Sunday, July 28, 1996
Alleged rape at weekender spurs procedural concernsBy Scott P.
Stimson
Summer Bruin Contributor
In response to recent allegations of rape, the Undergraduate
Students Association Council (USAC) last Tuesday approved the
formation of the Committee on Sexual Assault to investigate the
university’s rape and sexual assault policies.
The formation of the committee is largely in response to the
alleged rape of a UCLA student by members of the Zeta Beta Tau
(ZBT) fraternity at their "Weekender" event in Palm Springs, said
USAC General Representative and committee chair Michele Gosom.
"The (university’s) procedures need to be more sensitive and
accessible to survivors (of rape)," she said.
While the alleged victim has not filed formal charges and has
dropped pursuit of legal action against the fraternity members, a
thorough reassessment of the university’s procedures is still in
order, Gosom said. "We still need to go further," she added.
While the USAC committee seeks to determine if the university’s
sexual assault policies are in need of review and revision, some
feel that UCLA’s policies are acceptable as they stand.
"The Women’s Resource Center is set up to immediately respond to
a student and help (the victim) adopt a plan of action that
addresses (the victim’s) needs," said Assistant Director Dianne
Bischetti Suggs.
The center, free to students who believe they may be a victim of
rape or sexual assault, claims that students do not report the
crime because "they wrongly believe that they will be forced into
pursuing legal action and subsequently lose their anonymity," Suggs
said.
College women are the least likely to report being raped and
they are more vulnerable to acquaintance rape than rape by a
stranger, said Gail Arbarbanel, director of the Rape Treatment
Center at Santa Monica Hospital.
If a victim does decide to press charges against the attacker,
there are several paths of action they can take, said
Arbarbanel.
One course of action is for the victim to file criminal charges
against their alleged assailant, possibly having to testify against
the attacker in trial.
"This first option is the domain of the criminal justice system
and not the university," said Arbarbanel.
Another possibility is to file a civil suit against the alleged
attacker with a chance of receiving a monetary award at the end of
the trial.
The university and its disciplinary procedures come into play
when the rape is between two university students, either on campus
or at a campus-sponsored event, officials said.
Currently, students found guilty of rape by a university
investigation can face a variety of punishments from both the
university and the state, according to the university’s policy on
rape and sexual assault.
"A student charged with sexual assault can be prosecuted under
California criminal statutes and disciplined under the campus
student conduct policies and regulations," the policy states. "Even
if the criminal justice authorities choose not to prosecute, the
campus can pursue disciplinary action."
It is these same policies that the USAC committee on sexual
assault will investigate, according to Gosom.
The university declined to comment on its policies and
procedures on rape.
Policies and procedures addressing rape and sexual assault have
been steadily improving at universities throughout the United
States, Arbarbanel said.
"Not too long ago some universities had no policies (on rape) at
all and others had lopsided procedures favoring the accused," she
added.
UCLA and Chancellor Charles Young in particular made a
commitment in 1988 to implement a reformation of university
policies and programs related to rape and sexual assault.
As a result, UCLA has adopted several reforms, including
policies addressing rape and its affects on living arrangements and
academics, Arbarbanel said.
"We met with Chancellor Young and he made a commitment to
implement all of the policies outlined in our book. He was very
receptive and supportive," she added.
The results and suggestions of the USAC committee’s
investigation will not be available for several months.