Rhetorical Analysis Of Campus Rape

In the article “Athletic club weekend turns into a nightmare for college freshman” by Carol smith and Lee Van Der Voo, Emily Lorenzen shares her story of being a rape victim. Emily shares her account because she wants to help to prevent rape from happening to anyone else. After interviewing Emily the authors shared a statement expressing that “Emily lorenzen believes that if people hear her story, they will be more comfortable confronting the issue of sexual assault on campus. She wants more conversation, so that men get a clearer definition of rape, face stiffer penalties if they ignore it and administrators learn to reach out to women like her and show compassion. She especially wants bystanders to step up and protect people who are vulnerable.” Rape victims need support to not feel guilty or ashamed, and that is exactly what Emily and her father desire. On this topic, Shipman an influential contributor of the Spokane sexual assault

‘Sexual Violence is more than just a crime against individuals. It threatens our families; it threatens our communities. Ultimately, it threatens the entire country’ (qtd. in Burleigh pg. 2). In the article, “Confronting Campus Rape” written by Nina Burleigh; a writer, journalist, and professor at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, describes what students are doing to force universities to take a stronger stand against campus sexual assault. Moreover Burleigh describes what the government is doing to make a difference on the issue. This includes laws that have created consequences for the assaulter and laws that protect the victim. According to Burleigh, a young woman called Laura Dunn was sexually assaulted on campus. Dunn was a student of UW. On April 4th, 2014, Dunn lost her virginity to two UW athletes. That night, Dunn was attending a party at the university. Dunn was enjoying the party and lost count of her alcohol intake. Dunn remembers being led out by two older teammates, who she knew. Dunn was very intoxicated, enough to stumble on her way back to what she thought would be another campus party, as one of the athletes helped her walk. The athletes led Dunn to one of their apartments where she found herself on a bed with both of them on top of her. Dunn was so intoxicated that she couldn’t help but to drift in and out of conscious leaving her unable to stop the two men. Dunn began to feel sick and was led to the bathroom by one of the athletes, where he penetrated her from behind while she was throwing up. That was a date Dunn would never forget. Dunn like many other women at the UW have been sexually abused by other students. Although Dun’s incident is shocking, it is not uncommon for women to be sexually assaulted on campus. A woman at the  university of Wisconsin is more prone to being sexually assaulted than any other woman in the country because of alcohol intoxication; this is a problem that must be resolved.

According to Nancy Chi Cantalupo, writer in the University Chicago Law Journal, “twenty to twenty-five percent of college women are victims of attempted or completed nonconsensual sex” (Burying Our Heads 207). In October 2014, an eighteen-year-old freshman at Old Dominion University was sexually assaulted. She reported her case to the ODU Police Department where she was treated as a suspect rather than a victim (Jane). The university police department denied this young woman of many things such as a medical examination right away, food, drinks and even did not allow her to use the bathroom (Jane). These factors caused her to suffer multiple injuries mentally, emotionally, and physically (Jane). Many cases of on campus sexual assault has come

Rolling Stone is a magazine that was first known for its coverage of music and politics now mainly focuses on pop culture and entertainment. In the November 2014 issue, “A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault and Struggle for Justice at UVA” story was published about an alleged rape on the University of Virginia campus. Rolling Stone released information about the alleged rape of a freshman and how the school mishandled the situation. The Rolling Stone wrote and published a story that was only told from the student’s point of view; the magazine never interviewed anyone else related to the case. “A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault and Struggle for Justice at UVA” story caused much controversy and many ethical issues came from the release of the

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.

In Thiel’s paper, she analyzes the article, “Campus sexual assault adjudication and resistance to reform” by Michelle J. Anderson. Thiel clearly gives the claim of the article—the act of rape is not taken serious enough. The article gives a great topic and a controversial issue in the society. And she also makes the problem more related to our lives by giving the sexual assault that happened in Baylor, which immediately takes my attention and interest to the paper. The essay has a great introduction that can attract readers and she gives a brief description for what will be discuss in the rest of the paper.

Campus sexual assault is a complex issue whose effects can be traumatizing not only for victims but for perpetrators as well. Based on the troubles faced by both parties the best approach to solve the issue is through fair and diverse jury hearings, as well as, bystander intervention programs like Green Dot. Such changes in college systems for hearings and prevention can insure a safer environment for students. If colleges do not take the proper steps toward solving campus assault, women will continue to be victimized while men will continue to run the risk of being falsely accused. Students like Rachel Sienkowski should not feel that their safety and education is compromised by a situation that can be prevented by colleges with more precaution.

