The California State University system needs more oversight and accountability for Title IX reports, according to a recently completed yearlong assessment from the Cozen O’Connor law firm. Since March 2022, the firm analyzed the 23 CSU campuses and assessed the implementation of Title IX and Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation (DHR) programs. On Monday they published […]
Tag: sexual assault
Posted inCrime
Former SLO resident arrested on felony counts of sexual abuse
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. A former San Luis Obispo resident is set to be charged with 22 felony counts of sexual abuse, according to a city news release sent on Wednesday. Pablo Reyna-Esparza, 78, was arrested at the Mexico-California border on May 8 […]
Posted inCrime
Fondling reported at Cal Poly parking structure
Content warning: This article mentions sexual assault. Safer is Cal Poly’s confidential resource for sexual assault and can be reached at 805-756-2282. San Luis Obispo’s Lumina Alliance 24/7 crisis line is available at 805-545-8888. More resources are listed at the end of this article. A female student reported being fondled in the Grand Avenue parking […]
Posted inPrevention Series
‘It’s coming out of the shadows’: Cal Poly has among the highest reports of sexual assault in the CSU system
The first of three articles in an investigative series on sexual assault at Cal Poly and the university’s response. To view the full series, go here. It was May 2011. Three rapes on or near campus had been reported in the span of just nine days. The university responded with condemnation, with President Jeffrey Armstrong […]
Posted inPrevention Series
Students call upon Cal Poly to update sexual assault prevention trainings
The second of three articles in an investigative series on sexual assault at Cal Poly and the university’s response. To view the full series, go here. Sociology junior Paige Ackerman has gone through three rounds of required yearly prevention modules at Cal Poly. She knows students mute these training or distract themselves while going through […]
Posted inPrevention Series
Students feel ‘powerless’ over Title IX system as not all reports investigated, data shows
The third of three articles in an investigative series on sexual assault at Cal Poly and the university’s response. To view the full series, go here. After physics junior Juliet Tate was assaulted, she spent multiple hours on a six page Title IX report. She detailed each instance and conversation, reliving them as she penned the […]
Posted inNews
‘Let’s play Tinder’: Cal Poly freshmen navigate Tinder for the first time
Anthropology and geography freshman Caroline Kelleher became single right before coming to college. Having just turned 18, she decided she wanted to see what Tinder could offer her. “I just thought it’d be kind of fun to try and see what I would encounter on there,” Kelleher said. Tinder gives students the opportunity to meet […]
Posted inNews
Two local business owners investigated for sexual assault
Editor’s Note: This article discusses specific experiences and themes regarding sexual assault. Survivors of such experiences can access confidential services through Cal Poly Safer’s website. The San Luis Obispo Police Department is investigating several sexual assault allegations made Thursday against Kin Coffee Bar co-owner Julian Contreras and Nate’s Barbershop owner Nathaniel Abate. Two women publicly shared […]
Posted inNews
CSU Chancellor Castro Under Fire Amid Mishandling of Sexual Assault Allegations
On Friday morning, USA Today reported that California State University Chancellor and former Fresno State president Joseph Castro is under fire for mishandling sexual harassment complaints. At the same time Castro was sworn in as the CSU Chancellor as the first-ever California native and Mexican-American, on Sept 21, 2020, Fresno State administrators were conducting an […]
Posted inThe Hill
Cal Poly isn’t doing enough to address sexual assault, students say in survey
Editor’s Note: This article discusses specific experiences and themes regarding sexual assault and sexual harassment. Survivors of such experiences can access virtual confidential services through Cal Poly Safer’s website. The sun had already set by the time Morgan Saltamachio was walking back from class to her Cerro Vista apartment, where she worked as a resident […]
Posted inFeatures
In wake of sexual assault incidents, students launch Instagram page to be a resource
Editor’s note: This story discusses themes of sexual violence. Hailee Westrick, Ellie Angold, Kylie Walker, Michelle Mueller, Shay Shin, Tiana Reber and Grace Reilly. These are the seven female Cal Poly students dedicated to providing support for sexual assault survivors on campus through the Instagram page Slo Survivors, which they created in early November in […]