On November 15th, UT-Austin’s University Democrats hosted former Texas Senator Wendy Davis. She joined a panel to lead a discussion on sexual assault on college campuses. With her, female student leaders from Voices Against Violence and Not On My Campus were on the panel. Topics ranged from how students should their voice to encourage stronger state legislation, how to utilize on-campus resources, and Davis’ non-profit, Deeds Not Words. Afterwards, the panel had a Q&A section with the audience.
The talk focused on the impact of state level legislation on sexual assault reporting and prevention on campus. I do think that there is not enough student engagement when it comes to local legislation. Davis emphasized that students ought to collectively voice their opinions and educate themselves on bills that are being debated. She helpfully offered some tips, such as testifying or directly calling representatives, to become more engaged.
I feel that the panel did a great job at addressing the topics that were brought forth. Even more encouraging was to see female student leaders be represented on a panel alongside Davis. The panel discussed the impact of becoming involved in state politics. For instance, all of the panelists worked on passing House Bill 281, which established a statewide tracking system for survivors to track their DNA samples in rape kits. Davis also spoke on behalf of her organization, Deeds Not Words, which seemed relevant for the panel discussion. Deeds Not Words focuses on women equality by providing resources to become more involved on a legislative level (such as sample letters to state representatives) and on a community level.
However, I do wish that there was more discussion on how college culture can promote sexual assault on campus. While this was briefly addressed, the discussion leaned towards state legislative responses. While the panel did mention helpful resources on campus, such as Title IX, UT Counseling and Mental Health Center, and University Health Services, broader discussions on how UT-Austin can respond to 15 percent of undergraduate women raped failed to be addressed at the panel. While engaging in local politics is essential, understanding how we can also address this issue on university level is just as essential. During the Q&A session, several audience members expressed their frustration with resources offered on campus due to failure to convict or suspend those accused of assaulting. Conversations about how the university deals with sexual assault cases especially comes to light in the recent case of John Doe v. Gregory Fenves, wherein a student sued UT President Gregory Fenves for suspending him over a sexual misconduct violation. After the hearing, the student is now unsuspended and will be back on campus.
While I agree that students need to continue voicing their needs, the burden shouldn’t have to fall on survivors of sexual assault or solely on advocates for the cause. These conversations need to be sponsored and encouraged by the university, and further addressed by making proactive changes on campus. After the Cultivating Learning and Safe Environments survey was released last Spring semester, very little has been addressed about how the UT will respond to alarming number of sexual assault and rape occurrences on campus. While Fenves sent out a supportive letter, his words of comfort need to be transformed into action. As of now, it is unclear how the university plans to move forward in light of the survey and what areas the administration will address in order to ensure a safe environment for its students and faculty.
Attending this panel made me appreciate how hard students, particularly inspiring women on campus, work on creating a environment for UT students and faculty. These leaders on campus work tirelessly to foster safe environments for their fellow peers, whether that means having the courage to testify before the Texas Legislature or leading a student wide movement. Even more encouraging was to see that the work of advocates, such as Davis with Deeds Not Words, tries to connect students with resources to address difficult problems.
Important lessons I gathered from the talk was that I need to stay updated with my state legislature and to try to lend my voice towards the causes that I care about. Also, I need to educate myself more on the available resources on campus, such as Title IX. And last, we as students should hold ourselves and others accountable for sexual assault on campus- whether that means educating ourselves and others, or demanding that our university addresses this issue to foster a safe environment for all.
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