Haley Sousa

Tasche Bryant

Writing 104

October 2016
SexualAssaultonCollegeCampuses

Arecollegeshandlingsexualassaultontheircampusesappropriately?

You dont know me, but youve been inside of me. These are the powerful

words an anonymous victim has stated about a horrific incident that changed her life

forever. A little over a year ago at Stanford University some brave bystanders chased

and tackled a man after seeing him penetrating what appeared to be an unconscious

woman behind a dumpster outside a fraternity party. Later, it came to the public's

knowledge that this mans name is Brock Turner and he has brutally sexually assaulted

a young, intoxicated woman. After appearing in court, Turner was sentenced to six

months in jail. This turned out to be three months as he was let out early for good

behavior. Unfortunately, cases like Turners arent uncommon, the only difference is

Brock Turner actually did some time in jail while most abusers dont receive any

punishment whatsoever. If it wasnt for those two young men who stepped in when they

saw that something was not right, there is a great possibility that victim would have

been seriously injured, maybe even killed.

Sexual assault on college campuses is a national epidemic. This type of abuse is

described as any sexual act that is unwanted by somebody else. These acts include,

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but are not limited to, penetration with genitals and/or objects without consent, rape,

unwanted sexual acts, such as oral sex and touching of somebodys body without their

permission. This crime is all about power and control (Sexual Assault). It is important

to note a common misconception regarding rape and sexual assault. Rape is

historically defined as forced and unlawful sexual intercourse against the victim's will. It

needs to be stated that rape is a common type of sexual assault it is not the only kind

(Sexual Assault). Sexual assaults on college campuses is a reoccurring problem and it

seems as if colleges aren't doing much about it. These crimes happen on an day to day

basis and it is not getting the attention and awareness that it needs.

NationalProblem

Sexaul Assault is often an underlooked issue by colleges and universities. In fact,

it is estimated that 1 in 4 women will be assaulted during their time in college. Three out

of four of those women are either a freshman or sophomore (Booth). According to

Booth, freshmen are more likely to be victims of sexual assault because they are the

most vulnerable; they are new to the area and the campus which makes them easy

targets. An organization entitled RAINN, Rape Abuse and Incest National Network,

exercised a study comparing sexual assault to robberies.

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 Figure One

Figure one shows that out of all women, there are 5 robberies for every 4 sexual

assaults while for women in college there are 2 sexual assaults for every 1 robbery

(Campus Sexual Violence: Statistics). When put in this perspective, it is clear to see

how broad this problem actually is. Robberies are events that occur on a day to day

basis, so when it is compared to the number of sexual assaults, it is a real eye opener.

In college, women are getting assaulted more than the number of robberies that are

happening during that time period. Colleges and Universities have some rules and

regulations put into place, but is that enough?

After a sexual assault occurred, the burden is on the victim to do the almost

impossible and come forward about the attack. In fact, 95% of sexual assaults go

unreported because victims fear that they will be blamed (Booth). The common process

to report a sexual assault is extremely painful for the victim. Usually the time period is

6-8 months until the victims get the justice that they deserve, if they even get it

(Edwards). During these 6-8 months before trial, the perpetrator is roaming freely

around the campus. Edwards goes on to explain how the abuser could easily be in the

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victim's classes and he/she will know that they are pressing charges which increases

their danger level. If the victim decides to push through the trial, the consequences for

the abuser are usually minimal. Some of these punishments include expulsion and

writing an essay (Kamenetz). If expulsion is the result, Kamenetz explains that the

victimizer is free to roam wherever they like, possibly committing the crime again and

again. If the victim decides not to go through with the trial, which most do not because

of the difficultness of the process, the case just gets pushed under the rug. Having a

high number of sexual assaults occurring on a campus hurts the college's reputation.

Having none reported as opposed to having a high number is actually quite scary

because of the high frequency of this crime occurring. Brown University has one of the

highest recorded numbers of sexually based assaults on their campus, but despite

these figures, they arent looked down upon by most activists.

BrownUniversity

Brown University has the highest number of sexual assaults reported with

43. (Anderson). When most people read this statistic, they see it as a negative

concept. On the other hand, having a high number being reported is not

necessarily a poor ideology. Having a higher number could in fact mean that the

school is doing a favorable job of helping their students come forward and talk

about these terrible situations. So what exactly is Brown doing to help these

victims come forward?

