Many students raised the question of what students should do if they see or are victims of sexual harassment. As of just a few years ago, there were few resources available, but in recent years the university has added resources for victims.
From 2011-2014, Fordham spent a lot of time updating its policies “to include information on stalking, domestic violence, dating violence and bystander intervention information and adjustments were made to reporting procedures per new legislation including the 2013 Violence Against Women Act,” according to a release titled “How is Fordham Working to Prevent Sexual Violence?”
At the Student Life Council, held on Wednesday, Feb. 26, Christopher Rodgers, dean of students, urged students to make sure they report sexual offenses. He also stated that Fordham has updated the Campus Security Authority training that members of Student Affairs, athletic coaches, Residential Life staff and Commuter Assistants must undergo.
Rodgers said that this training covers sexual offenses as well as bias and hate crimes. These trained university members learn what goes on during the handling of a report and how to support those who submitted it.
Rodgers posted on The Fordham Ram website, urging students to “Please report sexual violence! We are here to help.”
This process requires students “to report the incident to the Office of Safety and Security, the dean of students, a member of the Residential Life staff or another member of the university’s administrative staff.”
If it has not gone to Security, it will be reported there. The office will then gather all evidence to complete a report, to be sent to the dean of students. A support person will then be assigned to the student filing the complaint and offer guidance.
According to the CARE FAQ, “the dean of students works with a standard called ‘preponderance of information.’ This means that the dean will us his/her judgment based on all available information from security, the victim, the alleged attacker and witness interviews to determine whether there is enough information to confirm that a violation of university policy has occurred and what the appropriate action by the university will be.”
