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      With the summer here, many parents will be preparing their children for college. Along with buying all the supplies to furnish the dorm room, and all the latest electronics for studying and keeping in touch with mom and dad, part of being ready for college life is understanding the risks of living on a college campus today. In Part One of this series, Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. looks at the epidemic of sexual assaults on college campuses today, and discusses how to address this national tragedy.

      The statistics speak for themselves: 1 in 5 undergraduate women experience attempted or completed sexual assault; only 5% of cases are reported, making sexual assault the most under-reported crime; 43% of college-aged men admitted to using coercive behavior, including physical aggression, to have sex, but did not admit it was rape (AAUW). These disturbing statistics are accompanied by the equally disturbing conclusions of a study conducted by the Center for Public Integrity published in 2010. The study found that for victims of sexual assault who filed complaints with their college or university, the overwhelming experience was one of frustration, humiliation, and the feeling that the perpetrator--even if found to be "responsible"--did not suffer any significant consequences. Many times, delays in the process were so long, and/or the process itself was so difficult for the victim, that complaints were dropped, victims left their schools, and in at least one tragic case, a victim committed suicide.

      In 2011, the Department of Education's Civil Rights Office issued a guidance on how schools must respond to student allegations of rape. The official guidance led to changes in policy in dozens of schools across the country, but sexual assaults continue to be rampant. The issue hit the national radar this year when news and social media exploded with stories of too many victims receiving not enough justice.

      In May 2014, the Obama administration responded with a set of guidelines on how colleges should handle assault allegations. The guidelines include: (1) campus surveys regarding sexual assaults and "campus climate" issues; (2) the website NotAlone.gov to support survivors and to track enforcement; (3) promotion of bystander intervention; (4) provision of trained victim advocates for emergency and ongoing support; (5) recommendations to college administrators on how to handle reported assaults; and (6) a Public Service Announcement from President Obama. 

    At Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. we want to ensure that any college student who has suffered a sexual assault does not have to suffer again when reporting the crime to the school. Our Fort Myers personal injury attorneys can file complaints in federal court alleging violations of Title IX (Civil Rights) and of the Clery Act, which established strict rules on reporting of campus crimes. Our personal injury attorneys can also file actions in state court alleging negligence, since the college was negligent in its duty to protect its student from what is arguably a foreseeable harm. 

    If you want further information on this, or if you have suffered an assault on a college campus, contact Fort Myers personal injury attorney Randall Spivey at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.