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Fraternities and rape on college campuses
Fraternities and rape on college campuses
Fraternities and rape on college campuses
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The Hunting Ground, a popular documentary publicized by Lady Gaga and former Vice President Joe Biden, highlighted the role collegiate fraternities play in creating a culture of sexual violence. In fact, Sigma Alpha Epsilon gained the notorious pseudonym of Sexual Assault Expected for the frequent acts of sexual assault associated with their fraternity (Scully). Although the documentary highlighted just one specific fraternity, it also discussed the pervasive culture of sexual violence in fraternities across the nation. Like all social organizations, fraternities possessed a culture designed to reinforce certain behaviors. The culture of collegiate fraternities encouraged sexual assault through peer pressure, substance abuse, and college administration …show more content…
Peer pressure caused many of the problems in the fraternities by creating an environment that encouraged and normalized sexual aggression. Fraternity brothers pressured other members to have sex, even going to the extent of aiding each other in “prepping for assault” (Starecheski). As they encouraged one another, the issue became not just an individual flaw, but a group failure. The collective behavior meant that the instant a potential victim entered the door, they were surrounded by multiple predators instead of just an individual. Many times, these men minimized their actions by failing to recognize their behavior as aggressive (Starecheski). In The Hunting Grounds, one male stated in an interview, “Just because they had sex and she said no, doesn’t make it rape.” Fraternity members later bragged to their friends about the assault, and as a result, they would receive praise (Starecheski). While not all brothers participated, none of them did anything to stop or prevent these occurrences. Between encouragement and passivity, normalization of sexual assault in fraternities emerged. Doctor John Foubert, a researcher at Oklahoma State University, said, "One of the things that matters most to boys and emerging adult men is the opinion of other men" (Starecheski). He continued to discuss that many of the men disagreed with their peers’ decisions, but the silence of others motivated them to remain silent as well (Starecheski). Sexual violence in fraternities continued because the people with knowledge of the incidences failed to react. Due to the lack of action, a culture grew and thrived without negative
poster typically has the white cowboy large, presented front and center, with the antagonists and co-stars all behind him. An iconic western, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, has a poster picturing the white cowboy alone. Clint Eastwood stands there tall, stoic, and singular. Typical of most other westerns, the white cowboy is the center of attention. Here, however, there are two non-white figures presented: Bart, the Black cowboy, and a large Native American chief. This movie poster has the same style as other westerns with the color and layout, but is unique in the fact that a black man is presented where a white man would normally be dominating. Once again, this makes a statement about racial improvements. Previously having a black man at
Also, the colleges that attempt to cover up the crime should be penalized by not our justice system but the media so the world can be better informed about the college they either go to or send their child to. First I summarized "Fraternities and Collegiate Rape Culture: Why Are Some Fraternities More Dangerous Places for Women?" written by A. Ayres Boswell and Joan Z. Space. The. Then I used information from my criminology class to better define violent crime. Lastly, I explained how rape on campus is not a cultural component.
The Hunting Ground, directed by is a documentary that reveals the country’s lack of involvement with sexual assault cases on college campuses. Domestic and sexual violence creates power and dominance over individuals by making them feel inferior. “Kirby Dick is an Academy Award-nominated and two-time Emmy Award-winning documentary film director. His most recent feature, The Invisible War, a groundbreaking investigation into the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military” (The Hunting Ground Film, 2015). Watching this film, it is clear that it demonstrates the anthropological concept of enforcing gender roles through sexuality and power.
"Statistics about Sexual Assault and College Campuses." Statistics about Sexual Assault. Sarah Lawrence College, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. .
In "Fraternities and Collegiate Rape Culture" Ayres Boswell and Joan Z. Spade analyze the social perspective of the gendered relations in male fraternities that add to the high rate of violence against women on many college campuses. They list a host of factors that distinguish higher-risk from lower-risk atmospheres discussing the rates of rape in colleges and state how "1 out of 4 college women say they were raped or experienced an attempted rape" (217). Additionally, "1 out of 12 college men say they forced a woman to have sexual intercourse against her will" (Boswell, Spade 217). In other words Boswell and Spade indicated that the rates were high when it came down to women getting raped in colleges by men who also attended those colleges. In addition, Boswell and Spade specify in how most people are aware of rape but know very little about rape culture (Boswell, Spade 217).
