Sexual Assault Task Force member voices: Education and action

Sexual misconduct on college campuses has been a nationwide topic of conversation in recent months. Soon after he took office, Penn State President Eric Barron charged a group of 17 students, faculty and staff with relevant expertise to address the issue at Penn State. The Task Force on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment — chaired by Vice President for Student Affairs Damon Sims — on Jan. 29 released a report containing 18 recommendations to establish a new and transformative University plan that positions Penn State to be a national leader on the issue.

In a video series, members of the task force talk about the challenges in researching the issue, learning about the student experience and developing new potential policies for the University community.

Peggy Lorah, director of the Center for Women Students, discusses the breadth of the report, which covers past, present and future University programming, as well as Penn State's commitment to end sexual misconduct and assaults on its campuses.

Similarly, Penn State Associate Athletic Director Charmelle Green wants the community as a whole to embrace and put into action the task force recommendations.

And Kim Ménard, a Penn State assistant professor of criminal justice and women’s studies, hopes that the report educates the community about sexual assault, especially in the area of victim blaming, and helps change the attitudes about sexual misconduct.