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.