Date of Award

5-2023

Document Type

Thesis campus only

Department

Sociology and Anthropology

First Advisor

Sarah Beth Kaufman

Second Advisor

Amy Stone

Abstract

Sexual assault is pervasive on college campuses. It is a result of the social ecosystem that allows it to happen and prevents it from being reported. For years, institutions have been dealing with this issue in processes modeled after the criminal legal system. The rates of sexual assault are not declining and survivors do not feel supported or satisfied, so there is a clear need for change. Restorative justice is an approach to conflict that centers the feelings and needs of the harmed party while seeking to rehabilitate and educate the offender. Restorative justice is a beneficial alternative to formal Title IX processes that have been proven to deter students from speaking up and cause further harm to those that choose to report. Through my interviews with staff and faculty at universities nationwide, I was provided a framework through which restorative justice could be implemented at Trinity University. Furthermore, I interviewed Trinity staff and students to better understand the issues our community is facing and how restorative justice could mitigate these problems. This work contributes to the literature that examines how universities undergo a change in relation to similar institutions. This research also adds to the existing literature on the precarious circumstances that maintain sexual assault culture on college campuses

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