Campus News

Capilouto Appears on National Television Interview Discussing Campus Sexual Assault Issue

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 19, 2014) -- The University of Kentucky's efforts to combat sexual assaults on campus were characterized as a national "model" during a national television program Sunday featuring UK President President Eli Capilouto.

During an interview on ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos, Capilouto said UK began working diligently on the issue 10 years ago as it was among the first universities in the country to conduct a campus-wide climate survey.

http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/week-college-campuses-high-alert-sexual-assault-23769019

http://abcn.ws/1p3f8rM

The survey was followed up with significant investments in campus safety efforts and training programs. A follow-up survey was conducted in 2007 and UK recently has invested nearly $5 million in additional safety measures across the campus.

"It's a priority for us," Capilouto said during the segment Sunday morning. "First you have to recogize the problem" and then be willing to follow up with programs, constant assessment of their effectiveness and refinement.

The issue of sexual assaults on campus has garnered recent national attention in the wake of a White House Task Force on the issue.

UK's efforts have been cited as a national model, particularly its "Green Dot" program, which Capilouto mentioned Sunday, in The New York Times and on National Public Radio: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/29/us/tougher-battle-on-sex-assault-on-campus-urged.html?google_editors_picks=true&_r=0

 http://www.npr.org/2014/04/30/308275954/lawmakers-educators-target-sexual-assault-on-campus

Such intervention programs spread the responsibility for campus safety "to the entire community — our students, our faculty, our staff, police force, others that you have to partner with in the community to make a difference," Capilouto said. More than 5,000 students have been trained in the "Green Dot " program.