Sexual assault continues to be a pervasive issue on college campuses. According to the Association of American Universities, over one in four female undergraduates and over one in 20 male undergraduates experience rape or sexual assault.

Students who experience sexual assault face higher incidences of academic dissatisfaction and disengagement and increased dropout rates. A study of more than 300 female survivors of sexual assault found that only 35.8% graduated college on schedule and 72.8% reported mental health complications as a result of the sexual assault.

The Survivor Outreach and Support on Campus Act (SOS Campus Act) is an important step toward recognizing and supporting survivors on campus, but ultimately, it’s up to the college or university to make this a priority and build systems of care that provide students with the resources, services, and support they need to recover and thrive.

The Importance of Protecting Survivor Mental Health

Colleges have a fundamental duty to protect the health and well-being of sexual assault survivors on campus. Following a sexual assault, colleges and universities must offer ongoing support and ensure that survivors have easy access to equitable, quality medical and counseling services, as well as access to an advocate to offer support should they choose to file a report.

Sexual assault can be a traumatic experience that may have a significant impact on mental health. Survivors may suffer from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Other common concerns survivors experience may include difficulty trusting others, experiencing flashbacks or nightmares, and in some cases, experiencing suicidal thoughts.

While some institutions have made significant strides towards addressing sexual assault on campus, others are ill-equipped to provide comprehensive support, especially when it comes to overall health and well-being. This is due, in part, to the lack of resources available on campus. For instance, not all campus counseling centers have providers who specialize in working with sexual assault survivors, and many are navigating high wait times and are unable to provide real-time crisis response services. Many campuses are also understaffed and under-resourced.

Survivors of sexual assault and sexual violence need immediate and long-term support from trauma-informed providers who understand the complexity of their situation and the individual challenges they face. Building a comprehensive mental health solution on campus can include peer support groups, 24/7 crisis care, and evidence-based therapies like eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) and trauma-informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

What the SOS Campus Act Means for Higher Ed Institutions

Given the ongoing concern of sexual assault on college campuses, recent legislation has been proposed to increase resources and services for survivors. The SOS Campus Act, proposed by U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and co-sponsored by Senators Tammy Baldwin, Dianne Feinstein, and Mazie Hirono, and introduced to the Senate in September 2022, would provide funding for mental health services on college campuses and would ensure that survivors of sexual assault have access to critical services, including crisis counseling and ongoing counseling, medical treatment, and legal support. This bill would give colleges and universities more funding to create or improve their sexual assault survivor outreach and support programs.

If enacted, this bill would require colleges and universities to provide sexual assault survivors with information about their rights and available resources in an easy-to-understand way, and would not require the survivor to disclose any information about the assault. Campuses would have to appoint an independent advocate to work with survivors and connect them to essential resources. This would require higher ed institutions to have those resources available, enforcing the importance of expanding existing mental health offerings.

Protecting Survivor Mental Health with Comprehensive Solutions

The SOS Campus Act has the potential to be life-saving for survivors of sexual assault on campus. When students don’t receive the care they need when they need them, mental health issues can be exacerbated, which can disrupt academic performance, leading to missed classes, poor grades, and the inability to graduate on time, if at all.

Qualified and experienced health and mental health professionals must be readily available for sexual assault survivors, many of whom find themselves in crisis following the traumatic event.

The SOS Campus Act will help amplify the rights and needs of sexual assault survivors and drastically improve the state of sexual assault survivor mental health on college campuses, but it shouldn’t stop colleges and universities from taking action now. Students who experience sexual assault may need encouragement or support if they would like to report the assault and utilize available services.

We are strong supporters of the SOS Campus Act at Mantra Health and we aim to provide crisis care, as well as evidence-based therapy and psychiatry services to students who have experienced sexual assault.

Learn more about our work with higher ed institutions here.