The Administration on sexual assault surveys

As part of our bargaining with the university, we've worked to get TAs to no longer be mandatory reporters when students tell us about sexual assault.  Students who may disclose an assault may just be looking for someone to listen and not want the matter investigated or even just disclosed to more people.  In performing our jobs, we want to be able to hear what our students have to say and refer them to campus and community resources that the student then has the choice to use or not use.  By having TAs be mandatory reporters, we believe this has and will continue to have a chilling effect on the authentic discussion of sexual assault on campus and on students initially, cautiously seeking help.

So far, the university has not budged.  Last week, Paulette Granberry Russell (director of the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives and senior advisor for diversity to President Simon) told us that we must not care about our students if we don't want to be mandatory reporters.  Quite the opposite: We simply want to give them a choice and control in the situation, thereby not re-victimizing them. 

Then, an email was supposedly sent to all students on campus this week about sexual assault experiences and issues.  Some students did not get the email, though.  During a Steering Committee meeting, Granberry Russell and President Simon said the email with the survey was not sent to students whose directory information was restricted.  A GEU member questioned them, asking if that would seriously bias the results as sexual assault survivors are more prone to restricting their directory information for obvious reasons.  Granberry Russell and President Simon did not see any problem with them being excluded.

MSU's response to issues of sexual violence continues to be tone deaf, but GEU and your bargaining team are working hard on your behalf to change that!  If you have an experience you would like to confidentially share so that we can use it at the bargaining table (without your name) to make a positive change, please let us know.