On January 30, 2016, a woman was sexually assaulted outside of  a residence hall at the University of South Carolina (Feit).  The victim was attacked on the street at three in the morning when the man threatened her with a weapon(Feit). After this incident, students at the university became more aware about the seriousness of sexual assault and how it can happen to anyone.Students began questioning why the assault happened and how it could have been prevented. Since the crime occurred on USC's campus, students also became curious on how the school deals with cases of sexual assault. 

The issue of sexual assault is not just happening at the University of South Carolina, but across the nation at colleges and universities. A large majority of sexual assault that occurs on college campuses goes unreported because students are afraid and feel like their voice does not matter. Students have a right to voice their injustices and they should feel comfortable enough at their university to do so. A major reason why students are afraid to report is because they are unclear on what exactly their universities stance on consent is. Each college has their own policy on consent. There is no clear stance for all college and universities to abide to on what classifies as "rape."

The struggle is universities not publicizing the sexual assault that occurs on their campus. People have fought to make universities sexual assault rates public. Many colleges and universities do not want their reputations to be tarnished because an assault happened on their campus, so they try and keep them under wraps. The major controversy regarding sexual assault is a policy of 'yes mean yes' verse 'no means no.' 

My interest in the subject of sexual assault on college campuses came about because I am a young woman at a large university and the topic has attracted a lot of media attention recently. I want to make sure the University of South Carolina is doing their best at tackling the issue of rape. My friends, sorority sisters, and peers may all be affected by sexual assault during their time at USC and each of them deserves to be comfortable to report it. Although the University of South Carolina gives a clear definition on what they view as rape and consent, I firmly believe they could be doing more. Students are afraid to report sexual assault at the University of South Carolina because of the broad and ever changing definition of the word consent and how many institutions are changing their policy on consent.  

In recent years, the issue of sexual assault on college campuses has become more common and publicized. No matter the size or location of the college or university, it seems each and everyone has dealt with sexual assault in some way. Each campus defines "affirmative consent" in a different manor. According to California Senate Bill 967 "affirmative consent means affirmative, conscious, and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity"(Glickman 437). This clear definition of consent also mentions "lack of consent or resistance does not mean consent, nor does silence mean consent" and how "affirmative consent must be ongoing throughout a sexual activity and can be revoked"(437). According to this definition, the word 'yes' needs to be said more than one time during sexual intercourse. It is important to note that just because a couple is dating consent still needs to be given during intercourse. 

Monumental strides towards improving campuses policies on sexual assault have been taken in recent history. California Governor Jerry Brown signed bill SB967, "which stipulated that California colleges and universities must adopt an "affirmative consent" standard in their school policy on sexual assault in order to receive state funding"(Gulite 441). Due to the fact that universities could get their funding taken away puts the pressure on them to step up their game when it comes to sexual assault. Another idea is that the act should be included in every universities student codes of conduct(443). By doing this, universities will also "fill in the gaps left open by a lacking criminal justice system"(443). Not only do colleges and universities need to work towards reform, but so does the criminal justice system. Hopefully one day, the two systems will share a parallel view on sexual assault.   

Colleges and universities across the nation are being affected because the administrators are unsure with how to deal with sexual assault effectively due to the evolving definition of "rape." Across the nation the way states view rape and consent varies greatly. In fact, "until 2012, the Federal Bureau of Investigation still considered rape a crime committed solely against women"(Urbina). Slowly but surely America is beginning to broaden their horizons on the term "rape." Unfortunately, some parts of the country the law is "not just force but resistance is required for an act to qualify as rape"(Urbina). Because the definition of consent varies so much, the number of rapes that occur each year is not always accurate. Corey Rayburn Yung, a law professor at the University of Kansas, found that "more than 796,000 rapes were not included in the F.B.I's tally between 1995 and 2012, partly because of the way the police handled cases in which the person who assaulted did not meet the department's definition of a rape victim"(Urbina). In the big picture, it has only been a short amount of time and the nation has started to change their view on rape dramatically.  

The University of South Carolina's policy on sexual assault can be easily accessed online.  The university most recently revised their policy on October 6, 2014. The online PDF details USC's definitions on consent and students rights. At the University of South Carolina, non0-consensual sex is defined as "unwilling or non-consensual penetration of any bodily opening with any objects or body part. This includes, but is not limited to penetration of a bodily opening without consent through the use of coercion"(USC policy 2).  The university does a great job of outlining services a victim may need after an assault has taken place. Although USC's policy and simple yet detailed, the university never clearly says if it supports 'yes means yes' or 'no means no.'  The policy does not distinguish between campus law enforcement and local enforcement or if the case is required to be reported to local law enforcement. 

As a young women and student, I do not think i would feel completely comfortable reporting my assault. According to Eliza Gray, the reasons people are afraid to report are "they don't want anyone to know, they don't understand what constitutes rape, they are afraid the police wont believe them and they don't know how much control they will have ager they report to the police"(Gray). Students are clearly pointing out the issue and what they are afraid of so now they university must intervene. Law enforcement getting involved makes or breaks reporting for some students. A law student at Yale said "when I reported violence to my school, I was told not to go to police. But I never would have told the school if I knew I was going to be forced into that option"(Gray). A college or universities policy should reflect what the students  desire most. It should also not be a polar opposite when compared to how local law enforcement handles rape.   

