Bloomsburg University

400 East 2nd Street

Bloomsburg, PA 17815

Date:
To:
From:
Subject:

October 18 2016
Tom Phillips
Director
Bloomsburg University Police
Danielle Backowski
Mass Communications Junior
Bloomsburg University
Sexual Assault on College Campuses

Purpose
The purpose of this proposal is to form a plan of action to lower the risk and amount of sexual
assaults at Bloomsburg University by using data from both our own internal affairs and those of
other college campuses in the United States.

Summary
On October 5, 2016, Tom Phillips, Director of the Bloomsburg University Police Department,
asked me to develop an action plan regarding sexual assault on campus. This action plan will
include data collected from Bloomsburg Universitys past sexual assault cases, as well as those
of other campuses across the country. It will also include statistics about campus sexual assault
and ways of preventing this from happening to our students.
Currently, Bloomsburg University has call boxes located across campus for anyone who feels
they are in a threatening situation. There are 38 emergency call boxes in total on both upper and
lower campus. There are also security cameras as well as street lamps throughout the quad and
other parts of campus. The campus also brings in guest speakers to talk about the danger of
sexual assault, and what bystanders can do to prevent this from happening to the people around
them.
I propose that we dedicate more of Freshman orientation to discussing campus sexual assault.
While there is already a portion of orientation dedicated to how to say no, I think we as a

Memo to Tom Phillips

October 18 2016

community could elaborate more on this. Perhaps we could have the OWLs give a speech about
sexual assault and open up a discussion for questions and comments with incoming Freshman in
a smaller group.
It would also be beneficial to have more speakers come to campus to talk about their stories, how
they overcome their experiences and what they wish had happened differently. Community
Assistants in the dorms should also have monthly meetings with their floors about campus safety,
safe practices and how safe the students are feeling on campus currently. This way the university
is able to make changes as the needs of the students change.
If this proposal is authorized, I will be submitting a progress report to Tom Phillips on November
9 with further research and more specific tactics to help solve this issue.
The final report will be finished on December first, and will include research and data on campus
sexual assault across the US as well as on Bloomsburgs campus, an action plan of how we can
better protect the students of Bloomsburg University and statistics of past incidents.

Introduction
On October 5, 2016, Tom Phillips, Director of the Bloomsburg University Police Department,
asked me to develop an action plan regarding sexual assault on campus.
Currently, Bloomsburg University has call boxes located across campus for anyone who feels
they are in a threatening situation. There are also security cameras as well as street lamps
throughout the quad and other parts of campus. Guest speakers come to campus to talk about the
danger of sexual assault, and what bystanders can do to prevent this from happening to the
people around them.
Since 2012, Bloomsburg University has had many cases of sexual assault. On campus, there have
been nine cases of rape, eight cases of forcible sexual assault (assault where the victim is
coherent and is clearly saying no) and two cases of fondling (Bloomsburg University Police
Report, page 6).
In the residence halls, there has been one case of rape, five cases of forcible sexual assault and
one case of fondling (according to nces.ed.gov). Keep in mind that this does not include cases
that went unreported.
After reading this data, Mr. Phillips asked that we gather more research and perform five steps to
help create this action plan:

Create and complete a Gantt chart of proposed tasks

Submit research proposal
Gather data and create data visualizations
Submit a progress report
Complete and hand in final report

Memo to Tom Phillips

October 18 2016

In the following sections, I have provided additional details about the proposed tasks and
schedule, as well as my credentials and references.

Proposed Tasks
Task 1: Create and complete a Gantt chart of proposed tasks
In this task, I will break the details of my research down to 12 specific parts, and show when
each part will be completed. These parts include gathering five sources of information, creating
my gantt chart, completing and submitting my research draft, making changes to the gantt chart,
gathering more sources, creating data visualizations, submitting my progress report and
completing and handing in my research report. This chart will be submitted to my supervisor,
and the necessary revisions will be made before including in the research proposal.
Task 2: Submit research proposal
A draft will be made of my research proposal, including a summary of the project, tasks needed
and a schedule among other need-to-know information. This draft will be submitted to my
supervisor and changes will be made before presenting to Tom Phillips.
Task 3: Gather data and create data visualizations
Gather data about subject and create a table or chart to visualize it.
Task 4: Submit progress report
Along with the data I have collected so far, I will be telling Tom Phillips about any struggles I
have had in creating this research report, as well as tasks that have been successful.
Task 5: Complete and hand in final report
After all of the previous tasks have been completed, I will create my final research report and
edit and revise extensively.

Schedule
Figure 1 is a schedule of the tasks I would complete for this project.

Memo to Tom Phillips

October 18 2016

Figure 1: Schedule of Projected Tasks

Experience
As a student of Bloomsburg University, I have had the ability to talk to many people on campus
and hear what their opinions are about their safety. I also have firsthand experience of what its
like to walk on campus both during the day and at night, and know what it feels like to get the
sick feeling in your stomach when something doesnt seem right. I have also taken many writing
classes and have the ability to collect and gather data and research.

Conclusion
In conclusion, this research report will include data visualizations of sexual assaults on
Bloomsburgs campus, as well as statistics and facts about sexual assault across the country. The
proposal is due on October 18, the progress report is due November 9 and the final research
report is due December 1.

References
A-Z, By Subject Index. "No Schools Added." College Navigator. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.
By Michael P. Rellahan, Mrellahan@21st-centurymedia.com, @ChescoCourtNews on Twitter.
"New Law the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act deals with Violence at Colleges
and Universities." New Law the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act deals with
Violence at Colleges and Universities. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.
"Campus Safety and Security." Campus Safety and Security. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.

Memo to Tom Phillips

October 18 2016

"Clery Act (Timely Warnings and Emergency Notifications)." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct.
2016.
"Non-Forcible Sex Offenses Legal Definition of Non-Forcible Sex Offenses." The Free
Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.
"Sample Calendar of Annual Events." High-Rise Security and Fire Life Safety (2009): 1-2. Web.
13 Oct. 2016.
"Sexual Assaults on Campus." Sexual Assaults on Campus. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.
"Statistics Show U.S. College Reports of Sex Offenses Are Rising."Washington Post. The
Washington Post, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.
"Study: 23% of Women Sexually Assaulted in College." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web.
13 Oct. 2016.

Name:
Research Proposal
Compsoing Tasks
Include only need-toknow information and
the style of technical
communication
Articulate an actual
problem facing a real
organization or company

Specific Actions
Write in plain
language; write
concisely but in ways
that provide necessary
information for
intended readers.
Describe the current
situation as you
undertand it. Describe
the current need or
opportunity facing
your organization or
company. Identify a
central research
question.

Your
Score

Total
Score
1

Memo to Tom Phillips

October 18 2016

Compose a replicable,
concrete action plan that
has well defined tasks.

Articulate what you

plan to do about the
need, opportunity, or
problem. The action
plan is managable
within the time frame
and robust enough to
provide work for you to
do.
Include a data-display of Include a revised
your schedule within the version of your Gantt
proposal.
Chart or Network
Design as a separate
section of your
proposal.
Identify resaerch and
Describe the data you
data collection processes hope to collect.
Identify what steps you
will take to gather the
data. Identify potental
scholarly and empirical
data sources.
Format of proposal
Structure the proposal
according to standard
according to the
conventions
typical genre
conventions:
introduction sets the
context and scope of
the proposal;
description of the
project; list of
qualifications and
experiences; and a
conclusion that
restates the main
ideas of the document.

10