Rape Sexual Assault

It’s a statistic that has circled around the nation for years, one that imprints fear into the minds of young adults and rage into those that demand justice: 1 in 5 female college students will experience sexual assault in the duration of their college career (Clark), with only 20% of those rapes being reported to the police (Hefling). As a topic that is so highlighted in American society, there is a strict demand for an organized, thorough investigation that will result in justice served. Controversy regarding whether the colleges themselves or the criminal justice system should adjudicate the punishment for these vile crimes has arisen; some believe that as an actual crime, these assaults should be taken in a legal stance in order to serve justice at its fullest extent. Others believe that determining punishment through the court system is too nerve-wracking for the victims and that by allowing colleges to do so is the only way they can avoid feeling “skepticism” by the police, juries, or courts (Know Your IX). However, when juxtaposing the capabilities of the colleges and the court system when it comes to the adjudication process, it is evident that the courts are more competent in determining punishments for campus sexual assaults.

In his article, “Stopping Campus Rape,” Ross Douthat argues for changes in universities that would allow them to be more suitably trained to deal with these criminal cases. However, while he believes that this could improve the rate of assault, he is pessimistic of its consideration. He feels that because his suggestions are not popular with legislators and university administration, they are unlikely to be implemented. Douthat declares that most assaults happen because the public is afraid to, “upset the underlying legal and status quo,” because the people who have the power to make a change are afraid of possible losses. Despite these issues Douthat continues to argue that if this belief were broken, than sexual assault could improve.

“One in five women are sexually assaulted while in college” (Not Alone, 2014). In our class of twenty women that means that possibly five women have been sexually assaulted. Out of the five women that I stated could have been sexually assaulted they may have known the perpetrator and often will not report what has happened. According to the spring count of students completed by West Chester University, 9,211 of those students were females (“Headcount Enrollment”, 2014). If I go by the statistic mentioned earlier that one in five women is assaulted that would mean that 1,842 women have been sexually assaulted while enrolled at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Out of 1,842 possible assaults only four were reported last year. Two of which the victims knew prior to the assault. Rankin and Associates consulting conducted a Climate Assessment on West Chester University in September of 2010, a section of the results focused on sexual assault on students. According to the report seven people who reported a sexual assault to the university described their reactions to the universities response. Two students shared the way they felt the response was inappropriate or poor. One described that they felt the suspension for one semester was not an appropriate response to an admitted rape, that public safety lost the victims statement, judicial affairs painted the victim offender as innocent, and that the registrar protected the offender putting the victim in harm’s way and everyone

Sexual assault and rape are serious social and public health issues in the United States and throughout the rest of the world. In particular sexual assault on college campus are prevalent at an alarming rate and leaves serious effects on the victims. This essay will focus on statistics and the prevalence and effects amongst college students, through examining a number of reasons why women fail to report sexual assault and rape. This essay will also cover sexual assault prevention and things that can be done to mitigate the risk of becoming a victim to such matter.

Current data and statistics involving sexual assaults on college campuses are very sad and depressing. According to Monique DiCarlo, who used data from the Department of Justice, 1 in 5 women are likely to be sexually assaulted during their time on campus (M. DiCarlo, personal presentation, October 17). However, many of these assaults go unreported to authorities or the universities. Some of the reasons victims do not report are because victims do not believe the school will do anything or help, do not believe it to be important enough to report and fear of reprisal (M. DiCarlo, personal presentation, October 17). With major advancements in policy including Title IX, the Cleary Act, and defining what is consent, one could assume sexual assaults on campuses should be declining. However, sexual assaults are not declining and many departments such as athletics and international student offices have to deal with the problem. In this paper, I will discuss the current climate of sexual assault on campus, provide a brief overview of rights and protections of Title IX, discuss how the office of international student services could be impacted and how Title IX coordinators are handling the problem and what still needs to be done to help protect all students.

On college campuses across the nation, more sexual assaults have begun to surface, but only a few of these assaults get attention. Sexual assaults can be a very touchy subject meaning that a lot of people, friends and even college counselors or therapists advise the victims not to speak up about the incident. I believe that most of the time administration tries to protect the attacker rather than look out for the victim. Because of this, very few cases are actually investigated properly. Men typically use alcohol or drugs to coerce women into having sex, and some will simply just use force or threats against their victim. While men perform most acts of sexual assault, women are typically the ones who are blamed for whatever happens to them. This blame is generally put onto the women because of the way they dress or act, while the men face little to no repercussions for their actions. Sexual assaults on college campuses have become a huge epidemic across the nation, which is why preventative measures need to be taken to reduce the chances of sexual assault on our college campuses.

