SASH On Campus: Solutions Over Justice

ANONYMOUS

CW: the following piece makes mention of SASH, institutional betrayal and the 2021 NSSS survey.

In the last few weeks, the National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) published their findings into sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) incidents on Australian university campuses. The ANU came under particular scrutiny, as it was found to be the university with the highest record of sexual harassment.

Another conclusion drawn from the survey found that college residents were more likely to be sexually harassed and assaulted than their off-campus counterparts. This comes as unfortunate news, especially at ANU, which has previously attempted to make a concerted effort into dealing with SASH on campus. As a former resident, this comes as no surprise. I believe the current system is seriously flawed, especially when it comes to education and resources being directed at young men. When it comes to SASH on campus, men are primarily the problem and need to be the solution. The survey highlighted the fact that the ANU was the worst university in terms of sexual harassment cases. When compared to the national average of 16.1 percent, the ANU had 26.1 percent of students reporting cases of harassment. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the ANU is also the second-worst university in terms of sexual assault, with its cases being almost three times the national average - 4.5 percent to the ANU’s 12.3 percent. The difference between college SASH and off campus SASH is significant. Compared to the national average of 16.1 percent, 24 percent of university college students nationally reported incidences of sexual harassment. To emphasise this point, according to the national survey, “one in three (36.1 percent) students living in student accommodation or residences reported another student from their residence perpetrated their most impactful incident of sexual assault.”

While the NSSS confronted students with the stark prevalence of SASH at the ANU, and at universities across Australia, the survey also provided possible solutions to enhancing awareness and reducing cases of SASH. Some responses included the following: “Mandatory workshops directed at male audiences to increase awareness in a group that may not usually interact with these issues” and “[educating] men (specifically)…” as many responses stated that victims of SASH “have never been sexually harassed by women.”

The survey concluded that there is a need to focus on reporting and justice for victims rather than prevention: “Improve awareness of sexual harassment and sexual assault, as well as the mechanisms for reporting and support …provide a range of response and support options for victim/survivors to meet their varied needs and preferences,” amongst other suggestions

While more reporting and support are important, in an ideal world there would be no need for such services. By the time an individual requires these, something terrible has already happened—these measures do not address the root cause. The solution is to understand the cause and prevent the issue from occurring in the first place. Thus, it becomes clear that the current method of prevention is seriously flawed and unlikely to improve without thoughtful changes.

When examining the ANU’s high SASH reports, we must first unpack how unusual the ANU is in terms of its student cohort. According to higher education statistics, only 39.91 percent of students who go to universities in the ACT have a permanent home residence in the ACT. This is down from 57.46 percent in NSW, 52.07 percent in Victoria and 67.97 percent in Queensland. So, the ACT stands as an outlier in terms of a student cohort arriving predominantly from other states. In colleges, there is also a concerted effort made to be very age-restricted. By one’s third or fourth year, a typical student usually moves out or enters some sort of leadership position in their college.

In this way, the ANU is fundamentally different from the other universities, as their students arrive with less support from their families and friends. 18-21 yearolds are thrown into a sort of social bubble without much assistance from parents, older students or other adults, and are left to their own devices. Young, often insecure boys with little family assistance arrive, and are expected to navigate this bewildering social environment. Yes, there are Senior Residents offering support, but they are also required to report even mild infractions, sometimes making it difficult for students to form strong connections. This is one of the first stages in the system where things can go wrong. Being 18 is hard and a bit crazy, especially if you only hang out with other young crazy people. When given the opportunity to explore new freedoms without adult supervision, combined with lots of alcohol, there are going to be implications. It’s a recipe for disaster. My next point focuses on education and workshops, where more serious mistakes are made. Firstly, these workshops should not be utilised as a platform which provides opportunities for man-hating, shaming, or pontificating on the injustice of a society that privileges men. We must scrutinize specific behaviours and decisions, not identity and class. Secondly, the impulse to come up with simple solutions for complex problems makes the whole ordeal hard to take seriously. For example, when we attend consent workshops every year and complete our online modules, we are told repeatedly that ‘there is no consent if it is caused by the effect of intoxicating liquor or drugs.’ And that’s the ACT law. However, this approach omits the very real grey area surrounding intoxication and ‘how much is too much,’ especially when sex and alcohol play such a pivotal role in the modern ‘hook-up’ culture. What this usually results in is individuals coming up with their own definition of consent - one which may not always be accurate.

The ANU has a lot of work to do in the coming months to shore up its image and combat the justified anger coming from victims of SASH. Presumably, this means more education and more punishment for perpetrators. I hope reading this shines a light on some of the pressing causes and solutions relating to SASH. Please take what I say in sincerest good faith as someone who wants change on campus.

If this content has triggered any concern, distress or impacted on your wellbeing, ANU provides a number of services to support student health and wellbeing including: Student Safety and Wellbeing email: student.wellbeing@anu.edu.au website: Health, safety & wellbeing – ANU ANU Counselling email: counselling.centre@anu.edu.au website: ANU Counselling – ANU The ANU Wellbeing and Support Line available 24/7 phone: 1300 05 0327 SMS: 0488 884 17 There are also a number of services in the community that can be accessed after hours including: ACT Access Mental Health is a 24-hour mental health emergency access and support service. Phone: 1800 629 354 or 6205 1065 1800 RESPECT is the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. 1800 RESPECT provides phone or online support for people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, sexual assault, domestic or family violence. 1800 RESPECT is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Phone: 1800 737 732 Lifeline: 13 11 14 Canberra Rape Crisis Centre, Crisis Line (02) 6247 2525 ANU Women’s Department sa.womens@anu.edu.au ANU Queer* Department sa.queer@anu.edu.au