The epidemic of rape on college campuses continues to get a lot of mainstream press coverage in the U.S. (e.g. Time’s May 26^th cover story The Sexual Assault Crisis on American Campuses). This is at least in part because of the recent attention given to the issue by the Obama administration and their current initiative The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. The White House is taking seriously the problem of sexual violence in schools and on campuses, setting up the task force in January of this year. In late April it offered its first set of recommendations and launched a dedicated website – Not Alone – to make enforcement data public and to provide resources for both schools and individuals. This coincides with the recently released U.S. Department of Education report which named 55 universities in the U.S. (including Harvard, Princeton, Emory and Tufts) currently under federal investigation for potential violation of Title IX due to their handling of sexual assault complaints. It is encouraging to see the White House in step with grassroots advocacy groups (formed by survivor-activists and allies) like Know Your IX and End Rape On Campus. Now, let’s see if university administrators can catch up.

The Chronicle Review, The Chronicle of Higher Education’s ideas & opinion magazine, has published an adapted excerpt of One Hour in Paris. It’s behind a paywall, but for subscribers, it’s available here.