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| CIA to continue efforts
despite grant outcome |
Adam Bennett
Editor-in Chief
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The Committee for Integrity at Appalachian State University (CIA)
has been on the radar recently due to a national organization’s
interest in the results of the Sexual Victimization of Women at
Appalachian survey.
The survey, completed last spring by the CIA, reported 394 women,
or one out of every 18, are raped during a four-year period at Appalachian,
with a total of 1,679 rapes or attempted rapes, roughly one out
of every 7 women. According to the survey, numbers match national
results.
Security On Campus, Inc. (SOC), a non-profit campus safety organization
based out of King of Prussia, Pa., assisted the CIA in the application
process for federal grant money to further research on campus rape.
The grant has raised concern from Appalachian administrators.
“The way I understand, the problem is with SOC, not the CIA
itself,” Director of University Police Gunther Doerr said.
“I think that [SOC] has not been fair in their past dealings
with other colleges.”
Money from the grant will go to SOC to help form educational programs
and publish survey results, Alfred S. Alshuler, professor of human
and psychological counseling and CIA advisor, said.
The grant will help publish accurate information yearly about the
extent of sexual assault on campus, Alshuler said. “The goal
is a rape-free campus.”
Alshuler said the CIA has two main goals: break the silence and
make system changes such as making rape kits more available to students
and passing legislation expelling convicted rapists for four years.
Alshuler said the grant will allow the CIA and SOC to measure the
rate of rape on campus each spring, using the same survey completed
last spring to monitor the campus sexual assault climate.
The CIA began as a group called The Academic Integrity Committee
(AIC), formed of volunteers with the goal of creating a new Academic
Integrity Code, Student Body President and former CIA member Ryan
M. Eller said.
Some students received independent study credit for being a member
of the group, he said.
After the work was completed, the committee stayed together to discuss
other areas of need on campus and the topic of rape and sexual assault
was mentioned, Eller said.
The topic of rape and sexual assault was integrated into the class
because it had to do with students’ integrity, Alshuler said.
The group’s name was then changed to CIA to reflect the new
mission of protecting integrity on campus, he said.
Alshuler said the committee felt there were underrepresented statistics
on campus rape and sexual assault.
Senior interdisciplinary studies major and CIA Co-Chair Brandy L.
Simula said SGA members began and supported the AIC about seven
years ago, but was never officially an SGA committee.
Currently, two committee members receive independent study credit
for being on the CIA. However, that will end in May.
“The administration has told [CIA] we can not meet as a class
because it is in conflict with university interests,” Simula
said. “If we get the grant, we can’t meet on campus and
can’t use university resources next year.”
Simula said although the committee will not be a university-recognized
organization, they will still meet off campus.
“CIA does not want half truths and half measures. We want the
data out and have truths reported,” Alshuler said. |
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