APPLETON (NBC 26) — Seven Cornell University students are accused of sexually assaulting a woman at an off-campus fraternity house — a case that has drawn national attention and raised questions about consent, campus culture and student safety.
Here in the Fox Cities, those questions are prompting students and educators to look at their own campuses — and consider what can be done to prevent sexual misconduct before it happens.
Juyeon Son, a sociology professor at UW-Oshkosh, says that examination shouldn't stop at Cornell.
“Students are questioning,” Son said. “People are having conversations, and then we are now turning our eyes, and the public demands that, what are we going to do?”
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Son says colleges have a responsibility to examine their own campus cultures — including what they may be overlooking and how they're working to keep students safe.
“This is our problem," Son said. "And what kind of community do we want to live in? Is this okay? What are we turning a blind eye on?”
Marcy Quiason, an assistant professor of gender studies at Lawrence University, says that work can't simply begin after an incident occurs.
“One of the things is not just thinking about prevention in the moment, but thinking about really restructuring and changing campus culture and then also values,” Quiason said.
For some students, that means making safety part of campus and Greek life culture before an incident ever occurs.
Hannah Britten-Campbell, a UW-Oshkosh senior and vice president of Gamma Phi Beta, says her sorority has designated members whose role is to look out for others during events.
“During our formals and informal events, we have a silver monitor, is what we call it, and so we have a person specifically in a role for that,” Britten-Campbell said.
She says the goal is to create an environment where students feel comfortable talking about safety — and know where to turn if something does happen.
Another resource available to students is Title IX.
Health law attorney and Title IX investigator Lora Zimmer says there's often confusion about what that process actually does.
“The Title IX process is not a criminal process. It is internal to the school or college," Zimmer said. "So it's an administrative process to determine whether the school or college's policies have been violated."
And while the Cornell case is playing out hundreds of miles away, students here say it is a reminder that incidents on one campus can raise questions on another.
They say that means recognizing warning signs, looking out for one another and making safety part of campus culture — not just a conversation after something goes wrong.
“Just because it's not our school, it doesn't mean it couldn't be our school,” said one Fox Cities student.
For anyone affected by sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-656-4673.
