Texas Tech publicly reported that there were five sexual assaults on its campus in 2012, but the actual number is much higher, according to a psychologist at the Student Counseling Center.
“I think a lot of sexual assaults aren’t reported because it’s a tough thing to, because of that whole process of reporting it and then people finding out,” Michael Iezzi, a counseling psychologist at the SCC, said.
“You have to tell your story several times, especially if you press charges.”
The Texas Tech University Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics report published through the Jeanne Clery Disclosure Act reported that there were five forcible sexual assaults that took place in 2012 on campus property or property controlled by the university or its students. In 2011 three forcible sexual assaults were reported and in 2010 five were reported. Thus in 2012, there were 1.5 reported rapes per 10,000 students.
The University of Texas at Austin reported 18 forcible sexual assaults in 2012, 16 in 2011, and 40 in 2010. That yields a rate of 3.4 reported rapes per 10,000 students in 2012.
Texas A&M reported seven forcible sex offenses in 2012, five in 2011, and six in 2010. In 2012, there were 1.4 reported rapes per 10,000 students.
One Texas Tech student, who asked to be identified as Cassie, never reported her rape to Texas Tech and therefore was never counted in the Clery Act Report for 2010 and 2011.
After being raped in high school and reaching out to her teachers and principal with no results, she went to Tech attempting to put it all behind her.
It wasn’t until she moved to campus her freshman year that she realized she and her alleged rapist were both living in Gates Hall — he on the fourth floor and she on third floor.
“Needless to say, I was terrified and angry but more so scared,” Cassie said.
“I should have asked to move or something, but I was in a learning community with my major. Why should I have to move? Why should I have to relocate out of fear?” Cassie asked.
“But then he came for me, repeatedly, throughout the fall semester.”
Cassie said she was raped in her dorm room, the stairwell of her residence hall, and at times forced into her rapist’s dorm room.
“He is a pretty big guy, very strong,” Cassie said.
She said she didn’t report her rapes to Tech because of her high school experience and her belief that Tech wouldn’t do anything about it.
The Student Counseling Center, located on the second floor of the Student Wellness Center, offers students counseling services. However, counselors are not obligated to report any incidents to the Texas Tech Police Department. Iezzi said this also leads to low figures of sexual assaults reported in the Clery Act Report.
“The main reason for that is we want to develop a relationship with them [students] and help them through the healing process and if we just report it they might not trust us,” Iezzi said.
Students who have experienced sexual assault while attending Texas Tech can also go to the Center for Campus Life and speak with Dean of Students Amy Murphy to receive assistance and accommodation from the university.
“If they’re interested in Texas Tech being aware and looking into institutional resources and processes, then I hope that they would honestly just identify either email or call myself or a staff member here in the Dean of Students office,” Murphy said.
“That’s the easiest thing to do but I can tell you that most students aren’t going to do that, right? Most students are probably going to disclose to a CA in the residence hall or even to maybe a faculty member when they’re asking for help in the class.”
Another Texas Tech student sexually assaulted while attending Texas Tech, who chose to remain anonymous, did report her assault to Texas Tech Police Department and was consequently included in the Clery Act Report figures. When reaching out to the Center for Campus Life, she said that the Center for Campus Life didn’t offer her enough follow up after she reported her assault to the university.
“I was just kind of left on my own, just left in my room just by myself. They don’t check up on you, they don’t see how you’re doing, they don’t check in with you. They don’t assign anyone to you to talk to which all would have been helpful,” she said.
While she did get excused absences from her classes through the Dean of Students office, she was looking for more even from the Student Counseling Center.
“I went to the Wellness Center and talked to the counselors there once and they had assigned me a student, a grad student, instead of someone who was an actual counselor,” she said. “It just wasn’t a very comfortable experience. I never went back.”
Students who arrive at the Student Counseling Center are assigned either a licensed psychologist, licensed counselor, doctoral intern, or a practicum student. All doctoral interns and practicum students are supervised by a licensed psychologist, according to Iezzi.
After her rape during Raider Welcome Week on the eve of her freshman year in 2012 after attending a fraternity party, where she alleges at least two other female students were assaulted that night, she said Texas Tech let her down.
“They put every single obstacle in my way to make it a situation I had to overcome everything. I had to climb mountains just to be able to continue on and it wasn’t just because I was raped it was because my school made it that way,” she said.
“It was because people had chosen to turn their cheek and not look at it for what it is. People have chosen to sweep it under the rug and they don’t want Texas Tech to be known for the school where girls get raped.”
When given the chance to respond, this is what Murphy, dean of students, had to say:
“I would ask them to come meet with me. Even if it’s already occurred, you know, if they’re willing to talk about the processes and what didn’t work for them and how they would suggest improving those for the future,” Murphy said. “I mean that’s going to be one of the most helpful things that can help us too, in moving forward and to make those processes work better for future victims.”
“Two, I would say that this is a continuous process for institutions to identify the ways that work best for this campus in terms of addressing sexual violence.”
About Claudia Tristán
For the record, the TTU Student Counseling Center (SCC) graduate students mentioned in the video ARE “actual counselors.” These are Psychologists in training within the Ph.D. program at TTU. Many of them already have Master’s degrees and several years of experience providing therapy services before working with Tech students at the SCC. They are well-qualified and provide excellent services to our campus community. I was deeply saddened to hear that the woman interviewed did not return to counseling because of this. A missed opportunity for sure. Students should also know that they can always request to work with another therapist if they are not satisfied with the assignment made…please don’t let something like that stop you from seeking counseling!
Editor’s note: The Student Counseling Center limits students to 12 individual counseling sessions per academic year. Students can also participate in group therapy sessions.
I do have to defend the counselling center on this one. She went once? That means she wasn’t assigned ANYONE. She went in for the initial interview with a live person so that they could determine which member of the counselling team who matched her availability seemed to be the best fit. They do often have the grad students do these because they are immediately available and it allowed a student to be assigned and seen much faster.
Both times I have decided to sign up for a counselor, I have had my preliminary interview conducted by a grad student, but was then sent to a full psychologist. They ask if you’re comfortable being seen by a grad student, just in case, to which you are always welcome to say ‘No’. If you do not feel comfortable with your assigned counselor, you are always allowed to request someone else.
I understand her stress in the situation, but frankly, she abandoned a resource that very much would have gone above and beyond in helping her through the process. I just wish to let anyone else who might be needed their services to realize they did not abandon her or push her off, she simply didn’t keep in contact with them long enough for them to do their job. One they take very seriously.
Glad to hear alcohol edu will be expanded to cover sexual assault… But what about it covering safe sex rather than just one issue?
At my orientation to tech all they said was not to be “that girl”… True victim blaming
At a risk management training for student organizations, led by SGA, the question was raised about how sexual assault is defined. The student trainer looked taken aback and fumbled for an answer, then fell back on, “Well, this is how the university defines it,” which really didn’t answer the question because the university definition, if that’s what you want to call it, is very vague at best. The student persisted with the question and the trainer said something about it coming down to consent, which also did not answer the question. If the university cannot define sexual assault, then how do the Center for Campus Life and the Dean of Students expect students to feel safe in reporting? This is a huge problem for all students, but especially for those who’ve been assaulted.
I liked Iezzi’s comments especially since he seems to be aware of the struggles survivors face. I do feel like the school should know what they need to do for survivors and not expect survivors to tell then what they should be doing differently. I do think it is important to get survivors feedback on the services they are receiving. I’m glad these discussions are taking place and I hope this is the beginning of some important changes!