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Two area campuses dealing with recent sex assault cases

WBFO News photo by Eileen Buckley

Campuses across the region continue to step up awareness efforts to prevent sexual assaults. But as WBFO's Focus on Education reporter Eileen Buckley learns the problem still persists for some area colleges that provide on-campus living.

Less than two-weeks ago there as an alleged sexual assault on the campus of St. Bonaventure University. President Sr. Margaret Carney tells WBFO News the investigation was just initiated last week and she was waiting for a report. 

"It's never a good way to start your day when that memo comes in or the call comes, but we respond immediately. We do everything in our power to minimize the trauma  and get the truth of the matter adjudicated," stated Sr. Carney.

Just this past May there was another reported attack in a student apartment on St. Bona's campus. Sr. Carney spoke candidly and she believes there might need to be a bigger conversation about sexuality.

"Because we live in a society that has developed an extraordinarily permissive attitude about sexual activity among young people. We are so afraid of harming their emotional development by too many do's and don'ts that perhaps we are failing to give enough guidance about moral development, character development. I mean tremendous discipline to no to those incredible strong human drives and urges," stated Sr. Carney.
        
Paula Madrigal is an Assistant Director with SUNY Buffalo State's Prevention & Health Promotion. 

"We haven't talked about sex in general in a long time, and so, when we have students come in, now we are having this conversation and it feels uncomfortable," said Madrigal.

SUNY Buffalo State student was charged at the beginning of the semester for an alleged sex assault on a female student in a dorm room. 

"And there are a lot of people who are not education on this, so they are saying a lot of things that aren't true.  There's a lot of slut-shaming and victim blaming, and so if that is what people see and they don't have that support and they don't know where to go for that support, it must be hard for them to come forward," noted Madrigal. 

Some are now suggesting that education on the topic needs to start in high school or perhaps even earlier in  grade school.   

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