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Student essays on sexual assault on college campuses
Sexual assaults on college campuses
The problem of sexual assault on college campuses essay
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2) Problem Definition and Introduction: How should college campuses handle sexual assault? Despite renewed interest in the media on the topic of campus sexual assault, there is still a fundamental problem over the definition of rape and flawed procedures for handling campus rape. “There is a pervasive lack of understanding when it comes to the true nature of campus sexual assault. These are not dates gone bad or a good guy who had too much to drink. This is a crime largely perpetrated by repeat offenders, who instead of facing a prosecutor and a jail cell remain on campus after a short- term suspension, if punished at all.” (Gillibrand). This topic is important to me because it particularly effects my age group and my gender. For example, at …show more content…
Should universities be dealing with these issues internally, or should cases involving sexual assault be directed immediately to law enforcement? Or should rape be dealt a pre-emptive strike, establishing stronger sex education programs on college campuses? Rape is not something that should be taken lightly. The psychological, emotional, and physical damage that sexual assault can inflict on its victim is immense. It has seriously ramifications, such as pregnancy, STI, eating disorders, PTSD, self-harm, flashbacks,, depression, and substance abuse. Unfortunately, according to the 2008 National Crime Victimization Survey, more than 75% of woman who have reported rape were under 25 years old at the time of their assault. And that is only pertaining to the victims who have felt comfortable enough to report their abuse. Approximately, 68% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police, and 98% of rapists will not be incarcerated. Despite the fact that colleges and universities have institutions in place that “deal” with issues of sexual assault, they are letting them slip through the cracks, and it needs to be dealt with …show more content…
This study provided information on a number of findings. The study includes a theoretical model that was by developed by Abbey and her colleges that proposes gender differences in beliefs and experiences involving dating, sexuality, and alcohol consumption increase chances of misperception and can lead to sexual assault. The objectives of the group were approximately 1,200 women enrolled at Wayne State University, attending 94 classes. The participants were a melting pot - they were both ethnically and economically diverse. I chose this book because I believe it provides an excellent example of what a true research model should look like. I gained information about what kind of processes real sociologists use to survey victims of rape. I think that I gained a lot of knowledge from this source concerning both my topic and my research
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
90 percent of the victims of sexual assault are women and 10 percent are men, and nearly 99 percent of offenders in single-victim assaults are men (Bureau of Justice Statistics 2010). According to https://www.justice.gov/ovw/sexual-assault, Sexual assault is any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape. () Sexual Assault can happen to anyone, not just women it can happen to men and kids as well. Sexual Assault these days are a big trouble and it is not being addressed in good order, and it is
According to Kathleen Hirsch, the author of “Fraternities of Fear: Gang Rape, Male Bonding, and the Silencing of Women” 1 in every 4 women attending college will be the victim of sexual assault at some point during her academic career. Or in another study reported in the “The sexual Victimization of College Women” there are 35.3 incidents of sexual assault in a group of 1,000 women in a time span of 6.91 months (Statistics). Obviously sexual assault is a huge problem that should be taken very seriously. Some colleges have wonderful programs put in place that provides great services to help those students who have been have been sexually assaulted and programs that help education and prevent sexual assault.
Nicole Johnson*, a 22-year-old senior at an area university looks back at her college experience as graduation approaches, generally happy with how everything turned out, however, a dark cloud still looms over her freshman year when she was raped.
Sexual assault is defined as any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and In the United States 80% of sexual assault victims are under the age of 30. Of that 80%, 44% are under the age of 18 (RAINN, 2016). That leaves 36% of victims between the ages of 18 and 30. These percentages become even more alarming when that 80% is of about 293,000 victims of secual assualt each year (RAINN, 2016). It is estimated that 1 in every 6 women in the US has been or will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime. The risks of sexual assault increase on college campuses. Women ages 18-24 who are enrolled in college are 3 times more likely than women in general to suffer from sexual violence (RAINN, 2016). One would think that with all these women being sexually assaulted, one would hear more about it, or perhaps the police stations would constantly be busy. This is not the case. Sexual assault is one of the most unreported crimes, with 68% still being left unreported (RAINN, 2016). This could be because of every 100 rapists, only 2 will spend a day in jail. Of the 32 out of 100 that would be reported, only 7 are referred to an arrest (RAINN, 2016). Why would men or women want to report sexual assault when the system that is supposed to protect them fails so often, and why does this system continue to fail?
