For Assault Victims, Help Is Never Too Late

The University of Central Missouri has started a program to keep students who have been sexually assaulted from dropping out. Corey Bowman, associate vice provost for student services, last spring started tracking about 50 students who had experienced gender-based violence, either before enrolling or while they were at Central Missouri. The prevention program is on alert for students who may be struggling as a result of gender-based violence, whether in the classroom or in their efforts to get along with roommates, arrange child care, afford tuition, or handle other personal matters.

The program evolved from the university’s work with students who had visited the Title IX office with concerns about sex assault and harassment. “We meet with these students on a regular basis — we don’t wait for them to come to us,” says Mr. Bowman, who says 78 percent of students whom the prevention program worked with last spring came back this fall, compared with 71 percent for the general student population.

The program is a natural fit with the university’s wider student-success and risk-reduction efforts, says Mr. Bowman.

“We identified victims of gender violence as having heightened risk due to the complex and far-reaching impact of trauma,” he says. “We then hired a case manager and developed a trauma-informed process that would focus on not just recovery but long-term student success.”

“Students who have experienced gender-based violence,” Mr. Bowman says, “are more likely to be retained and graduate if they have ongoing access to a trusted primary contact at the university who can act as both a guide and a barrier buster.”

Robin Wilson writes about campus culture, including sexual assault and sexual harassment. Contact her at robin.wilson@chronicle.com.