A new White House report released Tuesday on sexual assaults on college campuses is putting a spotlight on concerns about how best to educate and effectively communicate the issue to students.
The report issued by the White House task force to protect students from sexual assault urges colleges to adopt a three-point action plan that includes:
-- Campus climate surveys, to gauge student concerns about sexual violence
-- Educating and empowering men to step in when someone's in trouble
-- Putting in place effective campus response plans when a student reports an assault
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) estimates that a college with 10,000 students could experience as many as 350 rapes per year, while the White House Council on Women and Girls -- co-authors of the White House report -- estimates nearly one-in-five women will be sexually assaulted during her time in college.
Kelly Andersen believes that it's up to the colleges to take the lead in working to effectively educate and communicate about sexual violence.
“Universities have the capacity to set a standard for community behavior,” Andersen said. “One that says, 'this a standard of respect that we expect on our campus and that includes having consent every step of the way.”