Most schools report that they have implemented programs and are actively participating in anti-rape activities around campus but are only doing so to meet the standards and make the school seem safer and more actively against the crime. In a study published in the National Institute of Justice it is reported that “anonymous reporting, which encourages victims to come forward, is an option at only half of the nation's school…and fewer than half the schools inform students on how to file criminal charges.” Schools advertise that they are educating their students about how to report the crimes and the importance of being aware of the dangers of rape but only meet the bare minimum with online programs that students can simply click through to pass. Schools are not effectively communicating that students really need to take these programs seriously and are instead allowing them to have negative attitudes towards the minimal education programs that they have set
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.
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
A survey from the Association of American Universities of 150,000 students found that more than one in four women experience sexual assault during their four years in college. Over the four year college period, 27.2% of female students are victims of unwanted sexual contact that ranges from touching to rape (6). Sexual assault is far too common and it is an epidemic that faces many students in college. Many students suffer from the consequences of sexual assault, which is a result of many social and cultural deficiencies, but it can be fixed through a multifaceted approach. The problem of sexual assault can be fixed through the education of the community, a positive and helpful school environment, and classes focused on prevention.
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.
Since “11.2% of all students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation (among all graduate and undergraduate students)” and college women are even more likely to be sexually assaulted than robbed, it’s clear that sexual violence has being a nightmare to the students in campuses. 2. DeGue, Sarah, et al. “Preventing Sexual Violence on College Campuses: Lessons from Research and Practice”. 2014. Print.
Alcohol is present at almost every college party; it is considered to be college culture, something every college is familiar with. However, at the same time whenever a sexual assault incident is reported alcohol is always involved no matter what the case. Looking at alcohol statistic wise 43% of the sexual victimization incidents involve alcohol consumption by victims and 69% involve alcohol consumption by the perpetrators. Alcohol is the main leading factor in sexual assault. “At least 50% of college student sexual assaults are associated with alcohol use.”
Ontario and British Columbia have passed provincial legislations requiring universities and colleges to create stand-alone sexual violence policies (Our Turn Action Plan Final English Most Compressed) Outside of school, students who have experienced sexual assault can contact the police. The Criminal Code of Canada says anyone who commits a sexual assault is guilty of an indictable offence. If proven, is accountable to prison up to ten years. If the victim is under the age of sixteen years, the offender is accountable to prison for up to 14 years and a minimum imprisonment of 12 months ("Canada Criminal Code"). In my humble opinion, this is not enough to address the issue, reason being, to a potential offender, the consequences aren’t clear of sexual assaults crime.
On college campuses, students are stepping forward to report several incidents of sexual assault. Rape is one of the more extreme acts of sexual assault due to its violent nature. “The immorality of rape derives from its being an extreme violation of a person’s body, of their right not to be humiliated, and of the general moral prohibition against using other persons against their will, not from the fact that it is a sexual act” (Vaughn 391). On several occasions, there have been reports that college athletes are raping students. According to psychologist Sarah Desmarais, in 2016, a study found that 54.3% of college athletes admitted to coercing their partners into having sex.
“The first, a progressive reform movement, abolished the unique procedural hurdles in rape prosecutions. That movement is now transforming the key elements of the crime: force and nonconsenting. The second reform movement, conservative in nature, increased criminal and civil punishments for rape.” It was said by “The Office for Civil Rights, Department of Education recently clarified that Title IX, which outlaws sex discrimination in education, requires colleges and universities to respond promptly and equitably to allegations of campus sexual assault.” Rape law 's over time suggests not only that we should pay more attention to sexual assault on campus everywhere, but also that we also oppose both unique procedural protections for those accused and mandatory punishments for those found