Talking Stick - September/October 2017 - 25

supporting the victims. Because of its
subject matter, the book is difficult
to read, as it includes stark descriptions of a number of sexual assaults
and painful accounts of the victims'
physical and emotional trauma. For
this reason, before integrating the text
into any training or programming, it
is important that staff review the book
carefully.
One of Krakauer's goals was to fully
immerse himself in the culture and
climate of Missoula, Montana, in order
to understand why sexual misconduct
is so prevalent on college and university campuses and why victims are
often hesitant to report incidents. He
wanted to be able to "comprehend the

investigations, and scientific papers
published in peer-reviewed journals."
Student affairs practitioners should
also be committed to educating
themselves in a comprehensive way
about campus policies, the reporting process, and student experiences
related to sexual misconduct. Just as
Krakauer gathered information about
federal, state, and institutional sexual
misconduct policy, residence hall staff
need information and training on
federal guidelines, campus policies
and processes, and their reporting
obligations under the Clery Act, which
requires colleges and universities
to disclose information about campus crime, including sexual assault.

also have trained university police who
are sensitive when dealing with situations like these. We also make sure that
there are enough printed materials on
hand so that we can leave items with
the residents as they may need time to
process."
Above and beyond technical
knowledge of policies, procedures,
and campus resources, staff should
have some understanding of the
emotional ramifications involved in a
student's willingness or hesitation to
report a sexual assault. Many victims
are unwilling to submit to a medical
evaluation or even to report the assault
at all, because they're afraid they won't
be believed or, worse, will themselves

"A RAPE-TOLERANT CAMPUS WITH INEFFECTIVE PROGRAMMING,
INADEQUATE SUPPORT SERVICE FOR VICTIM SURVIVORS, AND INEQUITABLE
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES THREATENS EVERY STUDENT."
~DIANE BARZ, FORMER MEMBER OF THE MONTANA SUPREME COURT
repercussions of sexual assault from
the perspective of those who have been
victimized." The book is also a personal work, a way for Krakauer to come to
terms with his own ignorance. After
a friend disclosed her own experience
of sexual assault, he admitted, "I was
angry with myself for being so uninformed . . . So I resolved to learn what
I could about [sexual assault]. I did a
lot of reading, and I sought out rape
survivors who were willing to share
their stories." He conducted extensive
research, accessing as much information as he could about all aspects of
campus sexual assault. "I spoke at
length with eminent psychologists
and lawyers; attended court proceedings; read thousands of pages of court
transcripts, court filings, e-mails,
letters, police reports, and documents
generated by university disciplinary
proceedings; and reviewed newspaper
articles, the findings of government

Samantha Babb, residence coordinator
at Duke University in Durham, North
Carolina, underscores the benefit of
such awareness. "The more student
staff members know about the process,
the more confident they feel sharing
and helping . . . While I believe in my
RAs with my whole heart, it is important that they know they are not alone
in navigating crisis incidents." Relevant
readings for staff include Title IX
guidelines, Dear Colleague Letters, the
Clery Act, and specific campus policy
and procedures. They should also be
prepared to help survivors of sexual assault find the counseling and personal
support they need. Aja Holmes, senior
associate director of residence life at
Sacramento State in California, stresses
the importance of having collaborative
relationships across campus. "We have
a Victims Advocate that works closely
with us and will come over when needed to help with situations like this. We

be blamed. The central rape victim in
Krakauer's book describes the administration of a rape kit as a violation in
and of itself because "for the next four
hours I was essentially raped all over
again." Though she recognized that
the process was necessary, it was also
"incredibly traumatic." She adds, "I
didn't feel like I was strong enough to
go to the police . . . or even tell my dad
about it." Hall directors and resident
assistants need to listen carefully to
what these students are saying, both
verbally and nonverbally; getting medical treatment or reporting an assault
to law enforcement may not be the
options that students choose. As Babb
notes, "I often remind my student staff
members that reporting sexual assault
takes a great deal of courage. In that
moment it is important for the RA to
be actively engaged in listening to the
student and allow the student to lead
the conversation . . . While I know RAs
SEPTEMBER + OCTOBER 2017

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Talking Stick - September/October 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - September/October 2017
