Reported cases of sexual assault rise as students return to campus.
OLLIE FITZGERALD | STAFF REPORTER | ofitzgerald@butler.edu
Content warning: references to sexual assault
Before move-in, the Butler University Police Department (BUPD) released two timely warning statements about sexual assaults before the start of the semester. The Red Zone is the period of time between college move-in and Thanksgiving break that is indicative of higher levels of sexual assault, interpersonal violence and alcohol and drug use. According to statistics collected by the largest national anti-sexual violence organization, RAINN, more than 50% of college sexual assaults occur before December, with women aged 18-24 at an especially elevated risk. Butler University students are not exempt from experiencing the Red Zone but can take steps to try and reduce the effect on campus.
There are resources on campus for survivors of sexual assault and ways to boost education on the topic to try and reduce the effects of the Red Zone. Jules Grable is Butler’s confidential victims advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct, case manager for students experiencing struggles and is responsible for outreach and education about different self-advocacy and activism skills. As a confidential victim advocate, Grable is not a mandated reporter, unlike other faculty on campus. Grable explained that while the Red Zone occurs on campus, resources are available for victims and programs to help spread awareness and increase bystander response.
“I can help get [students] connected with on and off-campus resources and let them know what sort of processes for justice are available for them if that’s something they’re interested in,” Grable said. “[We help show students] what it looks like if you don’t want to report — which is a totally valid option — and serve as a crisis point and safe person to talk to and to help [victims] navigate these really complex systems that hopefully no one ever has to navigate, but unfortunately exist.”
Grable encourages students to become active bystanders to try and help disrupt sexual assaults on campus. The Green Dot bystander certification program is run out of Grable’s office, where over 200 students have been certified to become active bystanders in the instance they observe some form of sexual violence occurring.
“Just paying attention, being aware of what’s around you and knowing what the signs are to look for that something might not be right, whether it’s alcohol poisoning, drug overdose or potential sexual misconduct [is super important],” Grable said. “[students] knowing and having skills to [intervene] is what’s really going to make the change.”
Butler Survivors Alliance (BSA) was formed on campus two years ago as a resource and support system for victims of sexual assaults that occur on and off campus. Laney Strasser, a Junior English major, is the treasurer for BSA. BSA shows survivors that there are people who care about them and are there for them.
“I think people think [sexual assault] doesn’t happen on campus, just because a timely warning is not issued every time, but Butler’s campus is unfortunately rampant with those situations” Strasser explained. “I just think that [Butler] as a whole needs to do a better job of advertising [resources for victims]. All we can do is try and break the stigma around asking for help.”
Assistant Chief of BUPD, Officer Tony Rivera — who also teaches Butler’s women’s self-defense class — agreed that education and awareness are key to fostering a safe and supportive environment on campus without making students fearful. Rivera feels that information taught in self-defense classes, typically taken by upperclassmen, would be incredibly useful for the more vulnerable incoming students.
“I’d love to have some kind of [assault prevention and awareness] education for students when they get here,” Rivera explained. “It’s important to [teach students to] go back to the childhood buddy system. When you’re with somebody, you stay with somebody no matter what. I teach that I would rather my friend be mad at me the next day than have something happen to them.”
Rivera also emphasized the importance of letting victims’ voices be heard, while not forcing them to relive their trauma since the topic of sexual assault is a difficult topic to discuss.
“[If someone chooses to file a report], we have a basic form sheet that the responding officer fills out, and then the investigator takes it from there, that way we’re not re-victimizing somebody over and over, ” Rivera explained. “Here [at BUPD] we are as transparent as we possibly can be, and I want students to know that when they come to us, they lead the investigation.”
“Resources are there, I just don’t think that they’re taken advantage of enough because people don’t know about them,” Strasser said.
Some Resources Available:
National Sexual Assault Hotline – 1-800-656-4673
National Domestic Violence Hotline – 1-800-799-7233
Indiana Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program – 317-247-3172
Jules Grable – Atherton Union 316 jearthur@butler.edu
Butler’s Sexual Assault Victim Advocate – 317-910-5572
The Julian Center – 317-941-2200
Butler University Title IX Resources
BUPD – 317-940-9999
