Students who speak to their resident advisors about sexual assault generally are not aware that RAs are among a group of university faculty that is required to report any claims of sexual assault to higher authority.
When students meet with their RA during the first week of classes each semester, it would be beneficial for the RAs to publicize the fact that students can come to them to seek advice on how to handle something.
However, if it is a sexual assault situation, they are required to report the information to the community director who will handle the case from that point on.
There is a disconnect between RAs who must report all sexual assault cases that come to them and students who think they are just expressing their emotions or getting advice from a friend or mentor.
Residents already have to meet with their RAs several times during the course of the semester for reasons ranging from mandatory roommate agreements to social gatherings.
This provides the perfect opportunity for residential advisors to cover any vague topics that students might not be aware of.
Additionally, these meetings also provide RAs with a way to provide information to the students on their hall about other resources they could use for advice such as campus health or counseling services.
By having pamphlets available describing the various resources that are at hand to deal with these situations, students could avoid situations that could potentially involve them in a process that they want no part of.
It is vital that students understand what resources are available to serve them, and the most efficient way for this to occur is for their RAs to spread this information to their residents.
