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Impact of sexual assault on college campuses
Impact of sexual assault on college campuses
Impact of sexual assault on college campuses
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“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 …show more content…
Many schools don’t take sexual assault as a serious matter, but “Title IX obligates schools to take action on sexual assault” (Goldberg 14). Efforts need to be made to force schools to take sexual assault more seriously, and the “Dear Colleague” letter is a leading example that colleges must follow. The “Dear Colleague” letter was able to “scare colleges and universities about the possibility of losing federal funding if they didn’t do what the government wanted them to do” (Goldberg 14). The federal government should withhold funding often if colleges fail at fulfilling the Title IX requirements. There would be more protection for the victims as well as a greater possibility of justice being attained for the victim. The “Dear Colleague” letter made universities revise their sexual harassment guidelines as well as give students and staff resources to raise awareness and prevention of sexual assault. Schools must “end a so-called ‘hostile environment’; prevent its future occurrence; and restore victims’ lives” under Title IX (Lombardi 7). If punishment fails to meet these requirements, Title IX is potentially violated. Title IX gives no reference to educating the offender because it is a civil right that prohibits sexual discrimination and enforces schools to be proactive in ensuring an environment free of sexual discrimination. Under Title IX, expulsion seems appears to be a given since leaving a perpetrator on the college campus is a gateway to a hostile environment. Universities must investigate and address any instances of sexual misconduct, instead of waiting for potential victims to bring allegations forward. The federal government should regularly investigate college campuses if they are satisfying the Title IX requirements. If universities are failing to do so, then the schools’ reputations should take a hit
When university or police find out about the sexual assault, they immediately blame the victim or question what the victim was wearing, drinking, or doing. “Brownmiller identified four basic rape myths: (1) All women want to be raped; (2) a woman cannot be raped against her will; (3) a woman who is raped is asking for it; and (4) if a woman is going to be raped, she might as well enjoy it” (Helgeson, 2012, p. 432). In The Hunting Ground, the rape myth, which a woman who is raped is asking for it, is seen throughout the testimonies of the survivors. Clark, herself, was told by her dean that “rape is like a football game” and asked if “looking back, what would you have done differently?” (Ziering & Dick, 2015). These rape myths affect how many victims actually report and how seriously sexual assaults are taken within universities and the justice system. For example, some women, themselves, subscribe to rape myths because they see how current cases are handled. “Women who did not physically fight off the person who raped them and who subscribed to the rape myth that “it can’t be rape if a woman doesn’t fight back” were less likely to acknowledge that they had been raped” (Helgeson, 2012, p. 434). Universities need to teach first-year students about consent and how to
In what is sure to be a very solemn matter for all American students and their families across the country , in January 2013 , President Obama, the office of the Vice President and the White House Council on Women and Girls converged and issued a renewed call to action against rape and sexual assault report which analyzes the most recent reliable data about this issue and identifies who are the most in peril victims of this malefaction, investigates the costs of this violence both for victims and communities , and describes the replication very often inadequate of the US malefactor equity system.
Hess, Amanda. "To Prevent Rape on College Campuses, Focus on the Rapists, Not the Victims." Slate Magazine. Slate Magazine, 16 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. .
Sexual Assault on campus has become an epidemic, for many different reasons but one major factor that contributes is when a sexual assault occurs on a University and nothing is done. By allowing the perpetrator to get away with his or her crime your “Okaying” them and in a way giving approval which can lead
When it comes to sexual assault on college campuses there is also the question of what can colleges do to decrease the amount of sexual assaults. Bradford Richardson and Jon A Shields wondered the same thing, so they conducted an ...
“I felt his hands start to move down towards my shorts as if he was trying to unbutton them or pull them off. I was still crying at this point and felt so scared that I couldn’t move” (Henneberger, 2012). These are words written by a college freshman after she had been raped, but they are true for many others as well. According to the Rape Crisis Center of Medina and Summit Counties, “every two minutes someone in the US is sexually assaulted” (Get the Facts). “Girls ages 16-19 are four times more likely than the than the general population to be victims of sexual assault” (Get the Facts). These women may be described as slut, cheap, or ready for action, rather than victim, sufferer, or survivor. Rape myths encourage these demeaning terms for women and conceal the reality of rape culture. I will describe the pervasiveness of sexual assault on college campuses as well as the systems and procedures in place to address it. Power plays a role in this issue, including the powerful men on campus such as athletes and fraternity members as well as the administrators in power who regulate the punishments and actions that are taken against the perpetrators. The influence of those in power often goes overlooked in our society because it has become so intertwined with our culture.