Sexual assault is defined as any vaginal, oral, or anal penetration that is forced upon another, regardless of sex and sexual orientation, using any object or body part. The issue of sexual assault in America is primarily encouraged by rape culture. Women Against Violence Against Women is an organization that defines rape culture as a complex set of beliefs that encourage male sexual aggression and supports violence against women. The acceptance of rape culture, rape myths, and the disregard for sexual consent also allow for the perpetuation of sexual assault against women on college campuses. Recent examples of sexual assault on college campuses show how prominent this issue has become and how hostile campuses have become for female students. Some examples include the University of Southern California’s “Gullet Report,” Miami University of Ohio’s “Top Ten Ways to Get Away with Rape,” and a sexual assault on the campus of Kansas University. Sexual assault is perpetuated by the acceptance of rape myths and rape culture, lack of effective sexual education, and the disregard for consent. The solution to this issue lies with defeating rape culture, increasing awareness and funding for campus sexual assault crisis centers, and enacting more prevention programs on campus.

“Among undergraduate students, 23.1% of females and 5.4% of males experience rape or sexual assault” (RAINN). Rape is a threat virtually anywhere people go, but no place has a higher risk for sexual assault than college campuses. However, many of these occurrences go without penalties against the attacker, and even more are not reported at all. The lack of consequences for the accused indirectly suggests that rape and other forms of sexual assault are allowable and create further problems for the victims of the horrendous actions. Harsher punishments need to be given out for sexual assault on campus, as the current rulings are biased and immoral.

In America, sexual assault is increasing on campuses. Colleges and Universities are insanely lenient with the policies of sexual assault and misconduct. Undergraduates get the worse since they are new and don’t expect it to happen to them. Date rape drugs are being used more often than any other type of assault. Over half of victims don’t report the assault, because they don’t believe it’s critical enough. Others never get justice for the crimes the rapist commits. “A relatively small percentage of students believe it is very or extremely likely they will experience sexual assault or misconduct. A larger percentage of students believe that 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.

Colleges and universities often do not execute strict punishments when it comes to sexual assault on campus. The police, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, and juries do not always view date rape as a serious offense (Neumann). Until government officials consider rape a significant violation when compared to other major crimes, colleges and universities will not establish sterner punishments for rapists. Colleges and universities also tend to diminish their punishments for the “star” athletes at the school. One study concluded that while athletes constitute 3.3% of the college population, they perpetrate 19% of all sexual assaults on campus (Ajo). Although male athletes commit multiple sexual assault crimes on campus, they are punished leniently. Researchers contend that when sexual assault crimes are committed by athletes, society fails to label the act a crime and does not impose harsh sanctions (Ajo). In fact, many boosters come to the defense of the team they so love (Ajo). In order to discourage college students from committing sexual assault crimes, harsher punishments need to be set in place. If the consequences for students’ actions intensified, the number of sexual assault cases executed on college campuses would decrease. Rape needs to be considered a serious offense in order for victims of sexual assault cases to attain

When colleges and universities are constantly in competition with each other for students, there are certain issues that occur. Competition has turned into universities and colleges often mishandling sexual assault and rape cases. Campuses want to minimize the danger that they may pose which leads to sexual assault and rape crimes to often be veiled. With this veil in place, it counters the efforts of colleges and universities to address the issue of sexual assault and rape. In July 2016, a survey was released to 350 colleges and university presidents. The purpose of this survey was to showcase whether sexual assault and rape cases were handled correctly or mishandled. Over the last five years, “more than 40 percent of the schools had not conducted a sexual assault and/or rape investigation” (citation). It was revealed that

The main topic covered by this document is the fact that there are countless solutions to the increasing number of sexual assault crimes that colleges can and should use. Since many schools in the past have been hiding and disregarding reports of sexual assault, they do not have what they need to help victims. “To better address sexual assault at our nation’s schools, we need to both strengthen our enforcement efforts and increase coordination among responsible federal agencies” (The First Report of the White House). Considering this, schools will be provided with links and information about how they can enact their own bystander intervention programs on campus as part of a prevention program. Prevention programs are when men are empowered to step in when someone’s in trouble and teaching them how they can be part of the solution. Colleges need to have all of the parts of a plan in place, so they can act on the crime efficiently. Emergency services should also be available at all hours of the day, since sexual assault can happen at any time. Schools will also have trauma-informed training programs for school officials and campus law enforcement. This is due to the fact that trauma can leave the memories of victims fragmented, and insensitive and judgmental questions can cause victims to become more distressed. Some questions aren’t allowed to

John Stossel, a long time personality for Fox and ABC, believes that many of the stories put out by credible sources are in fact lies and made up statistics. Stossel has taken a side in the ever growing debate on sexual assault, “This idea of a rape culture was built on false statistics and twisted theories about toxic masculinity.” John Stossel is taking a firm stance in the belief that rape is not a big deal and people who claim they were raped are mostly lying about it to gain fame or attention. This is a sickening thought knowing how many people, their friends, and their families are affected by rape each year. People with the opposite mindset realize that rape is a real issue plaguing our schools around the United States and beyond. Even some of the most prestigious universities in the country have had problems with rape on campus. One of America’s top institutions, “MIT published survey results that showed 17% of female undergraduates experienced unwanted sexual behaviors while at MIT, involving use of force, physical threat or incapacitation” (Gray). That means that basically 1 in 5 undergraduate women at MIT have been non consensually touched or raped during their time in college. These types of behaviors are some of the most vile offenses one could commit