Women's safety lacking at UWS, per peacemaker

Talk about it

The leaders of a group that works with men to overcome violence says he fears for women students at the University of Wisconsin-Superior after reports of no prosecutions of 10 in the last six years.

Men As Peacemakers Director Frank Jewell is upset that none of the ten cases of sexual assault reported at UWS since 2004 have been prosecuted. The revelations came from news stories run on Wisconsin Public Radio, the Superior Telegram and Duluth News Tribune.

“I remember being appalled that the lack of safety for women on campus was so serious and that the importance of people on campus beginning to talk about it, to organize around doing something, changing the practice and policy on campus, was key to making it a safer place,” Jewell said.

Jewell says open on-campus events often preach to the choir.

“If you do a general training, you put out the word, 18 people show up; they’re the already converted,” he said. “The bigger issue for me is that people spend an enormous amount of time talking about this stuff and not changing the environment in which it happens. So, it’s really important to educate people but what I find is more important is for people to begin to take action.”

Jewell says more should be done.

“What could students and staff and administration do differently at UWS that would make it a safer campus?” Jewell asked. “Every RA, every student security personnel and every athlete would be trained in information about sexual assault. The university could offer a class in the liberal arts requirements on sexual assault. They could also start a committee made up of students and top administrative personnel to decrease the number of sexual assaults that happen on campus.”

Officials from the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse and the Superior Police Department meet to define the goals of the newly created Sexual Assault Response Team. That team is also dealing with UWS’ anonymous reporting policy. CASDA and police didn’t want to say what will come from the meeting. They will have a statement after the meeting.

That meeting is Tuesday at 9 a.m.

Tags: sex assault, daily updates, news, crime, police, casda