Thirteen percent of all college students will experience a form of power-based violence, which involves sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking, during their academic career, according to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN).
This means for millions of students, college is not just a place of learning, but a place of trauma.
More than 50% of sexual assaults on college campuses happen within the Red Zone period, the first four months of the fall semester, according to RAINN.
As of 2022, the Education Data Initiative reports 18.6 million students were enrolled in college nationwide. If 13% experience power-based violence, this means about 2.4 million students could have been affected that year. This is an alarming number.
There were a total of 12,119 reported rape and fondling offenses on college campuses nationwide, according to data collected by the U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security in 2022, and these are only the reported cases.
The true number is much higher, and it is often hard to find someone guilty of sexual assault, due to the hoops survivors must go through.
Tech is one of these universities affected by power-based violence, but how is Tech combating these statistics and aiding in student well-being when it comes to power-based violence on our campus and what resources are available?
“The personal safety and security of every student, faculty, staff member and guest is Tennessee Tech’s highest priority,” a Tech spokesperson of the university’s Division of Enrollment and Communications said. “We continue to be one of the safest university campuses in the state of Tennessee and are proactive in strengthening our standing as a safe and welcoming place for students to live, learn and find community.”
“The university also provides resources such as its emergency blue light telephone poles, text message-based TTU alerts, 24/7 University Police patrols and other supports to keep students safe and informed.”
From 2021-2023, Tech has experienced a total of 51 reported cases in categories of rape, fondling, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking, according to the Tennessee Technological University 2024 Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report.
These cases involve Tech students on-campus (including campus housing) and off-campus. Only four of those cases were off-campus. Again, these are just the reported cases.
In addition, Tech offers options such as the Title IX Office, ASPIRES, the Center for Counseling and Mental Health Wellness, the Women’s Center and student organizations.
The Tech ASPIRES website states, “ASPIRES addresses sexual assault on Tech’s campus by providing free forensic exams (commonly called ‘rape kits’) by specially trained registered [Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE)] nurses and comprehensive advocacy services from trained victim advocates.”
Since being established on campus, ASPIRES has served several student survivor cases of stalking, domestic violence, sexual assault, rape and other sexual crimes.
After the fight to keep it, and the fall of Project AWAKEN, an initiative that brought power-based violence prevention and education to Tech’s campus, Project ASPIRES was funded in 2020 but lost its grant in 2023.
On April 17, 2023, SGA passed the SGA Bill SB-S23-05, known as the Lead Advocate Act of 2023. According to the bill, “University Administration will create a staff position for the management of Victims of Crime Programs,” and, “Provide minimum funding necessary to continue Tech ASPIRES… for necessary supplies and staffing.”
The Peer Empowerment Program (PEP) created a petition on Change.org, on Nov. 6, 2023, gaining over 2,300 signatures, petitioning the university to continue to fund ASPIRES.
The university spokesperson stated, “Thanks to the generous support of President Oldham’s office, the university has continued to fund Tech ASPIRES, a program providing trauma-informed services for students, staff and faculty who may experience interpersonal violence.”
The university gives complete credit to President Phil Oldham for this accomplishment, after students had to fight to bring the program back. While ASPIRES still exists as the main sexual assault resource, it is not the same fully serviced and inviting program it used to be.
Previously, ASPIRES engaged with students through events and tablings, but after funding changes, it has been reduced to the hotline (931-372-6566) run by the volunteer SANE nurses who conduct the examination kits and currently lacks a lead advocate.
Dr. Ann Hellman, Tech SANE nurse and professor, commented on the ASPIRES previous funding, “We received $500,000 for the three-year duration of the grant which started in 2020.”
This would roughly equate to around $83,000 per semester for the three-year grant. This funded the program’s services including paying for a full-time lead advocate, student outreach and examination supplies.
Lee Wray, Tech President’s Office Chief of Staff, responded to funding issue questions with, “The additional funding the president provided to ASPIRES was $60,000 to complete the calendar year 2024.”
