Raising awareness about sexual assault

Marty Martinez. - Photo by Mike Drake

By Mike Drake

At the 88th Oscars, Vice President Joe Biden said, “despite significant progress over the last few years, too many women and men, on and off college campuses, are still victims of sexual abuse.”

In the Oscar nominated documentary, “The Hunting Ground,” facts about sexual assault at colleges, and how these crimes have been kept quiet, have been brought to light.

A routine annual safety awareness meeting was held February in the Pirate Union Building of Peninsula College.

Director of Healthy Families Becca Korby, PC Campus Safety Operations Manager Marty Martinez, PC Athletic Director Rick Ross, and PC Mental Health Counselor Sandi MacIntosh spoke to inform students of where and who to report any kind of sexual assault.

Marty Martinez. - Photo by Mike Drake
PC Campus Safety Operations Manager Marty Martinez speaks to students at annual safety awareness meeting. – Photo by Mike Drake

“One out of four students will be the victim of sexual assault and in 99 percent of sexual assaults, a male is charged with the crime,” Korby said. “In 2014, there where 89 sexual assault cases filed. Between July 1, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2015 the same number of cases were filed, in half the amount of time.”

“Campus Safety, in collaboration with the Associated Student Counsel, held the safety forum to be in compliance with Tittle Nine and the Clery Act, both of which are Federal Laws,” Martinez said.

“Under these laws, colleges must provide a resource to the campus community for sexual assault and dating violence.

“Colleges must also make a resource available to survivors of sexual violence and provide students with a prompt and equitable process for resolving complaints.

“This forum was held to help spread the word that we have a process and resources available to students at P.C.”

According to Title Nine, “a landmark federal civil right that prohibits sex discrimination in education, colleges must have an established procedure for handling complaints of sex discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual violence.”

Colleges must also take immediate action to ensure a victim can continue their education free of ongoing sex discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual violence.”

The easiest way to reach out for help is to file an incident report online. The report can be found on the Peninsula College website, www.pencol.edu under Campus Safety.

Students can also report an accident, incident or crime by going to the Campus Safety Office located in J-32 of the Pirate Union Building or by calling (360) 417-6559.