Students need to score 100 per cent on a mandatory admission quiz at the University of Montana that tests their knowledge of rape and sexual assault.
“We have a problem here on campus [and] we deal with it head on,” said University of Montana professor Danielle Wozniak, who helped develop a video tutorial and the quiz.
The required quiz came following a number of highly publicized allegations of sexual assault and rape on the University of Montana campus.
Some of these allegations included the university team quarterback being convicted of rape.
Another one involved the running back, who is set to plead guilty of sexual assault Sept. 11, according to the Missoulian, a local newspaper.
“The rapes didn’t make us different,” Wozniak said, adding that this unfortunately happens on many campuses.
What made the University of Montana campus different, she said, was the amount of victim-blaming and the removal of blame from perpetrators.
Wozniak began working with faculty and pulled from everyone’s expertise on campus to create a video tutorial and quiz, she said.
In one video, text flew across the screen dissecting a woman’s outfit, asking whether she was asking for it, or whether she knew the guy who raped her and excusing actions because they were both drunk.
Some of these examples are pulled from what Wozniak said she overheard on campus, as well as what rapists had said explaining their actions.
Kerry Barrett said the videos addressed much of the rape culture she saw on campus.
Barrett is a University of Montana graduate who was a victim of sexual assault last September. She said she has become a voice in the community following her sexual assault and that of one of her friends.
“I’m happy to see this,” Barrett said. “So much [of previous education] is how to not be a victim.”
Students must answer all the quiz questions correctly in order to pass but they will be able to retake it as many times as they like and re-watch the videos in order to reinforce this knowledge, Wozniak said.
Any students failing to complete the quiz or get a perfect score within the first six weeks of registration will be blocked from enrolling in fall courses.
It’s key that students are educated during these first six weeks which are the “red zone” when the majority of cases of sexual assault occur, Wozniak said.
This is too late, Barrett said. She said students, especially freshmen, should be required to take the quiz before enrolling in fall classes and orientation.
The quiz needs to be publicized more, Barrett said, adding that some of her friends didn’t even know about the quiz.
As the school year starts, Carleton University has just entered this “red zone.”
There is an abundance of educational resources but they are not compulsory for students.
However, all new residence fellows, orientation facilitators, and student safety patrollers receive training sessions from Equity Services that have a major focus on sexual assault, co-ordinator of sexual assault services Carrolyn Johnston said via email.
Carleton recently released a number of public service announcements about alcohol and consent.
In addition, Carleton has a host of resources on and off-campus for students who need support or would like information, Johnston said.
Carleton has taken a different approach than the University of Montana, based on what its Sexual Assault Services Advisory Committee believes is the best way to reach out to students, Johnston said.
“Every institution makes decisions as to what they believe to be appropriate for their campus community,” Johnston said.
“We thought [the public service announcement project] was an excellent way to engage students in a discussion around sexual assault.”
However, Barrett said dialogue isn’t going to happen between people who aren’t directly involved.
These are all great first steps but it’s huge challenge to try to make people care about these issues if they aren’t already.
Training should be mandatory for all students, Wozniak said.
Universities need to be “open and aggressive” about driving these points home through mandatory tests and videos otherwise it will only reach the same group of people, she said.
Since launching the University of Montana’s tutorial, Wozniak said she had been contacted by campuses across the United States and in Australia.
Wozniak is the first to admit that the program isn’t perfect but she said she hopes to refine the language and continue to tailor it to suit the campus.
Similar to Carleton, the University of Montana has a variety of seminars, workshops, and speakers that address a rape-prone culture as well as support a healthy campus community, she said.
“I think it’s absolutely a step in the right direction but it’s not enough,” Barrett said.
In the tutorial’s closing video, the University of Montana president Royce Enstrom stressed that the quiz and video tutorial are only “one component” of prevention, risk reduction and education.
“This is about personal responsibility, justice, and access to accessibility,” he said.
