Sexual assault among college students has increased at an alarming rate. Among undergraduate students, 23.1% of females and 5.4% of male’s experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation (RAINN). As a female college student, seeing a statistic like this is upsetting. It also makes me wonder about how the process of disciplining the assaulter works. In many colleges, cases like these are not handed directly over to law enforcement and are instead dealt with in each school’s own campus judicial system. There is an issue with this, the school is choosing to discipline the assaulter instead of law enforcement taking over and bringing the case to federal court. College sexual assault cases should be dealt with …show more content…
More and more cases of sexual assault are being handled through these courts as well. Unfortunately, because this is not a court of law the people accused face very light punishments for serious crimes like rape. The most a college judicial court can do is expel the guilty party, and sometimes even less; some students found guilty of sexual assault have even been let off with suspension. It was decided that universities must respond to incidents of sexual discrimination under Title IX, the courts ruled that colleges must oversee rectifying the incidents. Sexual assault falls under this umbrella term for sexual discrimination so colleges can handle cases that deal with this. But Title IX and our federal judicial system are very different. The federal judicial system aims to discipline the guilty party and Title IX is based more on fighting against discrimination on college campuses. Sexual assault is happening often on college campuses and it’s important for us to understand exactly what that entails. So, what is sexual assault? Sexual assault is a type of sexual violence. From forced and unwanted sexual activity to rape it is nonconsensual sexual activities against the victims will. Sexual assault is prevalent among people ages 18-24. Women in this age group who are in college are three times more likely to experience sexual violence than women of all ages …show more content…
Barbara Mantel’s article “Campus Sexual Assault: Do Colleges Handle Allegations Fairly?” discusses points on why colleges should deal with the cases instead of law enforcement. Her main argument for this is that reporting’s from sexual assault survivors would drop if they were forced to go to the police instead of their campus judicial system. She argues that campus judicial systems can offer support and understanding that the police cannot. She also claims that if colleges can’t act themselves, institutions would have no way to protect the campus community. While law enforcement officials take on the process of investigating the case, determining whether to prosecute the accused, and executing their case, then the campuses would be less safe if this were the only way to address a known threat to the community. She believes that having the police deal with sexual assaults on the campus it will take the police away from dealing with other issues that need attention. Sexual assault is a very significant offense and I believe it deserves the full attention of the campus police or a local police force and should not be dealt with
“Every 21 hours there is a rape on an American College Campus” (Sexual Violence on College Campuses). Sexual assault is something many have heard of and maybe know someone who was sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Sexual assault and sexual violence has been around for as long as our history books can tell us. With multiple cultural changes and new “fads”, as some may say, of college life; sexual assault has become a sort of recurring phenomenon of college lifestyles. This is not a positive thing and in no way should this be labeled as something good for college campuses. Sexual assault on college campuses should be prosecuted as rape can be falsely accused, non-consensual or under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, and is permanently
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.
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?
“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 an interview by Beckett Brennan with Katie Couric “95 percent of victims that were sexual assault on college campuses do not report the sexual assault” (The Case). Majority of sexual assaults that happen on a college campus, will never be reported. Colleges should have more of a responsibility when it comes to the sexual assaults on campuses. Colleges need to own up to the sexual assaults, and take responsibility for the sexual assaults. Colleges need to stop pushing sexual assaults away, and need to stand up and do something about the sexual assaults on college campuses. Although sexual assaults are an individuals responsible, colleges should also be responsible in the sexual assaults that happen on college campuses.
Rape is the most common violent crime on American college campuses. A numerous amount of issues dealing with sexual assaults has been caused by unsafe environments on college campuses. Over the past years there has been a
Sexual assault is a social issue that has been a pressing topic of conversation throughout communities in the United States. The rapid interest in sexual assault comes after a string of released content about the prominence and severity of sexual assault against women. The media has chosen increase public awareness on the fact that “one in 5 women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college” (). Media content on the topic includes the highly-rated documentary “The Hunting Ground” and a report and a call to action from the White House Council on Women and Girls. The public outcry is not only because of the staggering rate of sexual assault rather it is the lack of or mishandled reporting of sexual assaults in college. This paper
Despite federal laws issued to combat sexual violence, each year 4,000 college women report to school officials that they've been sexually assaulted. What happens after they file those reports has stirred debate on campuses across the country, leaving parents and students fearful that colleges may not be the ivory towers of security and integrity that appear on their recruitment pamphlets.
These numbers may be part of a larger problem. Statistics show that there seems to be an increase in cases of sexual harassment at colleges around the country. Date rape has become the most common violent crime on college campuses today. About one out of s...
There is a difference in campus sexual assaults from sexual assaults that are committed outside of the college campus. One of the main differences for victims who are involved in an on campus sexual assault is that they have access to two adjudicatory systems: the academic institution and criminal justice system. However, victims of outside sexual assaults can only seek compensation through the legal system such as a criminal complaint and/or civil action. (DeMatteo, August 2015) One may argue that when having access to both adjudicatory systems deliberates a great benefit to the victims who were involved in an on campus sexual assault. In a criminal trial for sexual assault, the prosecution must prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the highest burden of proof in the U.S. justice system. (DeMatteo, August 2015) By contrast, when dealing with administrative contexts showing proof is very lower in sexual assaults. Victims of sexual assaults have multiple benefits when their cases are controlled administratively rather than it being controlled by the criminal justice system. A major benefit is that a lower burden of proof in an administrative context makes it very easy for a victim to establish that a sexual assault took place. An additional benefit is that an administrative resolution may authorize the victim to obtain suitable accommodations and services from the academic institution, as well as counseling and academic support. Although victims of campus sexual assaults collect some benefits when such incidents are conducted by the academic institution, the suspected perpetrators of campus sexual assaults frequently receive less routine due process protection when sexual assault allegations are processed in administrative contexts. (DeMatteo, August 2015) While 304 of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 provides
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.
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.
Sexual assault has nothing to do with attraction, desire, or passion, but for the feeling of power and control over another individual, anger, and the want to hurt another (Kaminker, 1998). The rape epidemic sweeping the nation’s colleges needs to be examined more thoroughly. The colleges that deny acting upon accusations need to be scrutinized for their actions. Every sexual assault case needs to be examined with justice, care, and respect of the victims. Prosecution levels of the accused needs to be increased, to where no man/woman has the right to commit the crime, but can get away with it.
“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
“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