As Karjane, Fisher, and Cullen have noted, “Just under 3% of all college women become victims of rape (either completed or attempted) in a given 9 month academic year” (2). This translates into 35 crimes per 1000 women students on campus. With the numbers so high, prevention methods need to be taken. In their journal article, Brian Payne and Gina Respass, professors of criminal justice at Old Dominion University, proclaim that a way to help prevent and reduce sexual assaults on campuses is for everyone needs to get involved. This means that the student body, university professors, and staff need to work together to bring a more connected community and help reduce these assaults on their grounds (264). The Campus Sexual Assault Victims’ Bill

Many real rapists and sexual offenders go uncharged or poorly charged. According to Opposing Viewpoints, “Law enforcement is not a viable solution to campus rape because police do a terrible job of holding rapists accountable. According to a recent analysis of Department of Justice data, only 3 percent of all rapists—not just campus rapists—will ever spend a day in jail. Only 40 percent of all rapes are reported to police, and of those, only 10 percent will lead to a felony conviction with slightly fewer seeing the inside of a jail cell” (Caroline, and Baillee Brown). Rapists are not charged fairly because they don’t have a good way to charge them in court. The victims end up feeling helpless and vulnerable with their attacker walking

College students are often believed to be a subpopulation at elevated risk for sexual assault, and although sexual assault is experienced by both male and female students, women experience significantly higher rates of sexual assault compared to men. (Krebs, Lindquist., Warner, Fisher, & Martin, 2007) Research also suggests that women in college are at a greater risk to be victims of sexual assault in comparison to women of comparable age in the general population. (Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000) Due to the higher rates of victimization, most research focuses on the sexual assault experienced by women on college campuses, however, there is some data concerning the sexual assault of men. Although this paper focuses on the

Many college women claim their experiences after being sexually assaulted — often in date rape situations — illustrate a culture of indifference and denial that results in one in five young women being assaulted during their college years. Additionally, victims describe that unclear and conflicted internal disciplinary systems at their respective universities can compound their suffering. In short, sexual assault on college campuses reflects and reinforces gender inequality.

Every 21 hours there is a rape on an American college campus. Each year students enroll in college to follow their dreams. These individuals have different visions for their lives and they have goals to perceive. They begin school eager to learn and to enhance their lives into adulthood. Many of them try to also enjoy the college years and many just work hard to reach their goals. However, the choice they make sometimes still leads them to a possibility that can harm them for the rest of their lives. Sexual assault happens too many of these students and it does not matter what the situation or location the scar is still mark. Sexual assault is one of the main dilemmas happening today in college campuses that needs to be solve.

Sexual Violence defined by the United States Center for Disease Control as “penetrative and non- penetrative acts…[occurring] when a perpetrator commits sexual acts without a victim’s consent” is an issue finding itself highly concentrated on collegiate campuses nationwide (Basile et al. 1). Statistically speaking “one in five women, and a substantial number of men, [will experience] attempted or completed sexual assault during their college career”(OAESV 2). These numbers are utterly horrific, and reflect the decreased safety campuses nationwide are experiencing. Students enrolled in the higher education system are increasingly being put in danger of becoming victims, and victims live in constant fear and doubt of their safety on campus. While the perpetrators of these crimes are ultimately to blame for the danger they present, college and university tendencies in sexual assault prevention and response play a direct role in decreasing levels of campus safety nationwide. Though the higher education system has much room for improvement in many areas pertaining to sex crimes, specific issues such as the weak relationship between campus crisis centers and universities, increasing leniency in perpetrating student athletes, and the overabundance of response rather than prevention programs on campus are a few major patterns contributing to reduced campus safety. These dangerous patterns, common among many universities and colleges, foster campus environments aiding the

As college becomes a more popular and available option for many people in today’s society, problems around sexual assault are on the rise across the country. The millennial generation are going to schools dubbed as “party schools” in droves in hopes to get an education while also fine tuning their partying/ drinking skills. In the news there are many stories coming to light about date-rape drugs, parties gone wrong, or simply cases where the offender “didn’t know” that she actually meant no. The articles assigned with this topic sparked thoughts and opened my eyes to facts and statistics that I found particularly surprising.

According to a statement addressing the sexual victimization of college women The Crime and Victimization in America states that, “ One out of four women will be sexually assaulted on a college campus.” This disturbing fact has not minimized throughout the years, instead it is continuing to worsen throughout college campuses. Sexual assault is not an act to be taken lightly. Society must stop pinpointing the individuals who commit these crimes one by one, but rather look at the problem as a whole and begin to understand the main cause of sexual assault and possible methods to reduce these acts of sexual coercion.

An ongoing problem that has become normalized within college institutions is sexual assault/rape. Colleges are afraid to ruin their reputation with the ugly truth of high statistics of rape, frats and sororities lead to over drinking, and also people not taking a stand and remaining a bystander. Many colleges and students have proposed possible solutions in order to eliminate this injustice like creating groups that educate the importance of consent, protests, and the elimination of alcohol on campuses. Sexual assault is continuing to happen because of the lack of action from adults because they blame the victim instead of the perpetrator for what happened and they also ignore the fact that that person was sexually assaulted.