Editorial: University of Maryland should fund sexual assault services, not students

Sexual assault services are a necessary component to most colleges, but if you ask the University of Maryland, they’re a luxury.

Since the university’s Title IX office — which provides the services — in underfunded and sexual assault reports have increased within recent years, Catherine Carroll, the office’s director, requested more money to keep up with the tight demands. To grant her request, the university turned to its Student Government Association.

On Sept. 28, at the administration’s request, the SGA approved a $34 annual fee for all students starting next fall that will fund the university’s Title IX office.

This new fee will place the financial burden of sexual assault on the students rather than the university, prioritizing it as a vital service. This should not be so.

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education issued a “Dear Colleague” letter requiring universities to investigate all sexual assault charges and increase efforts on sexual violence or risk losing funding. Since then, most universities have ramped up their efforts to address sexual assaults including hiring more staff, expanding Title IX offices and implementing programs to help students.

The University of Maryland created the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct in 2014 — however, the lack of funding and increased workload has made things strenuous for its staff. Despite Carroll requesting $1 million in 2016, the OCRSM’s operating budget was only $725,000.

Due to the lack of resources and funding, it has resulted in prolonged investigations, and the office cannot keep up with the demands of the 38,000 students it serves.

As with most universities, the administration is responsible for ensuring their students are safe and secure on campus. Sexual assault and gender discrimination inhibits a student’s safety and education, and funding sexual assault services is essential to providing victims the support they need.

The university’s lack of properly funding such important services is doing a disservice to every sexual assault victim who wants to seek justice for their assault. By making it a mandatory fee, along with other student fees such as recreation, transportation and wellness, it diminishes the seriousness and significance these services provide.

Sexual assault is a crime and invasion of one’s humanity, and having a professional investigate it should not be a luxury.

At Pitt, sexual assault is a reality for more than one out of every five students, according to a 2015 campus climate survey from American Association of Universities. What if Pitt students had to pay an additional annual fee to have their cases addressed and investigated?

Although $34 may not seem like much, the significant portion of victims on campus should not have to pay for their justice. The university has an obligation to protect their students, and sexual assault is no exception.

The university should increase their funding for the Title IX office to fully meet the needs of its services. If they are serious about addressing campus assault, this would not be an issue at all.

Sexual assault should never be put in the same category as a student fee.