The frequency of sexual assault on college campuses is disturbingly high and it is because these institutions, intended to be safe places for learning, are in denial about the scope of the problem. Due to a federal law known as the Clery Act, schools are required to report their sexual assault statistics if they receive federal funding (Clery Center). However, the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Washington, D.C. asserts that there is a huge discrepancy between the official numbers universities are providing to the public and the actual numbers that are reported by sexual assault counseling centers, Planned Parenthood, and other places victims may seek help. Perhaps this is due in part to a victim's lack of desire to go through the lengthy and invasive process of reporting the incident to a campus-counseling center. College campuses are failing their students by not providing adequate support for victims and by denying that a problem even exists; a problem cannot be solved without believing one exists in the first place and then taking concrete and progressive actions to spur positive and lasting change.

With the recent sexual assault near the University of South Carolina campus, this is a renewed interest that hits closer to home for some students, especially since the attack happened so close to campus and in an area that many frequent. The notion that bad things happen to other people and only other people is proven false and strikes a nerve, especially when the victim may be someone students know, someone their own age and gender, and happen in an area many people are familiar with. Additionally, the fact that the city police did not immediately send out a city-wide alert trying to catch the suspect, even though the victim went through the invasive task of completing a rape test kit at a hospital and provided a description of the perpetrator, is just another piece of evidence that universities and the police are not working in tandem enough to protect students, and especially actual victims (WISTV). Our communities, both academic and city-wide, need to have agencies and organizations they can place trust in and be able to have faith that there are no sexual predators are lurking. It is a need that is currently being ignored.As a female college student at the University of South Carolina I have a vested interest in this issue, especially as I consider myself to be actively involved and informed about women's issues. My female (and certainly some male) friends and I all have stories of either being sexually harassed or assaulted in some way, and this is not a status quo I am okay with. By discussing and making others aware of this issue, I feel I am in some way able to amplify the emphasis currently being placed on this pressing and far-reaching issue.

Sarah Dunne, the legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union located in Washington, DC stated in a 2010 article published online for the Spokesman Review that "Universities tend to have fragmented reporting channels rather than a centralized system where a student knows to come to." Since there are various ways to report a sexual assault, an infrastructure needs to be in place at university counseling centers, police stations, and even doctor's offices and hospitals to streamline the information that is provided at one of these locations. With such a system, victims and students are being protected and helped in a more efficient and thorough way. The ACLU has been investigating violence against women since its inception and actively analyzes the ways in which women a sexually discriminated against. By listening and being actively involved with a credible and well-known organization like the ACLU, school, health, and city authorities become more aware of the gaps in the current way of reporting sexual assault and how best to remedy these problems.

In an online article published by Investigate West, Marilyn Derby, who is a residence director at Willamette University, says she feels compelled to make students reporting assaults aware that the information they provide could eventually turn into a formal investigation, something a recent victim of sexual assault may not be ready to face. Derby states:

I usually stop them pretty quick into the conversation and tell that that Title IX requires us to investigate reports ... We do consider sexual assault to be an extreme form of sexual harassment and would follow the mandated procedures for reporting the incident, if a student came forward. We do not proceed with judicial or investigatory processes if the student victim is not willing. If there is a report and the student comes forward we respond accordingly and offer support services as well as follow through with judicial proceedings, if the student is willing." (Investigate West)

The issue with this current procedure is that the decision to pursue further legal action against a suspect relies heavily on the victim to be willing to participate in an arduous legal process that is both mentally and emotionally taxing, especially since it often requires the victim face their attacker. Residence directors like Marilyn Derby, hired to protect their students and provide comfort and information in extremely difficult circumstances like these are faced with a difficult decision to either listen to these stories of assault and immediately alert the appropriate authorities, subjecting the victim to commit to follow through on legal actions they may not be able or willing to proceed with, or to completely turn them away altogether. There is not intermediary between these two options and so emotionally vulnerable students, recent victims, are forced into making a very concrete decision.

There is reason for universities not wanting to report assaults on campus, since prospective students and parents are certainly going to want a safe environment during their four year stay. Adam Shipman, the Director of Advocacy and Education for the Sexual Assault and Family Trauma Response Center, echoed this sentiment in an Examiner article by Wilda Heard by saying, "I can tell you, it's significantly more than get reported." Universities will obviously want to diminish the extent and scope of reports in order to draw more students. They can't address the sexual assault problem without getting a clear picture of its magnitude; it is a vicious cycle of deceit that could easily be remedied with a more comprehensive and dynamic way of handling the way assaults are reported.

Universities owe it to their students to have a greater interest in protecting their students and a more sensitive and effective way of helping victims. As many policies stand now, victims have very limited options of trying to protect themselves and others from future attacks. While universities do have some policies in place to help, these policies seem to be a better help of protecting the institutions in the event of legal action than they are of genuinely trying to aid students. Remedying such a complicated issue will take some experimentation and rethinking of current procedures in place that are obviously not working. Institutions of higher learning often take a defensive stance on policies they have implemented, so a more open dialogue between these institutions and agencies like the ACLU is needed.

Greater transparency and involvement by universities regarding the reporting of sexual attacks on campus is a pressing and urgent need. By rethinking the approach colleges take towards helping victims and protecting their students, like investigating deficiencies, providing more outlets for support, and actively discussing and addressing the issue, profound and positive change can occur. Universities are failing and in order to receive a passing grade need to be open and ready for radical change in regards to helping protect their greatest assets: the students.