In recent history, the way people view consent is changing. Many believe that consent cannot be romantic. In 2014, Sherelle Hessel-Gordon, director of the DC Rape Crisis Center, gave a TEDx Talk discussing how people must work together as a community in order to end the "rape culture." She also notes that it is important to have conversation. According to Hessel-Gordon, "there is a privilege behind being sure and reconciling that within ourselves, that we are sure to say yes or no"(TEDx). If everyone is on the same page, consent will no longer be something people fear but rather they welcome.

Digital technology is starting to make reporting sexual assault a little more comfortable. The app called Callisto is beginning to be used at universities across America. Natasha Singer confers that "Callisto's hypothesis is that some college students-who already socialize, study and shop online- will be more likely initially to document a sexual assault on a third-party site than to report it to school officials on the phone or in person"(Singer 2). This app gives students the chance to make claims about an assault without actually having to see or verbally talk to anyone about it. According to the author, the app does have some drawbacks. Even tough the app makes students feel comfortable, it also makes them feel it is okay and not safe to publicly come out about being sexually assaulted.  

The process of reporting rape is far from perfect. An unknown fact to many college students is "colleges and universities across the country are required by federal law to investigate and adjudicate whenever a student makes allegations of sexual misconduct"(Black and Ganim 2015). In order for sexual assault to be handled properly, professionals need to be involved. Members of Sam Houston State University surveyed students and campus law enforcement officials in the state of Texas to see how involved campus law enforcement is with sexual assault.  The survey confirmed that "less than half of the respondents reported that their departments were participating in efforts to improve sexual assault in their communities or campus"(Smith, Wilkes and Bouffard). Many universities reported having an informal collaboration with law enforcement(Smith, Wilkes and Bouffard). A formal arrangement would be more beneficial because then the relationship would be clear for the students and certain uniformed regulations would need to be followed for each case. 

A few critics observe that consent policies can be taken too far and have even gone as far as to call them unjust. John Cohn, FIRE's legislation and policy directory referred to 'yes means yes' as an "absurd policy"(New 433). Cohn feels this policy makes it so "if someone accuses another student of sexual assault in a situation like this, then the student who did not do the accusing is immediately considered to be the one responsible for initiating the conduct"(433). Instead of creating the new 'yes means yes' policy, some support clarifying what exactly 'no means no' represents instead.  

Another criticism some see in how colleges handle sexual assault is that many administrations place a strong emphasis on policy and law enforcement and overlook the long-term issues the victim has to deal with. To deal with this problem researchers at Sam Houston State University believe "a holistic approach to preventing such crimes and helping victims, one that not only meets the needs of victims, but also contributes to a future in which sexual assault no longer plagues our college campuses" is necessary(Ashworth, Viada and Franklin 245). It is vital to look at a report of sexual assault as a whole and consider ways the victim may need help such as counseling. Colleges and universities should consider "a holistic approach" when dealing with sexual assault(251). By the whole university working together, the needs of the victim can be met. 

Through research, it is clear that the University of South Carolina can improve how they deal with sexual assault on campus. A great way to rectify and inform students about sexual assault is through seminars. I recently went to a seminar at USC entitled "sex and chicken." The seminar was more about sexual education and how to. Throughout the talk, I felt more as if I was in a high school sex ed class than a college discussion.  Although this is important, so is informing students of consent and USC policy. 

The University of South Carolina should model a seminar after the successful 'Yes Means Yes' seminar at Colgate University. The focus of the seminar is "helping students decide what they would like form their relationships in a collaborative seminar format rather than focusing on what they should avoid"(Brown, LaFrance and Loe 454). The goal is to improve how students look at sex and relationships. Students who have participated on the seminar reported "a more positive sexual self-understanding, willingness to engage in intellectual discourse about their social involvement, ability to critically analyze their sexual attitudes, interest in healthy sexual practices, knowledge of campus resources, commitment to sexual climate change, and ability to discuss and define sexual assault and rape"(460). At such a changing time in one's life, it is critical for college students to be in tune with their sexuality and know information regarding their school's policies. The university should also consider making a clear sexual mis-conduct policy because "it provides an outline for what students can expect from their university after assault"(Streng and Kamimura 68). Adjustments like these have the ability to make Carolina and overall safer home. 

The seminar can be a semester long and participants from the seminar can hold workshops for other students to learn. The key to the success of the seminars is making sure the students are involved and their opinion is being heard. Students can say what needs to happen for them to feel more comfortable reporting assault. For example, they may talk about how the app Callisto would be a good edition to USC. One section of the seminar would be dedicated to campus law enforcement talking to the students. This lets students know how campus law enforcement is supposed to act if a rape crime occurs. Law enforcement can also hear students perspective on what would make them feel more safe. Although USC has various emergency boxes throughout campus, it is important to converse about how "women are most likely to be sexually assaulted by male intimates in private places, such as houses or apartments"(Schwartz and DeKeseredy 139). The seminar can discuss self defense and signs of suspicious behavior. The University of South Carolina should take note about the issues Colgate has encountered with he seminar. USC can improve their version of the Colgate seminar by making sure more boys are involved and more LGBTQ  issues covered(Brown, LaFrance and Loe 461).Everyone can be affected by sexual assault. The seminar would have to take place over a six week course at least and would be most effective if students registered for it and were able to receive a credit hour. 

Giving the students a credit hour acts as an incentive for them to participate and be involved. 

 

Sexual assault has become an area of concern at the University of South Carolina because of the numerous ways students mis interpret the meaning of consent. Sexual assault, both nationally and locally, it not an issue to take lightly. Major strides to advance sexual assault regulations have occurred in recent years. With the help of the whole communities, these strides can continue to hopefully rule out sexual assault on colleges and universities across America.  

