When students are applying for college, they aren't looking at the bad things that can happen to them, like sexual assault. They are looking at the fun in it. The friends they are about to make, the parties they will go to, the excess amount of drinking they are going to do, and the freedom to go out whenever they want too. While this is true, when alcohol or drugs becomes a part of the equation, the safety and security of the student on college campuses is compromised. Therefore, things that one thought would never happen to them or someone around them as happened. Sexual assault is a major issue and needs to be taken more seriously on college campuses around the nation. Not just by the students on campus, but also the professors, and administrators as a whole. The Rape treatment Center defines sexual assault as, "having sex with someone who is unable to consent because he or she is intoxicated, drugged, or unconscious." Due to some colleges not taking enough time to inform students on the likelihood of sexual assault actually happening to them or the people around them, they are not fully aware of it or how to even try to prevent it. With the research that is provided, it suggests that sexual assault does tend to happen more during or after a party, when the attacker, the victim, or both of them are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

In all 50 states the drinking age is 21. But according to The Washington Post, college freshmen's will start drinking excessively during there first year, when they are only 18-19 years of age. The Mental Health Daily blogs states that your brain isn't fully developed until you are 25 years of age. Therefore, if a student goes to college right after high school for four years they will graduate at 21-23 depending on how old they were when they graduated high school. Thus, there brain is not fully developed, and this is when you get drunk faster than expected and you are left impaired, and most likely underage, and a victim to an attacker. Drinking, and drugs while the brain is still developing can possibly hinder the process, therefore, causing you to make rash decisions without thinking, or questioning what you are doing until you've done it. 

College is meant to be fun, and an experience of a lifetime that you can never get back; all while learning how to manage time, and do everything you want to do. No one should be scared to attend college for the free of drinking too much and being a target of a sexual assault. Three students form The Washington Post describes college as "a generously spiked four years" due to all the partying that you are most likely going to partake in. Even though college should be more about the future, and preparing yourself for your career path you want to take, some just don't see it that way. It is an easy way to get away from mom and dad, and be on your own to do as and what you please. Keener Tippin from Kansas State University writes, "This freedom can lead to an unrestrained drug and alcohol use, which the leads to sexually irresponsible acts, and then to rape."

Amanda Gilmore, the author of "A randomized control trail targeting alcohol use and sexual assault risk among college women at high risk for victimization" doesn't look at all the fun things college has to offer, it is the article that makes your realize that everything isn't fun, and that there are bad things out there that can happen to anyone at any moment in time. She informs that 40% of college students will engage in heavy drinking, and that approximately 20% of women will experience sexual assault while in college. Within the United States, about 20.2 million students were expected to attend American colleges, and universities this year. That's approximately 8.08 million students who engage in heavy drinking, and approximately 4.04 million students who will be assaulted this year alone. Of those sexual assaults, about 50-70% are done when alcohol is involved by either individual. 

Even though alcohol is one of the most leading causes of sexual assault among college campuses because of it clouding your judgment, Butler University states four facts about alcohol and sexual assault. The four that they state are: Alcohol and sexual assault often happen together, alcohol use does not cause sexual violence, alcohol acts as a permission slip, and sexual assault occurs despite alcohol use, not because of it. While these are true, one cannot simply control him or her self when under the influence of too much alcohol where they are too impaired. Therefore, alcohol should definitely not be an excuse or a pass for anything that happened when drinking, whether it is harmful or not. But, it shouldn't be looked at as something that cannot cause the attacker to seek out a sexual assault, especially if the individual drinking is past the limit of being able to make coherent thoughts for them. Alcohol might not be able to cause sexual assault but it can help take that first step to planning the attack, or that last step to completing the attack. 