This is around $23,000 less than what they were previously working with. This additional funding was not enough to keep ASPIRES as fully serviced as before, but enough for the president to say the program is still available.
Regarding the current and future state of ASPIRES Hellman stated, “We are still awaiting additional information/decisions from the president.”
When questioned if the president had given money this semester, Spring 2025, to ASPIRES, Wray stated, “Not at this time. But it is under consideration. The president met with Dr. Hellman and Dr. Hurley in December and they submitted a financial proposal.”
It is unknown how long Oldham will continue to fund the program.
Tech’s Center for Counseling and Mental Health provides a safe space for survivors of power-based violence. Director Dr. Christina Mick said, “The Center for Counseling and Mental Health Wellness is a confidential space for sexual assault survivors. We provide counseling services and support to all students on campus.”
The Tech Women’s Center provides resources to get help. “Since we’re not counselors and we don’t have confidentiality, we would not want them to disclose what had happened to them unless they felt comfortable without us,” explained Director Dr. Helen Hunt.
“Our main role is referrals and resources. Also, we have an extensive library with books and information that’s for support for survivors.”
The Women’s Center offers events every Spring Semester educating students on rape culture and sexual violence: One Billion Rising and the Clothesline Project.
Regarding One Billion Rising, scheduled for Feb. 14, 2025, Hunt stated, “We want to intervene in the rape culture that creates and fosters an environment that makes violence happen.”
“Our event there is to help people understand the extent to which sexual violence happens and understand underlying attitudes and beliefs that make violence seem acceptable and a normalized part of our culture.”
The Clothesline Project, set for April 10, 2025, is a visual display of pinned-up T-shirts on which community members have written their stories.
“The main point of the Clothesline Project is to testify visually to the extent of interpersonal and sexual violence within our community and to give survivors an opportunity to add their story to that testimonial,” Hunt stated.
Several student organizations at Tech raise awareness about sexual assault, including PEP and Pi Sigma Alpha (PSA). PEP educates students on combating power-based violence, and PSA’s annual Take Back the Night event promotes awareness, prevention, and solidarity.
“PEP has worked over the course of several years to bring [power-based violence] awareness and support to Tech’s campus through various events and programs. Members work to educate the community and provide access to resources for anyone who finds themselves in need of assistance,” shared Madison Sendek, a PEP former president.
Cheyenne McAbee, PSA President, expressed, “Take Back the Night is a powerful event aimed at raising awareness and educating students about the realities of sexual assault on campus. It creates a supportive space for survivors to share their personal stories, helping to break the silence and stigma surrounding sexual violence.”
“Through this event, participants are given the opportunity to reflect on the large impact that sexual assault has on individuals and communities during the vigil that is held in honor of victims.” This year’s event is scheduled for the second week of April 2025.
There are also off-campus resources available to survivors including the Upper Cumberland Family Justice Center (UCFJC) and Genesis House, located inside the UCFJC.
The UCFJC provides services to anyone in the community, including Tech students, who have been a victim of sexual assault and domestic violence. Their 2023-2024 Annual Report states they served 1,607 individuals in the community from July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024.
“We offer the same services to Tech students that we would offer anyone else that came in our office. Mostly we write orders of protection that can be a protective order that is no contact,” UCFJC CCR Specialist Dasha Cross stated.
“If it’s granted, it’s in place for a full year and they [perpetrators] can’t come around you or contact you in any way even through third parties.”
According to the Sexual Assault Program Manager Tracie Hillabrand, they are awaiting grant funds to open a SANE Nurse Program and examination room, expected to start September 2025.
The on and off campus sexual assault statistics prove how serious an issue this is at Tech and the need for survivor resources.
Tech states they have adequate resources to provide sexual assault and harassment safety and support, yet the university has encountered eight confirmed rape cases in 2023 and students have been forced to fight multiple times to keep an advocacy program designed to support them.
