Campus Sexual Assault 1

Running Head: CAMPUS SEXUAL ASSAULT

The Stigma Against Reporting Campus Sexual Assault

Claire D. Galvin
Glen Allen High School

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Introduction
While many colleges and universities have training programs in order to prevent its
occurrence, sexual assault is still an issue that has run rampant in the United States for decades.
It affects both male and female students all across the country, however it is a clouded issue that
is surrounded by complications because of the dismal reporting and conviction rates. Many
people who report an incident of sexual assault undergo victim blaming, with people telling them
that the sexual assault occurred because of something they wore or somewhere they went. Even
if a sexual assault case is reported, very few rapists and assaulters actually face any sort of
consequence. These days, many survivors do not report what happened to them, which begs the
question of why the stigma against reporting sexual assault exists.
Sexual Assault Statistics
Sexual assault comprises of any type of sexual activity that the recipient does not want
or agree to, and usually includes touching or intercourse against a person's will (Fagen et al.,
2011). It includes, but is not limited to, rape, attempted rape, inappropriate touching, and
unwanted sexual conduct. One of the biggest misconceptions about sexual assault is that it is
only men who attack women, when in reality, it can happen to a person of any gender, by a
person of any gender. Sexual assault is an epidemic everywhere, however college women are at
a higher risk for rape and sexual assault than women who are in the general population or who
are around the same age (Armstrong et al., 2006). According to the National Sexual Violence
Resource Center, approximately one in every five female college students will be sexually
assaulted in one form or another by the time she graduates (2015).

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While rape and sexual assault can happen during any sort of situation in college, most
cases occur at parties. The US Department of Justice calls this type of sexual assault party
rape, which is defined as a distinct form of rapethat occurs at an off-campus house or on- or
off-campus fraternity and involvesplying a woman with alcohol or targeting an intoxicated
woman (Armstrong et al., 2006). Party rape is actually a form of another type of sexual assault
known as acquaintance rape. The name suggests its definitiona person is raped or assaulted by
someone that they know. While party rape is technically a form of acquaintance rape, it is not
uncommon for a victim to have never met his or her assailant.
Womenand sometimes menwho have consumed alcohol are seen as easy targets for
rapists because of the inhibitive effects alcohol has on perception and decision making. In fact,
at least 50%, and perhaps up to 75%, of college campus sexual assaults involve alcohol
consumption on the part of the victim, the perpetrator, or both (Armstrong et al., 2006).
According to Fagen et al., each year, 100,000 students report that they had sex while being too
intoxicated to know if they actually consented to it (2011). Although it can be seen as a gray
area, sex that occurs when at least one person is intoxicated is typically still considered rape.
Intoxication due to alcohol affects males and females in different ways. In men, alcohol
increases their focus on proximal feelings of sexual arousal rather than more distant issues, such
as the potential for later punishment. For women, alcohol increases their focus on
nonthreatening clues, making them more vulnerable to real threats (Fagen et al., 2011). These
differing effects of intoxication, coupled with the trust that is felt even among strangers at a
party, emphasize stereotypical gender roles. While this may not seem very notable, these gender
roles are actually a very prominent contributor to sexual assault, because men feel they must be
forceful and dominant, while women often act demure and passive (Fagen et al., 2011).

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These acts of dominance can lead to verbal coercion. This form of verbal pressure has been the
cause of unwanted sexual conduct faced by 10% of female undergrads (Gray, 2015).
On average, roughly 25% of men on college campuses are in a fraternity. Fraternity men,
though a small section of the college population, account for 46% of sexual assault perpetrators
(Wantland, 2005). Additionally, fewer than 5% of male college students commit anywhere
between 90-95% of rapes and sexual assault on campus (Off the Sidelines PAC, 2014). Though
typically the assailants, men are also the victims of sexual assault. In fact, according to the
National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in sixteen male students will be sexually
assaulted by the time he graduates. This number is roughly four and a half times the rate of male
sexual assault outside of college. Thirty-five percent of male survivors experience short- or
long-term impacts, like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (2015).
Reporting Sexual Assault
Although it is a very prevalent issue on college campuses, sexual assault cases are often
not reported to the local police or the college in which they occur. Even when victims report
what happened to them, their assailants often walk away scot-free, without punishment from
their school or the law. Part of the reason for this is due to the complex nature of rape cases.
Often, they end up as a he said, she said situation, where the court has to believe what one
person said over the other, because providing physical evidence of assault can be a difficult task.
Colleges seldom take action against assaulters because doing so would draw attention to the fact
that they had a problem with sexual assault on their campus.
In a study conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, eight schoolswhich remain
anonymous in the reportwere investigated for their sexual assault, rape, and sexual battery

