Sonoma State University embraces 'yes means yes' law (w/video)

The Justice Department statistics on sexual assault at university campuses are sobering: One in five women will be sexually assaulted during college, and as many as 95 percent of rapes go unreported.

These often-cited numbers recently have sparked a national dialogue about the endemic problem of sexual violence on campus. On Sunday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed the “yes means yes” law, making California the first state to compel colleges to require active consent for sexual encounters. The law also sets new requirements for colleges to follow when investigating sexual assault reports.

Sonoma State University has been proactive in educating students and faculty about the issue and is well positioned for the new legislation aimed at curbing sexual assaults at colleges, administration officials said.

“The number of students who have been victims of sexual violence, reported or not, is sickening,” SSU President Ruben Armiñana said in his convocation speech at the beginning of the fall term.

“Sexual violence is not acceptable in any form,” he said. “Unfortunately, most, if not all, of these crimes are committed under the influence of consumption of alcohol or other substances. We must change the culture of substance abuse and sexual violence, and we must make clear that there are no excuses for taking advantage of another person, no matter what their state.”

The university requires all students and faculty to undergo training on how to recognize, prevent and report sexual violence. SSU’s network of sororities and fraternities has taken up the cause this year, and Greek organizations on campus are educating fellow students about the issue, said Katie Bailey, president of Kappa Delta Zeta.

“The goal is to make campus a safer environment,” said Bailey, a survivor of sexual violence. “I feel that sexual assault is something that has been taboo to talk about. That is a problem with our culture in general.”

Laura Williams, the director of counseling and psychological services at SSU, is the university-provided crisis advocate, helping victims navigate the reporting process and the often-traumatic aftermath of a sexual assault. She said that the “yes means yes” law will help to change students’ behavior during sexual encounters.

“I think it’s an important law. The necessity to get positive consent is something that we have been teaching,” she said. “It is nice to have a law to back that up.”

Williams, who also leads a campus group for survivors of sexual assault, said a culture that blames victims is responsible for the drastic under-reporting of sexual crimes. There are 13 women in the campus survivors group. The SSU campus police have investigated an average of two forcible sex offenses per year in the past three years, according to the department’s crime statistics.

The university also has partnered with a certified rape crisis center, Verity, to provide 24-hour crisis advocacy and support to students who have been assaulted. The organization provides sexual assault training at campus residence halls and freshmen orientation, said Chris Castillo, Verity’s executive director.

“The trauma when these things happen is so intense, you need to know you are going to be protected,” she said. “It helps to develop survivor-centered policies to address sexual assault. What’s happening is more students are finally becoming educated, and it helps them to know that they can come forward in a safe setting.”

Besides the training sessions, students are learning and talking about sexual violence in their classes, too, said Don Romesburg, chairman of the women’s and gender studies department. This adds to student awareness of the issue, which will hopefully lead to a cultural shift at the university, he said.

“Arriving back on campus this semester, students have been more aware of the national dialogue on sexual violence and the need to do something about it,” Romesburg said. “The conversation is being held more widely on how to create a culture that fosters a community that stands up against sexual violence.”

Male students have an equally important role to play in the conversation, officials said. The school’s Center for Diversity, Vitality and Creativity hosts a men’s group to explore modern ideas of masculinity and educate some of the university’s 40 percent male student body on issues such as active consent.

Mark Fabionar, director of the center also known as The Hub, said men are taught how to check with a partner to see if sexual advances are welcome.

“The men learn to communicate clearly in the context of affirmative consent,” he said. “We want to get young men to explore what it means to be a man and have respect for women.”

You can reach Staff Writer ?Matt Brown at 521-5206 or matt.brown@pressdemocrat.com.