Sexual Assault Discourse on College Campuses
Last weekend’s fall equinox marked the official end of summer. As the leaves begin to ripen into a symphony of vivacious colors to signify the start of the fall season, so does the commencement of another school year. With more than 19 million people enrolled in colleges and universities around the country— some matriculating for the first time— there are undoubtedly tons of gleeful teens leaving home for the first time. Full of equal levels of excitement and fear, they venture into the world of higher education with aspirations of personal and social growth, making friends, and ultimately getting a degree that will land them that dream job. While students are in pursuit of these goals, one thing that isn’t expected is becoming a victim of sexual assault. The unfortunate reality for female students today is having a 25% chance of being victimized by this invasive crime at some point during college. For this reason, it’s very important to change the discussion surrounding sexual assault on campus.
Sexual assault is a broad-ranging form of sexual violence in which sexual activity occurs unwillingly or by force. This can include unwanted touching, forced sexual activity, and rape— which is a form of sexual assault that consists of non-consensual penetration. According to a recent study, a different person is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds in the United States. Though sexual violence is a major problem in this country, most incidents go unreported because the culture surrounding sexual assault exposes victims to being doubted, embarrassed, or harassed. One example of this that sticks out is the ridiculously large number of rape kits that are left untested in police evidence rooms around the nation (take a look at our recent blog post on rape kits for more information). With sexual assault victims feeling they have nowhere to turn, the people who inflict these crimes usually get away with them, and on college campuses, this unfortunately happens with alarming regularity.
When the academic world gets too rigorous, it’s nice to have an escape. For many college students, that escape comes in the form of partying, which can be a conduit to experimentation with drinking, drugs, and sex. As a roundabout way of being considered rites of passage into adulthood, these activities, for all intents and purposes, can be relatively harmless if done responsibly. On the other hand, they also have the potential of leading to problems such as blacking out, overdosing, or being vulnerable to sexual assault. In fact, the vast majority of sexual assaults on campus (62%) are facilitated by excessive use of drugs and alcohol. Of those sexual assaults that occur, it’s estimated that 95% go unreported. A major cause of this is most universities and colleges not having a clear process for reporting such incidences, and even when they are reported, the disciplinary process can be just as unclear or even non-existent. As schools tend to accentuate the more radiant aspects of campus life to appear pristine to current and perspective students, donors, and the general public, many reports of sexual violence get swept under the rug as if they never existed. When the very institutions that harbor such crimes deny their existence, how do we create awareness? The answer is to amplify the conversation of sexual assault on campuses.
Increasing the conversation involves many moving parts. It takes parents teaching their children how to respect other’s bodies, especially when it comes to knowing about consent; as well as teaching them how to protect themselves from sexual violence. It also takes universities and colleges establishing clear processes for reporting and taking disciplinary action in cases regarding sexual assault. Lastly, we need to keep encouraging open conversations about sexual assault in the media and on social media. Many of these solutions might seem obvious, but sometimes it takes a constant presence to get the point across. Besides, if the conversation contributes to helping survivors overcome the stigmas of rape culture and has the potential of preventing future sexual assaults, it will have been a successful conversation.