According to U.S News the problem with “sexual assaults on campus is not something that is consigned to a region or type of school, but is a ubiquitous reality on campuses of all shapes and sizes across America. All schools are required to designate an employee as their Title IX coordinator to help oversee the schools compliance with the law” (Jarrett). Colleges are responsible for keeping the students on their campus safe. The college has a legal obligation to keep the students safe. The student is going to school there, and the college needs to be responsible for the sexual assaults that happen on college campuses. According to The White House Task Force to protect Students from Sexual Assault “urges schools to show how serious they are about sexual assaults, the task force recommends that schools examine the prevalence and incidence of sexual assaults on campus, and to assess student’s perceptions of a university’s response to sexual assault” (Share, Rachel, and Scott Coffina). Colleges have an obligation to prevent the sexual assaults that happen on their campuses. It is on the college to examine the sexual assaults that happen on their campus, but it is the college’s responsibility to do something about the sexual assaults. Colleges are responsible for protecting students on college campuses from sexual
With one in five college students experiencing sexual assault during their college career who wouldn’t be afraid? This remains especially true for young women between the ages of 18-24 (“The Realities of Sexual Assault”). While a woman’s freshman and sophomore year of college are when she is at a most risk for assault, it can happen at any time. According to Robin Gray in the article on sexual assault statistics, “between 20% and 25% of women will experience a completed and/or attempted rape during their college career,” (Gray). At Northwest Missouri State University for the 2016-2017 academic year there are 5,618 undergraduate students enrolled. With the ratio of male to female students being 44% to 56%, there are about 3,147 female students. In terms of the statistics estimated by Gray, 630-787 of the female student population at Northwest Missouri State will experience rape during their college career (“Northwest Missouri State University”). This is a disturbingly large figure. Women are not the only ones susceptible to these acts, but men are too. It is said about “10%” of all sexual assault cases involve male victims (“The Realities of Sexual Assault”). While this number is slightly lower for men it is often believed that male victims of sexual assault do not often report their crime due to the social stigma surrounding their assault. Men may feel
Every semester, a student attending a college campus will have at some point experience some inappropriate, unwanted attention. There is always someone at school who tends to make someone uncomfortable, be it through eye contact, persistent advances, or just uncalled for innuendos. Of course, we do our best to ignore it, or to just report the bothersome activity, but that can only do so much without someone finding a way around such things. Someone is always going the extra mile to get what he or she wants, even if it’s at the expense of the victim. We can’t turn a blind eye on our friends, our family, or our associates in these dark, sexual assault situation. Campus sexual assault is a problem with plenty of factors regarding it.
Laws have been created to help with sexual assault victims for example, Title IX however laws like these are not good enough to keep students protected; schools need additional policies put in place to help keep their students safe. In 1972 Title IX was passed which was a law that “requires gender equity for boys and girls in every educational program that receives federal funding” (History). The law has ten areas in which it protects students and their access to higher education, career education, education for pregnant and parenting students, employment, learning environment, math and science, sexual harassment, standardized testing and technology (History). When dealing with sexual harassment Title IX requires that schools immediately take action to eliminate sexual assault threats as soon as an incident is reported (studentaffaris). The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, or for short Clery Act is another law that is put in place to protect sexually assaulted victims. ...
Mott, Meg. "What about prevention? Higher ed must adopt stronger policies and practices to prevent sexual assault." University Business Mar. 2014: 56. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
Sexual assault and rape on college campuses is a serious public issue. Before applying to these accredited institutions most students do not look up the school 's past records of sexual assault and rape on their campus.College campuses have failed to keep students safe the system they use has failed to protect and obtain justice for those that have been victims of sexual assault. Society plays a huge part in how young adults view sexual assault. From young age girls are told “if he’s bothering you it 's because he likes you”, and boys aren 't held accountable for their actions because “boys will be boys”. At what time does it stop being a game. At what age is it not acceptable for boys to mistreat girls, when is the line drawn and, what is the punishment for when this line is crossed.
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.
Actress Mariska Hargitay plays Detective/Sergeant/Lieutenant Olivia Margaret Benson on the hit television show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, created by Dick Wolf. The Special Victims Unit is the name of a specialized department within the police force in which the detectives investigate mainly sex crimes, but in some instances victims of non-sex crimes who are in need of professional help. This may include the elderly, young children, and/or the disabled. The Special Victims Unit does not investigate any homicides, burglaries, or child pornography cases. The episodes of this show are often based on real life crimes that have been awarded big media attention. However, some are completely fictional.