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report rates. Even the school with the highest ratings had rates that were dismally low6% for
rape, 13% for sexual battery, and 20% for sexual assault. On average for the eight schools, rape
and sexual battery were reported about 5% of the time, and sexual assault was reported roughly
10% of the time (Krebs et al., 2016). Although only eight schools were surveyed, the Bureau of
Justice Statistics selected them to represent the sexual assault case trends of our country as
accurately as possible.
Throughout the United States, 41% of schools that were surveyed by Off the Sidelines
PAC have not conducted a single sexual assault complaint investigation in the past five years. Of
the colleges and universities that have performed investigations, only 13-30% of students found
responsible for assaults were permanently expelled from the school (2014).
People dont report their sexual assaults for a myriad of reasons. One of the biggest
influences on whether or not a victim will report assault is their relationship with the assailant.
When the assailant is a stranger, between 46-66% of assaults are reported. When the assailant is
a current or former intimate partner, only a quarter of sexual assaults are reported. Even fewer
assaults are reported when the assailant is a frienda measly 18%. When the assaulter is
someone the victims know, they often dont report because they dont want their friend or loved
one to get in trouble. Sometimes, people choose to not report what happened to them because
they are embarrassed about what others, especially friends and family, will think. Others lack
faith that the police could or would do anything to help them, especially when they believe there
would not be enough evidence to convict. Some survivors choose not to report because they
dont think the crime was serious enough. Overall, only 9 percent of rapists ever get
prosecuted. Only 5% of rape and sexual assault cases ever end in a felony conviction. A

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miniscule 3% of rapists will ever spend a day in prison (Maryland Coalition Against Sexual
Assault, 2012).
Possible Solutions
One of the most obvious solutions to the college sexual assault epidemic would be to
increase awareness of the assault that occurs on campuses nationwide. Doing so would make
victims realize that what happened to them is serious, and is something that assailants need to
face consequences for. More reports would increase the number of convictions, which could in
turn increase the validity of actually reporting sexual assault.
Another way to increase the number of cases reported would be to stop believing that
survivors who tell their stories are lying. Often, the victims are doubted, for reasons such as a
lack of physical evidence or because of race, socioeconomic status, or profession. According to
the United States Justice Department, only 2% of rape and sexual assault accusations are false
(Turvey, 2009). Debunking the myth that the victim must be lying would be a large step in the
effort to encourage survivors to report their assaults.
Decreasing the amount of victim blaming that occurs would do wonders to increase the
number of victims who come forward about what happened to them. Many times, victims,
women especially, are looked down upon for what they were wearing at the time of the attack or
whether or not they were intoxicated. Many people believe that if a woman hadnt been wearing
a short dress or hadnt been drunk than she would have been fine. Rape and sexual assault,
however, can happen under any circumstance, and it is not the fault of the victim. Rapists are
responsible for rape, not the survivors. If victims are treated fairly and are not judged because of
what happened to them, they would most likely feel much more comfortable filing a report.

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Conclusion
Rape and sexual assault has continued to be a very prevalent issue on college campuses
throughout the country. Despite the large amount of people who are affected by the crime, most
cases do not get reported. According to the literature, the taboo of reporting sexual assault
results from embarrassment, fear, and lack of action by the colleges and police. This stigma can
be reversed by increasing awareness, bettering resources, and having harsher punishments.
Reference List
Armstrong, E. A., Hamilton, L., and Sweeney, B. (2006, Nov). Sexual Assault on Campus: A
Multilevel, Integrative Approach to Party Rape. Social Problems, vol. 53(4). Retrieved
from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/sp.2006.53.4.483
Fagen, J., McCormick, L. J., Kontos, A., Venable, R. H., and Anderson, P. B. (2011). The
Influence of Gender and Race on Sexual Assault among High Risk Drinkers. Race,
Gender, & Class, vol. 18(1/2). Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23884876
Gray, E. (2015, June 25). University Survey Highlights Role of Verbal Coercion in Sexual
Assault. TIME. Retrieved from http://time.com/3936005/university-michigan-sexualmisconduct-survey/
Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault. (2012). Sexual Violence Fact Sheets. Retrievec
from http://www.mcasa.org/sexual-assault-fact-sheets/
National Sexual Violence and Resource Center. (2015). Statistics About Sexual Violence.
Retrieved from http://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/publications_nsvrc_
factsheet_media-packet_statistics-about-sexual-violence_0.pdf

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Off the Sidelines PAC. (2014). Issue: Campus Sexual Assault. Retrieved from
http://offthesidelines.org/issue/campus-sexual-assault/
Turvey, B. E. (2003, Aug 8). Forensic Victimology: Examining Violent Crime Victims in
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Wantland, R. (2005). Feminist Frat Boys?: Fraternity Men in the (Womens Studies) House.
NWSA Journal, vol. 17(2). Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4317134