It is a typical Saturday morning at the University of South Carolina. The sun shines on the Horsehoe, the smell of bacon emerges from the Russell house, and Thomas Cooper Library waits in anticipation for students to come prepare for the next week. A large percentage of students however, are waking up with headaches and next to strange people after a night downtown. Students arise from the bed of their one-night stand, gather their things and start the walk back to their dorm or apartment where they are seen and met by judgements of bystanders. When a girl comes back to her all female dorm in the same clothes she wore the night before, there are unspoken glares of disapproval and whispers of shameful words. The boy she woke up next to get high fived by his roommate and happily adds a tally to the number of women he has slept with.

The difference in attitudes of sexual activity between genders is called the double standard and this is an evident theme on college campuses. As the hook up culture continues to rise and many college students become more sexually active, there are a difference in judgments in the promiscuity of men and women. Men are often glorified for having sex with a multitude of women while women are often shamed for their frequent sexual encounters. 

This sexual double standard is often fostered by colleges and universities through their codes of conduct and rules. There are often strict rules on all female dorms but not on all male dorms. The double standard is also fostered on college campuses by the amount of self defense classes offered to female students.

To better understand the double standard on college campuses, it is important to look at the history of double standard. The concept is not a new phenomena, it has been around for centuries. Evidence for the double standard can be seen in the Bible with the story of the woman caught in adultery. Pharisees in the village bring a woman who was in bed with a man who was not her husband to Jesus and ask him what they should do with her. The law says they are required to stone her but Jesus preached about the concept of grace so they were trying to trap him. The woman is brought into the streets naked and afraid that she will be stoned to death while the man is nowhere to be found. The sexual double standard has been around for hundreds of years but the idea of equality for women has only occurred in the past hundred years. Since this concept of women's rights has emerged, more women have pointed out the flaw in our society's views on men and women promiscuity. This can be seen in an article written in 1886 by a woman named Josephine Butler in response to an act passed in Britain which abolished prostitution to help control the spread of diseases. She points out how the law is excusing men's behavior and holds women responsible for sexual indiscretions. The sexual double standard is not a new concept, it just has simply been pointed out as a flaw in the recent centuries.

In modern American society, there are many equalities between men and women. Both genders can now go to college, join the military, and vote. Women have more opportunities than ever before. However, the problem our culture faces today is that there is a difference in attitudes towards sexual promiscuity in men and women. It is still viewed as a bad thing for women to be over sexually active while men are praised (Najmabadi). Our society has also adopted a new view of sex called the hook-up culture. This is the beliefs that sex should be casual and can be had with anyone you please at anytime. So it is time to evaluate what happens when college students collide with the hook up culture and mix with the double standard.

At the University of South Carolina, there are two main types of visitation policies dorms can adopt. Plan B is where the opposite gender can stay from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week. Plan D is where students can self regulate when the opposite gender comes. All of the all female dorms on campus fall under Plan B while the all male dorms fall under Plan D. There are also four all female dorms on campus while there are only two all male dorms on campus (Pruitt). College campuses are fostering a double standard because by women not being allowed to have men stay the night. It is conveying that women should not have men stay the night. Also all male guests need to be signed in when visiting the all female dorms but boys can just let girls in when they come to the all male dorm. Whether they are aware of it or not, administration is basically saying it fine for men to have casual sex with women but it inappropriate for women to do the same.

College campuses also foster the sexual double standard through the increasing amount of female self defense classes taught on campus. At the University of Florida, it was reported that 1 in 5 women have experienced sexual assault (Cordeiro). This is a startling statistic so it makes sense to teach women how to defend themselves from predators to help that number drop. At the University of South Carolina there are multiple workshops that "are a hands-on, full contact training" for women. This is not inherently a bad thing but it seems logical to attack the problem at its source which is the men who force themselves on women. To me a better way to reduce that statistic is to offer men workshops on how to be gentlemen. To install values of integrity and respect into the next generation instead of just taking preventative measures. As a society, we are teaching women how to cope with the ill behavior of men, not addressing the root of the problem. We are excusing them for their urges. It is saying "don't get raped" instead of "don't rape." College campuses are cultivating this by offering opportunities for women to learn self defense and not offering opportunities for men to better their character.

Another issue I have seen at the University of South Carolina is the alcohol policy in Greek Village. While the Alcohol Policy and Guidelines for the University Community specifically states that "No person under the age of 21 may purchase, possess, or consume any alcoholic beverages anywhere on the University of South Carolina", some of the fraternity houses are notorious are having parties on campus. I walked past the Phi Sigma Kappa house the other day and saw a party outside with alcohol. Sorority houses are fined and can even face stricter charges if caught with alcohol in the house. There needs to be stricter implementing of the rules in the Greek community.

The sexual double standard is dangerous because it helps foster the rape culture on college campuses. Casual sex is a more widely shared belief among students than ever before (Katz, Schneider). So when it is seen as a good thing for men to have a lot of sex, then it encourages him to get it in anyway possible, even when it is not wanted by both parties. Statistics like the one at the University of Florida are not uncommon because men are praised when they have sex with a multitude of women, however, it does not matter whether their partner agrees to the sex. What is even more alarming is 95 colleges are under federal investigation for how they handle sexual assault on college campuses. Often when cases of sexual assault are brought to court, the arguments of "asking for it" appear. This is saying that women are trying to get raped because they wear tight clothes or were consuming a lot of alcohol. When men go out drinking, they are seen as having a good time however, when women drink it is seen as irresponsible. 

