The Daily Orange is spending the spring 2020 semester investigating the sexual misconduct reporting and adjudication procedures at Syracuse University.

Nearly 80 incidents of sexual assault, stalking, dating violence and domestic violence were reported to SU’s Title IX officer in 2018, according to data recently published by New York state’s Department of Education.

The data — which does not identify anyone — has provided a rare look into the apparent number of SU students who report sexual misconduct or sexual violence to the Department of Public Safety, local police and the university’s Title IX office.

But this newly released statistical summary can only tell us so much. 

We would like to hear about your experiences of reporting sexual misconduct to SU officials and navigating the Student Conduct System. Do the university’s policies and procedures work? Do you think they are effective? Can they be improved in any way(s)?

The D.O. would also like to hear from students who were subjected to sexual misconduct or sexual violence but did not file a report or complaint with SU.

According to the university’s Survey on Sexual and Relationship Violence, which was published last spring, about 23% of student respondents in a poll said they had experienced sexual contact without their consent since coming to SU. However, roughly 95% of the respondents who said they had been sexually assaulted did not file a report with the university.

As well, almost every respondent who said they had experienced sexual harassment, dating violence or stalking did not file a report, per the poll.

Are there any barriers that have prevented you from reporting these incidents to SU? If so, can the university do anything to make the reporting process more accessible? Is there anything else you would like us to know or keep in mind as we gather submissions?

We know how difficult it is to recount experiences of sexual misconduct or sexual violence. But we need your help in answering these pressing questions.

All tips submitted to The D.O. as part of this investigation will be treated as confidential. We will not publish anything you share with us without your permission. 

Here’s how you can get in touch.

• Email: [email protected] — a G Suite Gmail account

• Encrypted email*: [email protected] — a ProtonMail email account

• Encrypted messaging*: (607) 386-3174 and/or (315) 706-6499 — the WhatsApp phone numbers for Special Projects Editor Sam Ogozalek and News Editor Emma Folts**

• Survey: https://forms.gle/GWFRN6JCBbovzxYx9 — a shareable Google Form 

* — These platforms are more secure. An explainer on end-to-end encryption can be found here.

** — Ogozalek, a senior newspaper and online journalism major, has led The D.O.’s Title IX coverage as special projects editor. He was The D.O.’s 2018-19 editor-in-chief. Folts, a sophomore newspaper and online journalism major, is The D.O.’s spring 2020 news editor. She manages news coverage and oversees investigations.

If you would prefer to speak privately in person or over the phone, you are also welcome to call us at (607) 386-3174 and/or (315) 706-6499.

After submitting a tip, you can expect Ogozalek or Folts to reach out — possibly with follow-up questions.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.

See our previous reporting on sexual misconduct and sexual violence here.

Published on January 8, 2020 at 1:04 pm

[email protected]