During college, freshmen's are more likely to be the targeted. Not just for sexual assault, but also for pranks, and for being the freshmen, of course. This is because they are new to campus, blindsided by what is going on around them, and ready to let free, and see the world with new eyes. Going into college, some freshmen's make sure they are aware of the troubles around them, while some don't. Jeff Nesbit of US News goes into depth with the statics but letting his readers know that it is statistically proven that 15% of women during there freshmen year in college are raped while they are incapacitated. Not everyone is going to apply to colleges knowing this information awaits them. When students are assaulted during their freshmen year, they have a higher chance of being a target for sexual assault again throughout there remaining four years on campus. This is hard to believe since rapes on college campuses are not always being reported. If they are reported than it is not as often as they are said to happen. It has been proven that rape of a female under the influence of any alcohol, or any drug is more common on college campuses than rape that is physically forced upon the victim outside of campus.

When analyzing sexual assaults, most aren't aware that it is more common for a college student to be raped by someone they personally know, than by a stranger. Unlike friends or family, strangers use weapons and have to use excessive force more often to hold their victim still or keep them quiet. This then causes their victims to seek help thus reporting the rape. Whether that be to the police or someone personal. The rapes that are done by someone the victim knows are generally not reported to authority because they could feel as if the attacker is going to say that they were attacked by the victim, and there is the possibility of the victim having everyone turn against him or her for reporting. Ninety percent of college women who are victims of rape or attempted rape know their offender (Fisher, Cullen and Turner 2000). The offender is usually someone close to you. It could include a classmate, friend, boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, co-worker, or even a family member.

Consent. Consent is giving permission for one to engage in something, whether that be a sexual activity of not. It is one of the most important things for everybody in general, not just college students to know how to give proper consent, especially when you become involved in sexual activity, and you add drinking to the mix. Always say yes or no, and try to stay away from body language of head nods, seeing how they can be taken in different way. Yes means yes, and no will always mean no. This will leave no room for any grey area, or any questions to rise. Anytime one is about to partake in a sexual act, consent should be asked and given from each partner. Never, ever assume that one wants to do something that you haven't asked them about. As stated from "Yes Always" "proper consent does not exist while under the influence." It doesn't matter if its drugs, or alcohol. 

Add alcohol to the mix and you are in for a good time. That is always being said at parties, or a small get together. This is not always true. Butler Universities counseling services comments on alcohol and sexual assault by saying, "One study found that 70% of women and 80% of men had been drinking when a sexual assault occurred." Therefore, in majority of cases, the perpetrator, and victim or most likely both have been drinking when the sexual assault took place. This is most likely to happen during, or after a party as taken place. Whether the party be at a greek house, or downtown. Students from The Washington Post quotes Stuart Dunning's III, a county prosecutor in Michigan when Dunning say, and I quote "alcohol is a date rape drug. That's what I tell people." Even though both parties could have been under the influence, this does not make alcohol the reason, or the excuse for a sexual assault to happen. It is simply a mechanism to help the perpetrator pick out a victim. The only people to blame should be the perpetrator themselves, and no one else. A student from the University of Michigan comments on who should be to blame with saying, "no blame for the assault should be put on the survivor, regardless of whether or not they were drinking prior to the assault.

When it comes to sexual assault, you only ever hear about women being the victim in the attack 9 times out of 10.  But, when hearing that a male was a victim of a sexual assault one is then surprised and becomes intrigued into what happened. It sparks questions such as, "he is a male, and he is strong. Why couldn't he fight the person off?" Or, "Why would he let someone do that to him?"  Even though males are stronger than females, it doesn't mean one can fight the attacker off. It is likely for the attacker to be a male. Every now and again there will be a story in the new about a male being assault, but nothing compared to the many stories and news reports you see about women almost on a daily basis. Sexual assault can be referred to like people. It comes in many shapes, sizes, religions, and genders. While there is more world know assaults towards women, that doesn't mean the no on else is assaulted. Jessa Baron, the author of "The Problem with Victim Blaming in Cases of Sexual Assault and Rape" writes to the public saying, "We need to publicize that men, women, and transgender people can all experience sexual assault."  

