In 2014, 91% of college campuses disclosed zero reported incidents of rape. Although that rate seems comforting in truth it is alarmingly frightening. Sexual Assault on college campuses is a current and major issue. A clear definition of sexual assault and school policies regarding it are yet to be determined by many universities. This uncertainty by schools leaves students who are victims of sexual assault with a sense of insecurity. On top of this confusion its been reported that a significant amount of universities have been misreporting the number of sexual assaults at their school. Universities are placing more importance on the notoriety of their school rather than the safety of their students. This idea is evident through the undercounting and undermining of many sexual assault cases by many colleges each year. This unfortunate combination of events leaves students and their parents in an unsettling and frightening position. 

This research question intrigues me because I find it frightening how universities would deliberately choose to undermine the safety of their students in order to achieve or maintain a better reputation. I'm interested in finding out more about the way in which universities cover up assaults on their students and their motives for doing so. Before researching the issue of consent on college campuses I was completely unaware of the role universities play in how cases of sexual assault are dealt with. Researching this topic is now opening my eyes to appalling issues within the college school system. 

Currently being a college student, I find these very pressing issues given the fact that in some way they may one day effect my peers and I. The process of college applications for me were just under a year ago. The safety rating of a college is a very influential aspect in picking a school. Parents put a lot of trust into the college they send their child off too and find assurance through the safety records of the school. The fact that universities have been misleading students and their parents is alarming for many. 

The article, "Concealing Campus Sexual Assault: An Empirical Examination", was published in Psychology, Public Policy, and Law in 2015. Author, Corey Rayburn Yung addresses the claim that a sufficient amount of well accredited universities are deliberately and substantially miscounting the number of sexual assaults on their campuses. Yung proved this to be true after looking into sexual assault accounts before, during, and after universities were audited by the DoE, Department of Education, for Clery Act violations. The Clery Act was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush in 1990 (Yung, 2). It calls upon universities to submit yearly reports to the DoE regarding crimes committed on their campuses (Yung, 2).  Yung found that schools are dramatically undercounting the number of sexual assaults before and after audits were being administered. While audits were being conducted he found that universities were greatly increasing the number of sexual assaults in the hopes of making it seem as though they had been truthfully documenting the cases all along. Author, Corey Rayburn Yung, is credited as a professor of Law at the University of Kansas. Also this article was published by The American Psychological Association which is known as one of the largest scientific and professional organizations of psychologists in the United States.  Since multiple opposing arguments were addressed by Yung I don not find him biased. Through Yung's examination of data submitted through the DoE, he was able to suggest that universities significantly undercount the yearly number of sexual assaults. 

In October 2015, author Kelli Guilt wrote "Why All Colleges Should Adopt Affirmative Consent" and it was published in The Carolina Rhetoric. Author Kelli Guilt states that its pertinent for colleges to embrace the new policy of affirmative consent. Affirmative consent was defined as two people consciously and voluntarily agreeing to every step during a sexual interaction. The Federal government is supporting this ideal. The newly signed bill SB967 addresses the federal governments campaign to attempt to end sexual assault on college campuses based off the ideals of Title IX. The author addresses the fact that in many cases universities aren't qualified or capable of dealing with sexual assault cases in a legal sense. 76 universities are presently being investigated for inaccurately handling various sexual assault cases presented to them under the ideals of Title IX. Author, Kelli Gulite, is credited as a paralegal in Washington D.C. and a cum laude graduate of George Washington Universities Honors Program. Consequently, she has a strong stance to to argue for these changes that need to be enforced at universities to protect students. 

The New York Times article, "2 More Colleges Accused of Mishandling Assaults", written by Richard Perez-Pena and Ian Lovett on April 18,2013 addresses complaints against two colleges, among many, who violated terms of Title IX and the Clery Act. Title IX and the Clery Act are federal civil rights laws that call upon schools to fully report campus crimes. Complaints that colleges are insensitively and illegally concealing the reporting of sexual assaults on their campuses is becoming dangerously common. This mistreatment of students has resulted in several investigations and lawsuits. A student at Swarthmore University who was a victim of rape disclosed that that the dean of her school discouraged her from reporting it. Similarly, Hope Brinn, also a student at Swarthmore, reported that college officials at the school deterred her from making a formal complain against a fellow student who had repeatedly sexually harassed her. Its now clear to me that scenarios like these are quite common. Colleges are getting caught tampering with cases of sexual assault and deliberately undermining the safety and comfort of their students at an alarming rate. The reliability of this source gives readers a sense that these claims are valid. This article was published in the New York Times. The New York Times is widely known as a very credible and well read news source based out of New York. Therefore, many people will be aware of these tragic stories and accusations against these universities. Hopefully this awareness will help prevent and put an end to the mistreatment of students who are victims of sexual assault. 

This research question presents readers with several paths of investigation. This issue is very controversial and current. It presents many opposing viewpoints regarding consent and the role universities play in sexual assault cases. The main points of my sources all relatively agree with each other. They all mainly address the fact that universities are driven to conceal and downgrade sexual assault on their campuses in order to preserve their reputation. 

The issue that a substantial amount of colleges are deliberately compromising the safety of their students is startling many. It has recently been revealed that colleges are undercounting the number of sexual assaults each year. On top of that many victims have reported that universities have dismissed those who feel threatened.  A new policy of affirmative consent is being advocated to colleges in order to secure the rights of individuals involved in a sexual encounter. A drastic change from these appalling ways is necessary in order to ensure that the safety of students will truly become a main priority in the minds of universities. 

