Sexual Assault On College Campuses Summary

Sexual assault on college campuses has been an increasing problem all across America. Journalist for Time Magazine, Eliza Gray, claims in her article, “The Sexual Assault Crisis on American Campuses”, that college is becoming a dangerous place for young women due to the rising crimes of sexual assault. Gray provides statistics to capture the reader’s attention, uses specific examples to trigger certain emotions among those who are reading, and brings in outside sources to give their opinion about what actions should be taken to rectify the problem. Gray’s use of logos, pathos, and ethos to inform the public about the epidemic of sexual assault contributes to her compelling and persuasive argument.

Gray begins to explain her claim by talking

about sexual assaults that occur on college campuses and how they are not reported to law enforcement as often as they should be. Gray uses a logical appeal to compare the number of female college students who were sexually assaulted to the number of students who actually reported their assault either to the university or law enforcement, “One of the most consistent truths is how few victims, especially college students, report these attacks. A recent study showed that only 12% of rapes of college women were reported to law enforcement…19% of U.S. undergraduate women are victims of sexual assault while in college” (Gray 18). She is determined to make her audience more aware of the facts and hopes by sharing this information victims will be not be afraid to speak out. By using this statistic, Gray shows the 7% gap between the reported crimes and crimes that were committed. Although Gray’s statistics inform and catch the attention of those reading, she does not provide anything to hold their interest. She indicates that more victims do not reach out and get the help they need, but she does not provide reasons as to why. If Gray were to include comments from victims explaining their reasons for keeping their troubles to themselves it would not only help readers understand the struggles victims now live with, but it would also strengthen her argument.
In addition to the underreported sexual assaults, Gray then talks about parties playing a major role in college campuses becoming a dangerous learning environment.

Gray uses a pathological appeal to show how parties and alcohol can lead to sexual assault, “Here’s what a young college woman is up against, ‘They were easy prey and they wouldn’t know anything about drinking…’ The man goes on to describe removing the woman’s clothes. She tries to push him off; he pushes her back down and uses his arm across her chest to pin her down while having intercourse” (qtd in Gray 19). She uses this conversation between a researcher from the University of Massachusetts and a research participant from the Frank video to shine light on the dark fact that male college students partake in plotting the rape of their female peers. The use of this specific example draws a picture in the minds of her readers and stimulates feelings towards the situation at hand. The first part of the quote is an analogy that connects predators of the wild and their prey to sexual offenders and their victims. This creates an image of any animal on the higher end of the food chain stalking their meal, waiting, and then pouncing when their kill is the most vulnerable. Gray uses the second part of the quote that contains phrases such as “his arm across her chest” and “pin her down” to emphasize how consent was not given and sex was forced upon the woman. She wants to arouse the feelings of disgust and dislike so

that readers can associate them with the schemers, but Gray also wants readers to feel pain and sympathy for the victims. When readers connect these feelings to what they have read it creates a personal investment to finding a solution to the problem of sexual assault.
Lastly, Eliza Gray ends her explanation by telling her audience that in order for female students to feel like their college campus is a safe place again, something has to be done to decrease sexual assaults.

Gary uses ethical appeals to provide different ideas and suggestions as solutions to this problem. According to Senator Kristen Gillibrand, NewYork, and Senator Claire McCaskill, Missouri, “surveys should be given to students and parents and the statute of limitations on Title IX complaints should be extended beyond six months. There should be federal grants for prevention efforts and a trained interviewer that meets with victims early on. There should also be tougher sanctions against perpetrators and greater cooperation between colleges and local law enforcement” (qtd in Gray 21). Gray shares the opinions from Gillibrand and McCaskill to let her audience know that this issue is bigger than they think and has reached the ears of those in the Senate. By using these two people who have been apart of committees for sexual assault in the military instead of deans from universities, it lets readers know that their intentions are based on helping more than just women in college, but all across America. If Gray were to use deans from universities their opinions about the problems happening on their campuses may be biased and they may not share all the information with the public. She wants people to see Gillibrand and McCaskill’s ideas as stepping stones to recreating the

safe learning environment that college campuses once were so that women can walk to class, their car, or back to their dorms without worrying about being harmed. Gray also hopes that people take in the ideas Gillibrand and McCaskill provided so that it may bring about thoughts of their own on how colleges can handle sexual assault.
Eliza Gray uses rhetorical strategies to enlighten the public about the increasing situation of sexual assaults on college campuses. While her use of pathos and ethos were compelling and persuades her audience to get involved in the cause, her use of logos weakened her argument. Overall she does convince people that this a serious problem and it needs to be taken care of.