Security on Campus: Fighting to Protect Victims and Prevent Campus Crimes
We’ve seen recently on the news the appalling events dealing with the Penn State Scandal, which opened doors for other victims to speak out against their experience. Unfortunately, what we have seen on the news is not an isolated or random situation, on the contrary it is actually the norm. The harsh reality is that until now, ignorance was bliss to the general of society, but as history has showed us-the truth will always prevail. Education Institutions seem to spend more time and effort covering up a scandal to protect their own at the expense on the victim. Victims are not only traumatized by the initial crime, but often re-victimized by their trusted institution.
People are in uproar about the Penn State scandal, but what they don’t realize is that this is not anything new. CBS reported on the college campuses “Culture of Silence.” Even more disheartening is that many people will soon forget about their anger or passion about this issue as soon as another scandal hits the news. We live in a world today that horrific news serves as entertainment, and passion towards particular issues are more of a trend.
It is important for campus crime victims to be applauded for their courage, but campuses have harassed and silenced them by placing the blame on the victim instead of the perpetrator. Fortunately for victims, there are nonprofit organizations available offer them support while filing charges.
Security on Campus is an independent organization co-founded in 1987 by Connie and Howard Clery in reaction to their daughter’s murder at Lehigh University. Today Security on Campus remains the only nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing violence, substance abuse and crimes on college campuses. Security on Campus offers support for campus crime victims that do not receive the proper help through the institution.
Security on Campus has partnered with PAVE (Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment) for launching their national awareness campaign, “Safe Campus, Strong Voices.” Many other organizations have teamed up in efforts to prevent campus crimes and cover up scandals. They want to reinforce the necessity to protect the victim and reprimand the perpetrator.
Daniel Carter, Director of Public Policy for Security on Campus, spoke about two major federal campaigns they are currently working on: launching the Campus Sexual Violence Prevention Act (The Campus SaVE Act) and revamping the National Center for Campus Public Safety. The organization efforts are limited by funding issues because these programs come with a hefty price tag, but nothing should stand in the way of protecting students well-being. They also need supporters to take a minute to sign The Campus SaVE Act Petition. Change must be made to bring justice for the many victims of campus crimes and prevent other campus crimes.
Colleges and universities should be held accountable for their actions, and they cannot continue to cover up campus crimes. They should hold the students safety in higher regard than the reputation of their institution. Officials addressed the problem with placing blame on the victim as reported in The State News Article “Officials Promote Shift in Rape Dialogue.” There are many other factors that lead to the problem with campus crimes and we must come together to protect students by putting an end to the issue.
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