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 Last year, a protest broke out at Brown University. Victims of sexual

assault wanted justice. They wanted to be heard. Brown took this into

consideration and made some serious changes. According to Jessica Katz,

Brown Universitys Title IX investigator, the first action Brown did was create a

Title IX office. Katz continued by saying how they educated students about who

was a confidential person to speak with about the traumatic experiences that

they endured and who was not, she addressed how they are transparent about

their information. Along with confidentiality, Katz explained how the Title IX

office made it clear who the victim's resources are and where they could be

found. Another topic that Katz spoke about was that the University builds trust

with their students, which is extremely important. Along with all of this, Katz gave

a play-by-play of what would happen if somebody walks into their office and

claims to have been sexually assaulted.

First, the victim would have to file a complaint through Title IX outlining the

policy which was violated. After a few days, the office sends the victim an email

confirming that the complaint was received. Now, it is time for the victim to

choose an advisor, which can be an attorney. After doing so, the Title IX

investigator, Jessica Katz, is contacted and she interviews the complainant who

is the victim, and the respondent who is the perpetrator, and witnesses, if any.

Following the interviews, Katz determines what is credible and writes up a report.

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Both parties have the option to comment and change it and after they changes

are made, the final report is written. Next, a panel is chosen to hear the case.

The panel is allowed to ask the victim and perpetrator questions, but they are not

in the room at the same time. The complainant and respondent both have a

statement and although they are not in the same room, each party has the right

to hear the other person's statement. After the statements are given, the panel

determines if the perpetrator is responsible. If they are found responsible some

consequences that the respondent could face include reprimanding, expulsion,

suspension and probation with or without mandatory treatment. During this

process both parties have the right to appeal at any time. Filing a complaint

through Title IX isnt the only option students have to deal with their sexual

assault.

Jessica Katz explains that Brown offers multiple programs to survivors. On

campus, the group called SHARE, Sexual Harassment and Assault Resources

and Education, strictly works with situations regarding sexual assault and sexual

harassment. This group helps victims recognize sexual assault and understand

the trauma that they went through. Students can also go to the Office of Student

Conduct where they can get a no contact order. There are also some student

support accommodations that include a change in classes/schedule, a personal

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escort and a move of dorm hall. Victims can get counseling and physiological

support there as well.

Though these programs has been put into place to help the victim, it can

also harm them. Think about it like this, Jessica Katz said that the process takes

a minimum of 60 days. 60 days of the victim reliving those moments of when

their lives were destroyed and stripped away from them. 60 days of having to

face the person who assaulted them. Going through through this could be

extremely detrimental to the victim. Brown University has recognized that this is a

problem and is finally putting their foot down to conquer it.

Solutions

Even though Brown has the highest number of sexual assaults reported

with 43, a survey called The Post Analysis which covers 1,300 schools, 500

schools reported 0 sexal assaults on their campus (Anderson). As discussed

earlier, 1 in 4 women are victims of sexual assault (Anderson), therefore the

colleges must be doing something wrong when it comes down to reporting the

numbers. Maybe its because students arent educated on the topic of sexual

assault. Francine Perry from the Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center as well as

Jessica Katz discussed some solutions to tackle the lack of action being drawn to

sexual assault on college campuses by the colleges.

One solution that Perry and Katz had the same views on is education.

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Education of what consent means is vital. Most abusers do not even see it as a

crime and openly admitted that they used force to have sex with a woman and

see nothing wrong with that (Kamenetz). Perry explains that consent is a lot

more than just black and white, its such a grey area She goes on to explain,

for instance, that just because a couple is married or they have performed a

sexual act before does not mean it is consensual. Perry explains how if their

partner did not say yes, then it is sexual assault. Educating students on how to

be effective bystanders is just as important as teaching students how to prevent

sexual assault from happening.

Jessica Katz touched on the importance of bystander intervention. She

discussed a program that they have on campus called SAPE, Sexual Assault

Peer Education. It is student run, but the student educators are trained. This

program brings in the bystander as she described, and encompasses

interactive presentations. It helps students identify rape culture and behaviors

that contribute to rape culture. They go through scenarios, such as a party, and

what a student should do if they see somebody is at high risk to get sexually

assaulted. More colleges should have programs that educate people how to be

an effective person in a situation watching the events unfold. Programs like these

help students understand that instead of standing by and being uncomfortable

speaking up, they should be uncomfortable about NOT speaking up (Booth).

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Educating students on the definition of consent and guiding them to be proactive

in intense situations is what colleges should to do tackle sexual assault on their

campuses.

Sexual Assault on college campuses is a national epidemic. It looks like

most colleges arent doing anything about it. Brown University finally stood up

and is currently in the process of doing something about this issue. They are

setting an example for what other schools should be doing, especially being an

ivy league. Education is a powerful tool and should be used to educate students

on what consent is and how to be an appropriate bystander. Sexual assault on

college campuses is a problem that will take a long time to solve but the ending

must start now.