“Over half a million women are raped in this country every year, and only a fraction of them report it because they’re too ashamed. It’s a really screwed up world, but it’s not your fault, and what happened to you, it doesn’t make you the monster” is a quote from Mariska Hargitay. She is an American actress, director, and producer that refers to the lack of support for victims of sexual assault. College campuses should follow in Mariska Hargitays’ footsteps since she is a key role model for supporting survivors of sexual assault. The victim needs to be the top priority to avoid the trauma of their assault being compounded by the lack of support and disciplinary action. College campuses must ensure safety among the large numbers of victimized
According to the SACHA Sexual Assault Center, rape culture involves everyday phenomena that “make violence against women and sexual coercion seem so normal that people believe that rape is inevitable” (“What is rape culture,” n.d.). Common examples of rape culture include: telling women to always travel in groups at night, asking survivors what they were wearing or if they were drinking during the time of the assault, and ignoring or stigmatizing males who are sexually assaulted (Ray, 2013). On college campuses, rape culture can contribute to the underreporting of sexual assaults, as survivors may be ashamed or afraid of humiliation. Furthermore, the presence of rape myths perpetuates the overall rape culture by shaping public opinion towards blaming survivors and discounting the actions of offenders. Largely cited myths, such as women falsely reporting rape to protect their reputations or because they are angry with the accused perpetrator, are based on a kernel of truth that is unrepresentative of the realities surrounding these issues (Burnett et al., 2009). Rape culture is alive and well on college campuses, despite being a broader societal issue. While this socially ingrained behavior is difficult to reverse, universities are major institutions that must accept partial responsibility for the perpetuation of rape culture and consequently need to devise programs for change that circumvent this erroneous
Sexual assaults on college campuses has become a major phenomenon and increases on a daily throughout the United States. 1 out of 4 women on college campuses have been reported as victims in sexual assaults or attempted sexual assaults in a study by Koss, Gidyez, and Wisniewski. (Lee, Spring 2003) In majority reports of sexual assaults the victims knew their perpetrator personally and the sexual assault took place while on a date with the perpetrator. (Lee, Spring 2003) Their study also exposed that 1 in 12 college men were involved in sexual assaults but felt that their actions were not illegal. Alcohol and drug use are major components in which sexual assaults are created by. Alcohol and drug us amplified rapidly at the beginning of college
According to a statement addressing the sexual victimization of college women The Crime and Victimization in America states that, “ One out of four women will be sexually assaulted on a college campus.” This disturbing fact has not minimized throughout the years, instead it is continuing to worsen throughout college campuses. Sexual assault is not an act to be taken lightly. Society must stop pinpointing the individuals who commit these crimes one by one, but rather look at the problem as a whole and begin to understand the main cause of sexual assault and possible methods to reduce these acts of sexual coercion.
About one in four women are victims of sexual assault in college, but there are ways to prevent this problem. The consequences of sexual assault are harmful and long-lasting and affect not only the victims but also their families and communities. Solutions to this problem _______. But, as Richard Edwards, chancellor of Rutgers-New Brunswick college said, “Regardless of the number, it’s a major problem, affecting our students and people all across the country and it has to be taken seriously” (5). If people work together, the steps can be taken to stop sexual assault in colleges.
“One in five women who attend college will become the victim of a rape or an attempted rape by the time she graduates” (National Sexual Violence Resource Center). Although sexual assault and rape is a very known and rising issue on college campuses it is not treated with much relevancy. The poor system of consequences for sexual assault and rape is a controversy among many as the issue is treated with much leniency. There are thousands of women that are affected by this issue daily, over ninety percent of these cases are not reported. Just over ninety-five percent of the vast majority of students, who are sexually assaulted, remain silent according to a study funded by the research of the U.S. Justice Department. Those who come forward can encounter mystifying disciplinary proceedings, secretive school administrations, and off-the-record negotiations. The analysis reveals that students deemed “responsible” for alleged sexual assaults on college campuses can face little or no consequence for their acts. The victims of sexual assault never really recover or redeem themselves of the trauma they went through. For the victims, the trauma of the assault can be compounded by a lack of institutional
Colleges should be a safe environment for students, but instead there are cases of rape on college. The reporting rates are very low at colleges. An average of only 12% of student victims report the assault. One of 5 women have been assaulted by somebody they know. About 85-90% sexual assaults reported are done by someone known to the victims(National Institute of Justice, 2008). An average 28% of forced rapes took place at a college. Women blame themselves for being drunk and don’t report it (Steve Inskeep, 2010).
A girl who was a new pledge on a college campus was sexually assaulted by three fraternity boys. In these stories, you will always hear the offender blaming the victim which is usually never the case. The college campus looked the other way and did not do anything to help her just because they wanted to save the “image” people had of their school. Thank God this girl had a lawyer who went to Harvard Law School or else, the boys might have never been put away (RAINN: Victim Stories). Sexual violence is any type of forced or coerced sexual contact or behavior that happens without consent. It affects hundreds of thousands of Americans each year (RAINN: About Sexual Assault). RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, is a fulfilling
Ehrhart, Julie K. Campus Gang Rape: Party Games? Washington: Association of American Colleges Gordon, Margaret T. The Female Fear. New York: The Free Press (•1989)
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence is a Steven Spielberg science fiction drama film, which conveys the story of a younger generation robot, David, who yearns for his human mother’s love. David’s character stimulates the mind-body question. What is the connection between our “minds” and our bodies?