First Lady Takes on Campus Sexual Assaults

Michigan First Lady Sue Snyder has called on campus leaders, lawmakers and others to work together to make Michigan a leader in ending a culture that can encourage victims to remain quiet about sexual assaults. (Michigan.gov file photo)

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Michigan First Lady Sue Snyder has called on college and university leaders to bring uniformity to a patchwork of programs, policies and punishments as one step toward changing a culture that would encourage more victims of campus sexual assaults to step forward.

At least 20 college and university leaders have pledged to attend the June 8 statewide Let’s End Campus Sexual Assault Summit, the Detroit Free Press reports.

“We need to make Michigan a leader in ending these sexual assaults because it’s been going on too long,” Snyder said.

Under the current fragmented policies, victims less likely to report the crimes and authorities more likely to dismiss allegations, Snyder said. In some cases, sexual assault cases are reported to campus police; in others, city police or county sheriff’s offices may have jurisdiction. Also, responders aren’t always been trained in how to approach sexual assault victims.

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The first lady has enlisted the support of a bipartisan team of lawmakers ,Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker, R-Lawton; Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor; Rep. Laura Cox, R-Livonia; and Rep. Marilyn Lane, D- Fraser. University coaches, Title IX coordinators, dorm advisers and other campus stakeholders have been invited to the summit.

At its close, Snyder hopes drafts of proposals to bring about change will be in the works.

Snyder has a personal reason for issuing the challenge to leaders to address the growing problem of campus sexual assaults. A friend told her to years ago that her daughter had been sexually assaulted.

“If this type of incident can happen to (my friend),” Snyder said. “The statistics show that one in five women have an attempted sexual assault on them on these college campuses. I don’t know what these women are supposed to do.”

Snyder’s campaign to make Michigan a leader in reducing campus sexual assaults comes at a time of increased national awareness of the problem. It has been estimated that one in five women is assaulted during her college career, only 12 percent of them reported the crime, and “only a fraction of the offenders are punished,” President Obama said last September when he announced his “It’s On Us” initiative.