Since 2014, Capital University has recorded 13 instances of on-campus dating violence, five instances of on-campus stalking, and nine instances of on-campus rape in its annual security report, which is part of the Jeanne Clery act. The Clery Act aims to provide transparency around campus crime policy and statistics.
In the annual security report, dating violence is defined as “violence committed by a person – (a) who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim; and (b) where the existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the following factors: (i) the length of the relationship, (ii) the type of relationship, (iii) the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.”
The Chimes placed a public records request for the 13 recorded instances of dating violence from Capital and received 10 of the 13. The remaining three records classify as Title IX reports, which are not public records.
Of the 10 records obtained, all incidents involved a male suspect and female victim.
One incident on Oct. 25, 2015 cited an assault on a female student. The reporting officer, Joseph Howard, stated in the report that “according to the victim, her ex-boyfriend came up to her in the hallway and forced her to kiss him.” The victim refused charges, resulting in the case being closed. Both parties in this incident were students residing in Lohman Hall, where the reported offense took place.
An earlier incident on Oct. 16, 2015 involved a male and female student arguing in the S7 Lot at 1:00 p.m. According to the report, “the male grabbed his girlfriend’s arm and refused to let her leave.” Both parties were Capital students in this report as well.
Additional offenses recorded in reports noted harassment on social media, assault, and verbal altercations.
Five reports of on-campus stalking were reported from 2014 to 2016 in the annual security report released in October.
The security report defines stalking as “engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to – (a) fear for his or her safety or the safety of others; or (b) suffer substantial emotional distress.”
The Chimes placed a public records request for the five recorded instances of stalking from Capital and received three out of the five. The remaining two records classify as Title IX reports.
One offense involved a Capital student reporting that an ex-student was sending harassing text messages and messages on Facebook.
Another report involved a male student filing a complaint against another student for the harassment. The report states, “the victim stated he has been verbally and physically harassed by a female student, and he wants it to stop before it escalates more.” A no-contact order was then issued between the two students.
In addition to the reported dating violence and stalking incidences, nine instances of on-campus rapes were recorded between 2014 and 2016.
Rape is defined by the security report as “the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”
The Chimes placed a public records request for the nine recorded instances of on-campus rape in 2015 from Capital and received three out of the nine. The remaining two records classify as Title IX reports.
One incident, which occurred on Feb. 1, 2015, took place in a campus residence hall. A Capital employee reported the sexual assault. The report states that “the victim does not want the police involved and wishes to remain anonymous.”
A separate incident report filed on Feb. 6, 2015 involved a person reporting a sexual assault. The offense was reported to have occurred in a van parked in the S7 parking lot located between Yochum Hall and S/S Hall.
The offense is described in the report as “rape substantially impair judgement.” Alcohol use was also suspected. The report states that the assault occurred sometime between Oct. 6 and Oct. 12, 2014. The victim did not want police involved.
Sexual Assault Resources on Campus
Capital continues to provide education and resources regarding sexual assault and Title IX to campus and community members.
The Office of Student Affairs offers large-scale and small-group training sessions for students, staff, and administrators. Training is also incorporated into orientation, residential, and commuter life programming.
Bystander intervention training also was offered to all student leaders during the 2016-2017 academic year.
Recently, Capital partnered with the Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio to make victim advocates available, assist in the training of peer educators and to expand bystander intervention training efforts.
Aside from its ongoing training, Capital continues to work to improve and build upon its current offerings.
“The goal of the Title IX process is to stop and prevent occurrences, while creating a safe and comfortable environment,” Jennifer Speakman, who serves as the Title IX and ADA Coordinator at Capital University and Capital University Law School, said.
One measure Capital is taking to improve is conducting campus climate surveys. This survey was initially conducted in May 2016, in support of the Ohio Department of Higher Education’s (ODHE) Changing Campus Culture initiative.
“Awareness, participation, and perception are the focus of these surveys,” Speakman said.
The campus climate surveys aim to provide Capital with a clear understanding of students’ perceptions of the living and learning environment, while increasing awareness of the various programs and resources offered.
The surveys covered a variety of topics including awareness of campus policies and resources, likelihood of reporting sexual misconduct, likelihood of engaging in bystander behavior to prevent misconduct and incidents of sexual assault. It also included a set of benchmark questions provided by the ODHE.
Speakman shared the findings of the campus climate survey, which revealed a higher participation in prevention training from 2016 to 2017. However, the findings also revealed a lack in students’ awareness of sexual misconduct and how Capital handles these instances on campus.
All members of the community are encouraged to review and understand Capital’s Sex or Gender-Based Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct Policy, which clearly defines discrimination; reporting, including confidential reporting; investigation processes and resources for support.
Speakman noted that education efforts will continue throughout the 2017-18 academic year with online training for students and employees, bystander intervention training and trauma-informed practices.
