Sexual Crime Audit: Bad Rap for Schools Involved?

            The results of the audit that is currently being done on UC-Berkley, UCLA, Chico State, and San Diego State will no doubt affect the future of these institutions. However, it is important to point out that the result of the audit itself is not the only thing that will impact these four schools from here on out. 
         
          This is an examination of the immediate affects the state's audit will have on the four campuses being investigated. Whether or not the schools being audited will benefit from the audit, and its result once it becomes public. 

           

What does the audit do to the reputation of the schools involved?

             If you are a student attending one of the schools being audited, how does it make you feel that your school is under investigation on their sexual crime procedures?
            
            Or better yet, if you were looking for a college institution to attend, would you pick a school currently being examined by the government for their sexual assault procedures?

Sexual harassment is a crime that is often overlooked, especially in a college. Statistics gathered by Robin Hattersly Gray for campussafetymagazine.com states that: Between 20% and 25% of women will experience a completed and/or attempted rape during their college career and more than half of raped college women tell no one of their victimization.

Being a student in one of the schools being audited, I have yet to talk to any of my fellow students who are familiar with the current investigation that is going on. Majority of the student population in Chico State knows nothing of the audit, because it is not a highly publicized topic, and even if it was, students tend to focus more of their attention on other issues. 

             It is important not to overlook the campuses involved however, because despite the audit lacking publicity, there has been effort on the part of the journalists attending Chico State to cover this topic. However, as I have mentioned, students who read the school paper, tend to overlook issues such as this. 

               But, when this story do become public, how will the results of the audit affect recruitment, and the current population of the schools involved? Will it make future students and their parents question as to why these four schools were chosen for the audit.

Why were these four schools chosen?

     Articles about the topic states that the schools currently being audited were chosen by the Auditor's Office from the Joint Legislative Audit Committee in August. 


             

The Joint Legislative Audit Committee unanimously approved the review, and requested the Auditor's Office to look into the universities' policies.




There are numerous factors why the audit itself was initiated. One reason stems from a federal complaint filed against UC Berkeley in May. Allegedly, the school mishandled a numerous investigations of sexual assault incidents that were reported to them. According to reports, the school violated federal law from the war they handled the incidents. 




Because UC Berkley is one of the schools currently being audited, it raises up a question as to how the other three schools were chosen for the audit.




It is unclear how San Diego and Chico State became part of the audit, but there are some components that one could look at, and be able to make an assumption as to why. 

  Both campuses are known for being party schools. Could these schools' reputations serve as a reason as to why they were picked for the audit?

The secrecy and anonymity of the auditors presents a unfavorable predicament for the campuses involved. What purpose does it serve the auditors to keep this information to the public? It seems like the deeper this investigation gets, more questions are being brought up. Like: "Isn't this audit suppose to help the schools and not hinder them?"