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The Daily Northwestern DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Find us online @thedailynu
In Focus
‘Things need to change here too’ Students speak out about NU’s response to sexual assault, mental health issues By lauren caruba
daily senior staffer
Earlier this quarter, an Amherst College student garnered national attention for her account of callous treatment by school administrators following her rape. For one Northwestern student, the story was all too familiar. “I battle my memories of the rape every day,” Weinberg senior Lauren Buxbaum wrote in a Facebook status posted Oct. 18. “It consumes me in a way I hope none of you ever experience. The only thing that was holding me together was my life here at Northwestern. And now that has been taken away, and I don’t even have the energy to battle for my life back.” Like former Amherst junior Angie Epifano, Buxbaum was raped. Like Epifano, Buxbaum was transported by campus police to the hospital and admitted to a psychiatric ward after she expressed difficulty dealing with the assault. “It was seriously like reading my story,” Buxbaum said of the Amherst account. But unlike Epifano, Buxbaum said she felt pressured by the administration to go on medical leave until she was “healthy” enough to return to NU. Buxbaum’s story exposes the harsh realities of policies that attempt to balance the safety of individual students with that of the broader NU community. Despite new resources and policy amendments, NU’s response to sexual assault still has its flaws. “Things need to change here too,” Buxbaum ended her post. “Don’t forget it.”
How NU National Average stacks up nationally
Proportion of students who report receiving information on violence prevention from their institution.
Proportion of students who report being physically assaulted within the last 12 months
Losing control
Buxbaum said she was assaulted off-campus in late July while walking home from a friend’s apartment in the early morning. Her attacker was an Evanston resident she had seen before but did not personally know. University Police reports indicate officers took Buxbaum to NorthShore Evanston Hospital almost immediately after her assault. Buxbaum said she decided not to press charges because she did not want to relive the traumatic experience. » See in focus, page 4
Proportion of students who report being in an intimate relationship that was sexually abusive within the last 12 months
Proportion of students who report being sexually penetrated without their consent within the last 12 months
Northwestern
daily senior staffer
The Chicago Transit Authority recently proposed a $1.39 billion budget for fiscal year 2013 that reduces discounts for passes, freezes basic fares and maintains current service levels. Under the new plan, basic fares remain unchanged at $2 for bus and $2.25 for rail, but the one-day, three-day, seven-day and 30-day passes will experience discount cuts of $4.25, $6, $5 and $14 respectively, according to the CTA website.The transit authority says the current discounts for CTA passes are the second most generous of major U.S. cities. Medill sophomore Cheyenne Blount, who frequently uses the one-day passes and went to the city every weekend last quarter, said she is not happy with CTA’s proposed budget because the new one-day pass price is almost double that of the old $5.75 rate. However, for NU students who spend less time commuting beyond Evanston, the impact is less significant.
University President Morton Schapiro promised Tuesday that Northwestern would take necessary steps to ensure mental health resources on campus are adequate in the wake of Weinberg junior Alyssa Weaver’s suicide. Weaver took her own life while studying abroad in London last week. The 20-year-old’s mother said Monday that her daughter was in a “dark place” before her death and urged other students dealing with mental health issues to talk about their problems. “Trust me, we will take a close look at what resources we have available and what resources we might need,” Schapiro told The Daily. “We’re always looking at that anyway, but we should be taking a look at it now.” Several student groups have urged more University involvement in creating resources. NU Active Minds, which aims to spread awareness about mental health, is vying for Trust me, we Student will take a close Associated Government’s 10K look at what Initiative to establish a resources we mental health information session for incomhave available ing students during Wildcat Welcome. and what Mike Sladek, vice resources we president of Univermight need. sity Psychology AssoMorton Schapiro, ciation, said recent University events have sparked president an increased need for continued conversation that involves NU administration. “On a college campus, everyone’s stressed,” Sladek said. “It’s something that shouldn’t be swept under the rug.” The Weinberg senior praised NU’s efforts in trying to help students and appreciated a “proactive response” from the administration. “The University does do a great job to do what they can,” he said. “There just needs to be a refocus of those resources for mental health on campus.” Schapiro said he was not aware of any concerns about NU’s mental health services until now. He pointed to the the major remodelling of Searle Hall, which he said was criticized as a “substandard facility” in the past. “We have a great facility, but are we using it optimally?” Schapiro said. “The reason we did that whole thing … is that we wanted to provide for health and safety.” Katie Sanford, NU Active Minds co-president, said she was surprised to hear Schapiro had not been aware of complaints about current resources. She said the University was petitioned to add support groups on campus such as NU Listens. Schapiro said Weaver’s death, the second within the NU community this quarter, gives the school an opportunity to reflect and “to be a better institution and learn to be better people as individuals.” “I would think that we should all try to learn from it,” he said. “To learn personally and for me professionally what we can do to keep our students safe.” A candlelight vigil in memory of Weaver is planned for 8 p.m. Thursday at The Rock, hosted by the Cultural and Community Studies Residential College, the Boxing Club, the Brady Scholars Program and Chi Omega.
» See CTA, page 4
paulinafirozi2015@u.northwestern.edu
36% 30.8%
16%
4.7% 2.5%
1.6% 0.5%
1.5% 1%
47%
69%
33%
Source: Campus Coalition on Sexual Violence Info graphic by Christine Nguyen
By ina yang
daily senior staffer
price hike The Chicago Transportation Authority recently proposed a budget that reduces the discounts for passes. The decision was made as part of a budget initiative to offset CTA costs.
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
Schapiro eyes mental health services at NU after suicide By paulina firozi
CTA, Metra increase commuter fares
Mariam Gomaa/Daily Senior Staffer
Alyssa Weaver
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