them in receiving justice.”

What other steps, if any, should the university have in place to help prevent violence or discrimination?

“It’s important to increase awareness any way we can. Universities can benefit from systematic, targeted education, where male groups such as athletes, fraternities, and incoming freshmen are given some consciousness-raising interventions. Enlightened men don’t use strength to coerce women into activities.”

Kansas State University Women’s Center ¨ 206 Holton Hall ¨(785) 532-6444

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