We spoke to the TSG Rep whose bill could make it mandatory for Temple to bring priority to sexual assault cases

Sexual assault on college campuses has become a taboo topic many are either afraid or hesitant to speak about. 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men are sexually assaulted while they are in college and more than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault. Sexual assault is, and will always be, a problem when just 2% of the rapists serve time in prison and 2% of the times, the victim believed the police could not do anything to help.

For that reason, Olivia Farkas, a senior and psychology major at Temple University, wants to leave her legacy with a bill that could help sexual assault victims and ensure that sexual assault victims have a voice on our campus.

Olivia is sister of Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity, sits as an At-Large Representative on the Temple Student Government Parliament, and was a member of the TSG Elections Committee for the most recent TSG Executive Elections.

The purpose of B.P.R. 7-2017 is to call on Temple Student Government to address the concerns of sexual assault cases through Temple Student Conduct. This bill will put the needs of sexual assault survivors first and hold Temple Administration accountable of bringing priority to sexual misconduct cases.

This resolution states the following:

“This body calls on Temple Student Conduct to make it mandatory to hear sexual assault cases within 60 days of being reported, recognizing that currently, the average wait time for sexual assault survivors to receive a student conduct hearing is 4-6 months.

This is to be contingent on the last time a survivor asks for a hearing to occur. The survivor may be allowed to rescind their request as well as bring the request for hearing to the Title IX Coordinator as many times as they feel comfortable.

This body calls on the Dean of Students, Dean Stephanie Ives, and Interim Associate Dean of Students, Carey Haddock, to hire two more student conduct administrators to assist in bringing this resolution to fruition.

This Parliament calls upon Temple Student Government Executives to move swiftly in accordance to Temple Student Conduct to fulfill this resolution and communicate our concerns and desires to have a 60-day hearing after sexual assault cases are reported to Temple University Administration as it is outlined in the Dear Colleague letter of 2011.”

The Tab Temple spoke to Olivia about the bill she is proposing and why it’s important for Temple students.

Olivia (in gray) and her committee who approved the resolution to be brought to the Parliament floor

Could you explain what your proposed bill is about to students who are not informed about it?

My proposed bill is a resolution calling on Temple Student Conduct to make it mandatory to hear sexual assault cases within 60 days of being reported, while also calling on the Dean of Students, Stephanie Ives, and Interim Associate Dean of Students, Carey Haddock, to hire sufficient administration to allow this resolution to come to fruition. This bill not only attempts to hold Temple Administration accountable for bringing priority to sexual assault cases, but also puts the needs of sexual assault survivors first.

How many signatures do you need for the bill to be passed on Monday April 17th, 2017?

Unfortunately, my resolution met some resistance when it was proposed during the last Parliament meeting on April 3^rd. There is no certain amount of signatures needed, but the more, the better! Right now, we have over 160 signatures and the number keeps growing every day.

Could you explain why this bill is important to be passed at Temple?

This bill is incredibly important. The Department of Education released the Dear Colleague letter in 2011 advising Universities and colleges to hear sexual assault cases within 60 days. Currently, the majority of sexual assault cases can take anywhere from 4-6 months to be heard, running through summer and winter breaks as well. When sexual assault cases take this long to be heard, these survivors are receiving a message from Temple that their experiences do not have validity. Though I do understand that there may be other factors preventing cases to be heard within 60 days, this bill’s purpose is to bring attention to these issues and work to change what we can about the process.

Final thoughts you would tell Temple students on the proposed bill and petition?

This is something that not only needs to change within Temple, but with Universities and colleges across the country. The bill is not going to be able change an entire system and culture in one day, but we can at least begin to start the conversation on why changes like these are important, and give sexual assault survivors the care and support they deserve while going through the process.

Please read and consider signing Olivia’s support letter here.

@gailvivarx3