Colleges have not fostered an environment of sexual integrity and safety for students. Although it is not all administrations doing, there can be actions taken to help make both genders feel more comfortable on campus. First, all dorms should have equal visitation rights. I personally believe the safest option is for all dorms to have a lobby and all guests need to be signed in, but they can stay for a total of 48 hours. This way there is comfort in knowing who is in the building at all times and freedom for both males and females to have guests over. 

Sexual assault workshops are not a thing to be condemned. They are helpful and I am sure have saved some lives but I also think that men should have workshops too. Workshops to hear stories from rape victims such as Linor Abargil who was a contestant in the Miss World beauty pageant and dropped out after being raped by her boss. She now shares her story with people all over the world to bring awareness to sexual assault and to help women who have been abused. No male wants to think about his sister or mother or friend being raped. This is a salient issue for everyone and I think some men are not even aware of how big of an issue it is. Men need to hear stories from survivors and talk with experts to learn how to cultivate an atmosphere on college campuses where women feel respected. I know that we can not change everyone's mind or opinion and there will always be dangerous people in the world but I still think it is important to try to change the environment if we can.

It is crucial for colleges to implement the new visitation policy and workshops for a multitude of reasons. First, most of the students in college are at least eighteen years old. They can vote, join the military, and be tried as an adult. Students should be able to make their own rules about their sex life without worrying about the rules of their dormitory. If it is a campus like the University of South Carolina, all first year students are required to live on campus. There needs to be some consistency between the rules of male dorms and female dorms. It is simply not fair to let the boys have any guest at any time while the girls have designated times for guests.

History has proven that colleges are a vital catalyst for change. In 1963, Vivian Malone Jones became one of two black students to enroll at the University of Alabama (Martin). Mary Jane Patterson was the first woman in history to earn a bachelor's degree. Colleges reflect the issues of society and can be a vital source of change. Solving cultural problems should start with the younger generations because they are the ones who will take over in a few years. Instilling qualities of respect and integrity into college students in the United States would be an excellent way to attempt to rid the nation of the sexual assault epidemic. 1 in 6 women in the United States has been "the victim of an attempted or completed rape." That is a jaw dropping statistic. If college students can find a way to reduce the amount of sexual assault on campuses then when they are older and are contributing members of society, then the culture of the United States will change. This all starts with society's view of sexual promiscuity in both genders. Culture needs to be stripped of terms such as "slut", "tramp", "whore" and be clothed with terms of endearment and respect. In Australia there is an emergence of a new term called the "male slut" which is a similar term to how women who are promiscuous are called sluts. However, the author acknowledges there are "220 words for a sexually promiscuous female and only 20 for a sexually promiscuous male" and "some of the male terms were approving" while all of the names for females were disapproving (Flood). This is the culture in Australia but the United States should adopt this mentality. The mentality of equalizing views of sexually active female and males. If college campuses can find a way to equalize the sexual double standard, then the tone of the entire country has potential to change. 

It is vital to acknowledge that not all victims of rape are women. 1 in 33 men in the United States have "experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime." Similarly, it is not all men who are rapists. Not all men are disrespectful to women and not all men are as eager for sex as some. It is just the ones that feel like they are entitled to sex who are a threat to society. 

In 2014, a man named Elliot Rodger went on a mass killing he called the "day of retribution." He killed six people, three of whom were sorority members shot outside their sorority house. In his chilling farewell video, he explains he did it because "girls aren't attracted to me, but I will punish [them] all for it." Rodger believed he was entitled to sex because he was a man. This is an extreme example of how flawed our society is. It is seen as a bad thing for women to have a lot of sex while it is seen as a bad thing for men not to have a lot of sex. There are beliefs that men deserve sex. In reality, women owe men nothing. Just because males have sexual urges does not mean that a lady's only purpose is to fulfill them. This is the society America needs to pull away from. The sexual attitudes need to be standardized. There are two people involved in a sexual encounter. Both should walk away feeling satisfied and respected. Neither should walk away feeling violated or judged. 

The sexual double standard is the difference in attitudes towards men who have a lot of sex and who have a lot of sex. Often when women have a lot of sex she is looked down upon and called degrading terms however, when a man is sexually promiscuous, he is praised. This is seen a lot of college campuses due to the sexually hyperactive society and the emergence of the hook up culture. The sexual double standard is dangerous because it is degrading to women and encourages men to receive sex in anyway possible. It makes males feel entitled to sex. This issue in society needs to change starting at the institutions for higher education. College administration should start fostering an environment of equal treatment in regards to men and women by giving all dormitories on campus the same visitation policies and offering classes to men that teach values of respect and morality. While not all boys need these lessons, it is crucial for the future of America for there to be a sense of integrity and respect between men and women and a standardization of attitudes of sexual promiscuity in both genders.

