Brandeis Students Against Sexual Violence released its second-ever report card on the administration’s progress on preventing and responding to sexual violence at the University on Monday. B.SASV found that while the University has made some incremental change toward combatting sexual violence, especially through work with the Department of Public Safety and the creation of a Rape Crisis Center, there has been little to no improvement in other important areas, such as the lack of “resources for survivors of sexual violence.”

This board applauds the independent student group’s advocacy on the issue of sexual violence. B.SASV is part of a growing trend in the University of students forming activist organizations independent of University regulation that hold the University accountable for progress on important social issues. For example, this year alone, students formed Ford Hall 2015 and the Brandeis Asian American Task Force to raise awareness about systemic racism on campus and the lack of an Asian American studies department, respectively. 

B.SASV’s report card provides a model for other student coalitions to follow as inspiration for raising awareness and calling for administrative accountability on specific topics at the University. Their report card provided a comprehensive, detailed outline of what they see as the current weaknesses at the University regarding sexual assault prevention in a way that is informative for members of the student body who may be unaware of the extent of the issue. Regular reports, like the one B.SASV just released, allows for the student body to track the University’s progress and see what further action needs taking. The report card’s specificity focuses the broad topic of sexual assault on campus into specific issues and changes. While not all of these changes are immediately actionable, B.SASV acknowledges this and can point to simpler, short term changes. For example, in an email to the Justice, Evelyn Milford ’16 clarified immediate concerns with the Rape Crisis Center sharing space with the Office of Prevention Services even as the group calls for a new RCC space that isn’t currently viable. 

We encourage B.SASV to continue raising awareness about the issue of sexual violence on campus through regular reports of this nature as well as public advocacy. However, it is not the role of students alone to improve the campus for the better. The administration has the power and influence to make change that is far larger than that which students alone can inspire. This board calls on the administration to work with student activist groups to enact policies and reforms that make the University a better space for all, using this report as a starting point for tackling a broad issue in specific, regular doses.