Sexual Assault On Campus Essay

1384 Words3 Pages

TJ Rolfs
Mrs. Rasnic
AP Language
3/12/18

Reducing Sexual Assault on College Campuses

Did you know that throughout college campuses in America, one out of every five girls are sexually assaulted? Of these, about seventy to eighty percent of them do not report their assault (O’Connor). Colleges have frequently been accused of not addressing or taking these issues seriously when reported, which causes victims to not want to bother with reporting the assault, or feeling like they did something wrong. In order to reduce the amount of sexual assaults and rapes on college campuses across the nation, universities need to create and communicate policies outlining punishment for offenders, prove that they have zero tolerance for sexual assault by …show more content…

Most universities already have some rules and policies in place regarding sexual assault. Although these rules have good intentions, people have figured out that most of them come with very little punishment or action by the university, and they are not enforced equally among all students. The star of the football team or the student body president must be held equally accountable as the average student. As seen in the case against Jamis Winston, the quarterback of the Florida State University’s National Championship football team, even hard evidence proving he was guilty of sexual assault did not get him punished by the university at all (Reuters). This lack of action causes victims to not want to report assaults to avoid the hassle and humiliation with no guarantee that it will be taken seriously. For victims who do decide to take their allegations beyond the university to the court system, the result is not always better. As Lydia O’Connor said, “It is nearly impossible to find a guilty verdict in a sexual assault trial.” Out of every ten sexual assault cases reported, only between zero and twenty percent are actually taken to a court of law and prosecuted (Realities of Sexual Assault on Campus). Having the university enforce their punishments, such as expulsion, suspension, or even involvement from the criminal justice system, would help reduce the amount of sexual assaults that occur. Universities must have a “zero tolerance” policy in place for sexual assault, and prove they will handle every case in a fair manner to prove guilt or

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