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It’s 2018, yet we haven’t come close to achieving equality for both males and

females. Sexual assault on college campuses has recently spiked in numbers and has been

deemed an epidemic (Shapiro, 2018). Some sources disagree that alcohol allows for

sexual assault. Daniel Luzer and Scott Hampton argue that there are other factors that

contribute to someone committing sexual assault or rape that do not include alcohol.

However, alcohol does plays a major factor in sexual assault on college campuses due to

limited regulations on house parties, social media condoning exploitation and

objectifying of women, and universities not doing enough to prohibit these behaviors.

According to Merriam-Webster, “Sexual assault is the illegal sexual contact that usually

involves force upon a person without consent or is inflicted upon a person who is

incapable of giving consent (as because of age or physical or mental incapacity) or who

places the assailant (such as a doctor) in a position of trust or authority.” Although the

definition of sexual assault varies, part of the problem is just that: ignorance. People do

not know the true definition of sexual assault, leading to risky behaviors that may or may

not be crossing that blurry line of what is considered assault. The definition of binge

drinking is defined by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as: “[A]

pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08

grams percent or above. This typically happens when men consume 5 or more drinks or

women consume 4 or more drinks in about 2 hours.” Unfortunately, drinking at these

rates is typical for college students. Women are constantly being objectified in our

society. College students face many pressures and some of those stresses lead to risky

behavior. Much of this behavior is drinking excessive amount of alcohol and

participating in promiscuous conduct. However, sometimes these behaviors go too far.


Sexual assault and rape have been a part of human society since the beginning of

time. Only recently, sexual assault began occurring on college campuses. This is due to

universities creating co-ed dormitories and close living quarters in the 1950s (Luzer,

2016). Nowadays, students live in the same living areas no matter what gender. Going

home with someone after a night of partying and most likely binge drinking has become

normal and fairly easy. Rape has a higher chance of occurring in these type of scenarios.

When universities separated males and females and had strict rules on visiting hours

however, the likelihood of sexual assault occurring was close to impossible.

This first discussion of sexual assault was written by sociologist Eugene Kanin, in 1957.

He conducted a study analyzing the relationship between college men and women. He

found that men deliberately found ways to exploit and spread negative stigmas about

their fellow female students. The point of this being to make women easier targets for

sexual interactions, solely serving as a form of entertainment for male students.

Fortunately, the beginnings of activism for sexual assault awareness began with feminists

in 1967. Women began sharing their stories of rape and assault, and the numbers of

women were shocking. For so long, victims kept quiet of their rape due to fear of

judgment from society and the fact that no one really knew how common rape was. One

of the first rape crisis center’s originated in Oakland, California, called Bay Area Women

Against Rape (BAWAR). A place where women could receive support and heal. This

issue is directed towards women, specifically college-aged. However, sexual assault is a

worldwide issue that concerns all genders and all ages. Everyone needs to be educated on

this issue, especially men because they are the majority of perpetrators of rape and sexual

assault.

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