Since 1992, violent crimes and rape has declined a good amount, but on college campuses it has seemed to escalate a bit. An article called "Alcohol related Violence and Unwanted Sexual Activity on College Campus" provides surverys to help shed light on the statistics of sexual assault on campuses. Koss et al gave one of the surveys documented in 1987. He surveyed 6,159 men and women throughout 32 campuses. Out of the 6,159, 27.5% of the women that were surveyed reported that they had experienced a sexual activity that met the legal definition of rape. The men that were surveyed, 7.7% of them reported perpetrating an act of sexual assault that met the legal definition of rape. None of the act that the students confessed to on the surveyed was ever reported to local authority. So, even though we don't hear about rape on college campuses everyday, doesn't mean it isn't happening. The victims just are too scared to speak up, or they just don't want to in fear of speaking up will come back to hurt them later on.

Denying that sexual assault occurs on campuses around the world is like saying the sky is green. You can't do it. Well, you can, but you are going to sound crazy and no one is going to believe you. An article by Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick says, "Deniers insist that key statistics on campus sexual assault are inflated or indeterminate." You might come across different articles that have different statistics, and even so, it is still obvious that sexual assault among colleges is something that is still a ongoing problem around us. According to the article, if there are studies shown that include sexual assault when groping or forced kissing is in play then the rape deniers will try to dismiss it due to it being some "lesser assaults." 

After a rape has occurred, the victim will begin the process of blaming him or herself, and wondering what they could have done to stop it from happening.  They will think back to what they were wearing, what they did that day/night, if they had anything to drink, and if they did then was it too much. From a study out of University of Texas at Austin, a survey was given to 129 female victims who had been a victim of sexual assault during their time on campus. Unfortunely, but not necessarily shocking, the researchers found that 62 percent of the young women considered themselves to be at fault for their assaults. The student then goes to tell the public that not a single person of the 129 surveyed found their attacker to be 100% at fault for the attack. They all either blamed themselves, or partially blamed their attacker.  Even though other students around the world on other campuses might have different views about the attacker being at fault, the 129 that blame themselves is what could make no one speak up, because they could think society is going to blame them for being the victim of a vicious attack. No matter how you out it or what way you look at it, sexual assault is legally a crime in the United States, and the only person responsible, and who deserves 100% of the blame is the perpetrator, no one else. Emma Cueto writes, and I quote, "Assaults happen because of perpetrators. Perpetrators are the ones making a choice to assault someone. And as such, full responsibility rests with them. Period.

After a rape as occurred, one common thing among people who are on the outside of things, wonder what was going through the attackers mind at the time of the attack. In 1987, about 7.7% of male students anonymously admitted that they had engaged in or attempted forced sex. Out of those 7.7% absolutely none of them considered what they did to be a crime. They would admit without shame, and say "Yes, I held a woman down to have sex with her against her consent but that was definitely not rape," Koss writes. The main reason that almost all of her respondents considered themselves not to be a sexual offender is because they never had to face negative punishment, or consequences of any kind. There was no accusation, no shame from the victim, because of her not speaking up to anyone about what happened to her. 

Sexual assault is something that should not be taken lightly on college campus, it is a major problem, and will continue to grow over the years as more students enroll at universities, and drinking becomes heavier. Over the years, sexual assault has begun to rise around colleges, and it isn't just because people are starting to rape random people, it has to due with the college students going out and drinking excessively, to where they blackout, or they will do anything and say anything without thinking about it. The things that happen when they are drunk or under the influence, are things that most likely would not happen when they are sober and alert.

Even though sexual assault can happen to anyone at anytime, all authors that I have cited agree that the most common time is during or after a party, when the attacker, the victim, or both of them are under the influence. Therefore, the only way to truly minimize the risk of this continuing is to drill knowledge into the college students of today, so they can become more informed about the dangers that surround them and ways that they can prevent them from happening to themselves.  

