6017SSL Entrepreneurship and Innovation
April 18, 2023Reflective Essay On Learnings From Coursework
April 18, 2023MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND HEADS OF INSTITUTIONS
FROM:
SUBJECT: Immediate Actions to counter sexual harassment and Assault to protect students in Colleges
DATE: 29th April 2022
Introduction
Over the past years, there have been serious criminal cases of sexual assault and harassment in the institutions of higher learning among students in the United States. The prevalence of rape cases and other forms of sexual harassment is troubling and calls for immediate action. According to Papp and McClelland (2021), approximately one in five women have been sexually harassed in college, either they are survivors of attempted sexual assault or complete sexual harassment. Additionally, many young men in college have also experienced sexual harassment in their life in school. Even though institutions of higher learning have made notable strides in addressing sexual violence such as rape or verbal violence, there is a need to implement more actions to ensure the safety, security, and protection of students in the learning environments (Withers,2019).
Background
Over the years, the United States Federal government has been working to implement various Federal laws aimed at creating an enabling environment in the learning environment through the Departments of Education and Department of Homeland Security. Federal laws instruct the institutions of higher learning to enforce the requirements in the Federal Student Assistance Programs for Learning institutions to give students procedures and guidelines for reporting sexual harassment and violence in universities, colleges, graduate schools, and technical schools (Colaninno et al, 2022). Further, universities and college administrations should ensure proper dissemination of program information that is stipulated to address sexual harassment and violence in school.
In addition, institutions of higher learning should adopt and document complaint procedures that will swiftly respond to the grievance and offer an amicable solution to the reported sexual harassment grievance. This procedure includes an in-depth investigation of the reported case of rape, sexual assault, and violence and takes immediate action to thwart unwanted behaviors in the institution. However, in case of a complete sexual assault, survivors of the sexual violence should be taken through support services, including guidance and counseling.
Notably, many institutions have complied with these Federal laws, but compliance and implementation are uneven and inadequate.
Policy Implementation
There is a need to address inadequacy, uneven implementation, and compliance issues in higher learning institutions and give an amicable response to end rape culture and other forms of sexual assault in colleges and universities. To counter this problem, backing the existing Federal and State laws, I recommend the Department of Homeland Security, Head of Institutions of Higher Learning, alongside the White House Council on Women and Girls to implement actions to address sexual harassment and violence in schools and help them meet their objectives with ease building on Federal efforts and laws.
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Immediate Actions
To counter the problem, it is therefore ordered as follows;
Phase 1: Establishment of a Security Task Force Team to protect College Students from sexual harassment
Department of Homeland Security should form a security team solely tasked with protecting students from rape and other forms of sexual abuse. The Security task force will incorporate the Attorney general, the secretary, and the members who will be designated with various functions in preventing college and university sexual assaults. The team will work through providing evidence-based practices to the learning institutions towards responding to sexual assault cases and backing the existing federal laws and efforts to counter sexual violence in learning institutions, and ensuring that the institution’s authorities fully comply with the legal laws to protect students from sexual assaults.
Phase 2: Assessing Federal laws on sexual harassment prevention policies compliance in the Higher learning institutions
The team formed will work to assess higher learning institutions’ efforts in compliance with federal laws in giving procedures and guidelines for reporting sexual harassment in school. The extent of awareness or student knowledge of sexual prevention program information that is stipulated to address sexual harassment and violence in school. In addition, the team will assess institutions of higher learning adoption of proper and effective complaint procedures that respond to the complaints. Further, examinations will be done on investigation procedures the institution takes to identify and analyze sexual harassment cases and the immediate actions they take, including providing support services such as guidance and counseling.
Phase 3: Conduct College/University Evaluations
This phase will involve a collaborative approach by the Department of Homeland Security and the Heads of the Higher Learning Institutions to assess sexual assault cases in the schools. This report will provide an overview of sexual assault cases, including the percentage of women and men affected. This step will provide a plan of action to address the problem in the learning institutions.
Phase 4: Action Execution
Within 60 days of team formation, analysis, and evaluations, the team shall execute the plan in the schools through the Federal and State approval and observation of institutions’ protocols. The plan will include training students and college staff on compliance with the federal government’s efforts to prevent sexual violence and ways to identify and respond to sexual harassment cases. Implement disciplinary sanctions to prevent sexual violence and harassment among students. Together with other security agencies, the team will maximize the Federal government’s policies in combatting college and university sexual harassment by providing the necessary safety and improving security in the learning environment. Further, proper coordination and promotion of collective efforts will be observed through the process of addressing sexual assaults and supporting students’ responses to sexual harassment.
Phase 5: Success Evaluation
In addition, actions will also include measuring the success of combating sexual abuse. The team will thereafter assess compliance on campus, public knowledge, attitudes, and the safety of students. In addition, because sexual harassments also happen in elementary schools and secondary schools, the team will also see how the recommendations and proposals for preventing sexual assaults in higher learning institutions may apply and be implemented in elementary and secondary schools.
Conclusion
In conclusion, sexual harassment has formed a higher percentage of crime cases reported in the public sphere. Sexual harassment has largely affected college students, especially female students. However, implementing the mentioned five phases will allow the Federal government, through the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Education, to adequately address issues of sexual assaults and harassment among students in learning institutions within the United States. Effective implementation of the policy actions in the federal and state government through the proposed steps will help combat sexual violence and create awareness on proper procedures to follow to seek assistance and support in case of harassment and also provide training to the students on proper safety ways to keep themselves away from circumstances that expose them to sexual violence. However, the memorandum does not intend to create benefits but effectively enforcement of the existing laws.
Endnotes
Colaninno, C. E., Lambert, S. P., Beahm, E. L., & Drexler, C. G. (2020). Creating and Supporting a Harassment-and Assault-Free Field School. Advances in Archaeological Practice, 8(2), 111-122.
Papp, L. J., & McClelland, S. I. (2021). Too common to count?“Mild” sexual assault and aggression among US college women. The Journal of Sex Research, 58(4), 488-501.
Withers, M. (2019). Preventing sexual assault on college campuses in the United States. In Global health leadership (pp. 107-117). Springer, Cham.