The Rattler (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 106, No. 5, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 31, 2018 Page: 3 of 16
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Rattler and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the St. Mary's University Louis J. Blume Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
JAN. 31, 2018 | STMURATTLERNEWS .COM
NEWS I 3
Table 1: Institution Size and Number of Reported On-Campus Rapes
2014
201$
2016
2016
Institution Size/'
Institution Size/'
Institution Size/
If true, assault
Rapes Reported
Rapes Reported
Rapes Reported
incidence is 1 in ...
Trinity
2,490“
2,484/3
2,506.'5
501
StMU
3,712/3
3,625/2
3,567/7
510
UIW
8,745/0
8,666/2
8,906/1
8,906
UTSA
28,628/2
28,787/2
28,959/5
5,792
Table 2; Rate of Reported On-Campus Rapes per 1,000 Students
2014
201$
2016
Trinitv
2.81
9.21
1.99
StMU
.81
.56
1.9
UIW
0
.23
.11
UTSA
.07
.69
.17
Table 3: Projected Cases of Sexual Assault Based on National Average (112% of Institution Size)
2014
2015
2016
Trinity
279
278
281
StMU
416
406
400
UIW
979
971
998
UTSA
3,206
3,224
3,243
Data compiled by Victoria Valle
FROM "ON-CAMPUS RAPES"
kind is the most under-reported crime
nationally and internationally,” said San
Antonio Rape Crisis Center Volunteer
Director Stacey Schwab. “I have spoken to
many, many survivors face-to-face, and
via our confidential hotline, that choose
not to report—especially to campus
police—for fear of being shamed, blamed
and stigmatized.”
Jolynn Rodriguez, sophomore biology
major, believes that, among other reasons,
victim-blaming is a substantial reason why
sexual assault goes under-reported.
“I feel like there’s been so much focus on
blaming the victim in our society and our
justice system failing to dole out proper
punishments,” Rodriguez said. “Not only
that, but I believe that especially after a rape,
someone feels utterly powerless and feels as
if no one will believe them.”
At St. Marys, when an allegation of sexual
abuse is made, the employee who receives
the report must notify the university’s Title
IX coordinator within 24 hours under
university policy. If the allegation includes a
crime, both the Title IX coordinator and the
employee must contact the university police
to determine the need for a timely warning
through RAVE Mobile Safety. The Clery Act
requires campuses to report crimes to the
public that happen on or around campus,
whether natural disaster, campus shooting
or sexual violence.
Like other campuses, St. Mary’s also
must release an Annual Security and Fire
Safety Report, which details crime statistics.
Campus Title IX Deputy Coordinator Dr.
Leona Pallansch said she becomes involved
in the case of any such violation “which
might interfere with somebody’s ability to
study here, or to work here.”
The latest Annual Security and Fire
Safety Report for St. Mary’s documented
seven rapes on campus in 2016, two in
2015 and three in 2014. The reported rate
was less than one in 1,000 students for 2014
and 2015, just under two per 1,000 students
for 2016.
In contrast, University of Incarnate
Word, which has more than twice as many
students as St. Mary’s, reported zero rapes in
2014, two in 2015 and one in 2016. Trinity,
which numbers 1,000 fewer students than
St. Mary’s, reported seven rapes in 2014,
three in 2015 and five in 2016. UTSA, which
is eight times larger than St. Mary’s, reported
two rapes in both 2014 and 2015, reporting
five in 2016.
“The difference in numbers reflects the
increased efforts St. Mary’s and Trinity have
made to encourage people to come forward
and report incidents, and to better offer
comfort and support for victims in their
time of need,” said Andrew Festa, director of
university communications.
However, like the tide of outreach
flooding the country over the issue, the
extent of campus rape is clarified only after
the figures are adjusted for what research
shows to be the true rate of rape: 11.2
percent. At that point the figures balloon,
suggesting just how much campus rape
goes unreported.
According to data for 2016, St. Mary’s
and Trinity both reported such assaults at
roughly comparable rates, about one assault
for every 500 students.
In contrast, UIW, more than double the
size of St. Mary’s, reported a single campus
rape for 2016 while UTSA reported six, one
fewer than St. Mary’s despite an enrollment
eight times greater.
In other words, as Table 3 suggests, the
amount of rapes that actually happen on
college campuses are much more numerous
than reported at both St. Mary’s and Trinity.
Based on a rate of 11.2 percent, UIW would
project not one campus rape but 970; UTSA
not 6 but more than 3,200.
“[I] can [say] unequivocally that sexual
violence does not discriminate. It is
pervasive, and it is happening in this city,”
Schwab said. It also appears to be much
more widespread than official counts reveal.
In a moment marked by public
denunciations of sexual violence from
Weinstein; Matt Lauer; Charlie Rose; Roger
Ailes and Bill O’Reilly to politicians like Sen.
Al Franken (D-Minn.); Reps. John Conyers
(D-Mich.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) and
President Trump, the stage seems set to
confront the scope of this crime, protect
victims of sexual assault and convict the
guilty. The past three months suggest that
survivors coming forward about their
experiences with powerful men will make
a difference in the lives of younger people
affected by this traumatic event.
STRIVE center implements reinvigorated career programs
VICTORIA SALDANA
STAFF WRITER
The STRIVE center, newly located in the
University Center, has gone through a recent
renovation along with the introduction of
new programs and a new approach to its
services in order to redefine the definition
of success for St. Mary’s students. STRIVE,
an acronym for Successful, Transformative
Result from Innovative Vocational
Experiences, has begun to encompass what
students want and need rather than focusing
on the number of programs that are held.
The STRIVE center is taking a much more
individualized approach to helping students
reach their goals. Dr. T. Tylor Behrens,
associate vice president of the STRIVE
Center, emphasized this new approach in
assisting students with their career paths.
The STRIVE center wants to integrate
itself more into the school system and other
programs so that students can develop and
identify skills that will help them with their
career goals through their academics and
extra-curricular activities.
“Career development [and] vocational
development happens everywhere,” Behrens
said, explaining the thinking behind this
new approach.
In addition, it is also anticipated that these
new changes will be a gradual development
from freshman to senior year, not only to
reduce stress on juniors
and seniors, but also to
allow a student to really
learn vocational skills.
The sessions made in
the STRIVE center
are no longer called
advising sessions but
counseling sessions,
which will include
more listening centered
around the prospect
of understanding what
students want for their
futures. Those in the
STRIVE center also look
forward to gaining more
participation with their
new site stmuconnect.
com, where students
can network with
alumni to gain mentors
and internships straight
from the source.
The center’s new
program Pathway to
Success allows 75 students selected by the
deans of their schools to participate in an
extensive program to build upon four pillars:
missions, passion, vocational aptitude and
profession in a pathway to success of reaching
their goals. The program will include not
only integrating programs into the school,
but will also have an online component and
will give students the opportunity to work
with a number of officials from 25 different
corporate partners, all with the purpose
of gradually teaching students career and
vocational skills.
Although staples of the STRIVE center are
not changing, students are still encouraged
to make appointments to have their
resumes checked or to make other routine
visits. However, with the new changes, the
STRIVE center hopes to develop more skills
in students over time so that they can be
serious and competitive candidates when
looking for internships or jobs. Overall, the
STRIVE center hopes to help students invest
in their future. These new developments are
far from just resume-checking and cover
letter editing, but a completely new and
innovative way to assist students in reaching
the success they are looking for.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
St. Mary's University (San Antonio, Tex.). The Rattler (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 106, No. 5, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 31, 2018, newspaper, January 31, 2018; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1048490/m1/3/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting St. Mary's University Louis J. Blume Library.