One of the largest issues threatening females in today’s society is sexual assault on college campuses. According to a New York Times study, 1 in 5 female students will experience some form of sexual assault during their college careers, a statistic that has stayed pretty consistent throughout the past 30 years. Another  The culprit behind this huge problem is the lack of university discipline and acknowledgement given to these situations.Many researchers and professors believe the first step to addressing this problem is dealing with the inconsistencies in how colleges define rape. Universities would much rather cover up and censor rapes in order to protect the prestige and uphold an image of safety on their campus. This neglect is extremely detrimental to the college environment as well as the victims who have experienced traumatising situations.  We as a Nation need to address the extreme problem of sexual assault on campus and set a standard of discipline across the board. In addition, we need to improve our security across campuses as well as the facilities in which victims can seek help. This will ensure that all victims can find safety and the improved security can even eliminate the threat of rape by stopping it in its tracks.

Sexual assault is not limited to the college campus. Many accounts of rape in institutions like the Military and workplaces have been far overlooked for decades. There’s a clear trend between administration and their protocol for sexual assault discipline. When sexual assault occurs in an institution, the typical first response is to worry about their image; this normally means trying to hide the situation from the public. University campuses however, experience way more instances of assault than any other institution. The females at college are young, a huge trend in sexual assault. A RAINN study found that females aged 16-19 are four times more likely than the general population to be raped, this is the general age range of college students. Campuses basically cater to the party scene, which includes drugs and alcohol. Frat houses, bars, and open areas on campus are very dangerous places where assault typically occurs. Since college can harbour up to tens of thousands of students, it can be very difficult to control and keep track of students and their behaviors. Typically, the larger the institution, the higher the frequency and prevalence of sexual assault. There are numerous reasons as to why this happens. Firstly, dorms are the form of housing for most if not all students, there is little to no adult supervision to stop or report any behaviors. Parents cannot report a missing child since they are not there, and roommates are not always a reliable source. There is also the increased risk of drug involvement since access to drugs and alcohol is exponentially greater in a college environment. It is also very difficult to categorize sexual assault. Sexual assault could come in the form of verbal assault/harassment, touching, grabbing, kissing, or penetration. If the act of rape isn’t committed, most cases won’t be taken seriously, even though small acts of molestation can have the same effect on a person. It is important to remember that all acts of unwanted behavior can be classified as assault, no matter how small or insignificant the act may seem. Even though colleges are the the leading institution of assault, we should not neglect the other institutions. Addressing that there is a problem with the way administration deals with assault is the first step to eliminating the frequent occurrence of assault. 

Alcohol is a huge factor in campus rape, and can even be viewed as a catalyst of rape. When there’s alcohol on campus; there is almost always sexual assault. The Washington Post recently said, “Alcohol is the date rape drug.” Many universities victim shame the women whose rapes involved the consumption of alcohol. Universities try to divert the blame for rapes by placing it on the victims, this can be extremely harmful to the individuals and sets the standards for other college’s disciplinary action. The National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism states that,  “At least one-half of all violent crimes involve alcohol consumption by the perpetrator, the victim, or both.” That statistic only goes to explain violent crimes. The same institute claims that up to 79% of all assaults involve alcohol consumption. The drinking culture also presents the threat of drugging. Females who don’t watch their drinks carefully enough can have drugged slipped into them. Rohypnol, the main drug used in sedating victims, has similar physical effects as alcohol. The victim will often have slurred speech and delayed motor function. The effects of drugs can be mistakenly masked by alcohol which is extremely dangerous for the victim. If a male is caught carrying a drunk female home, it may look like an act of chivalry. However, a drunk or drugged person has little to no control over their actions and may not be able to communicate their situation because of this. Alcohol is not the only drug used in assault. Many other substances can produce the similar sedative effects as alcohol and therefore prevent the same threat. Since alcohol is a depressant, many argue that the assaulter cannot be held responsible for their actions when they could not think and rationalise properly. This gives the perpetrators leeway to argue they had no control over their actions and that they either did not intend to do the assault or can’t recall committing the crime. Victims can also be blamed for the consumption of alcohol that lead to their assault. Since the act of consuming alcohol underage is illegal, many will argue that victims were, ‘asking for it’ with their behaviors. This could also include if their drink was slipped at a bar. The main issue/concern would not be that they were drugged, but rather that they were at a bar drinking underage. CNN interviewed Brooke, a rape victim from Brigham Young University, "I told them everything, and because of the fact that I was on drugs, they used that reason to kick me out of school after reporting it." Brooke is one of the many victims who was shamed or kicked out by her university for the involvement of drugs or alcohol in her assault. This is a common occurrence for most universities, they try to eliminate the evidence of the assault on their campus and in doing so they victimize the student so that they leave. Either way, alcohol involvement creates many blurred lines when dealing with discipline, when all individuals should be held accountable for their actions, no matter the substance involved. Alcohol is not the problem, but rather another issue that complicates the way administration handles assault. If alcohol is used as a scapegoat, fault is diverted from the university for poorly preventing the assault.

Another huge problem that poorly addressing assault presents is the negative impact on the victim. The American Suicide Prevention Organization found that 90% of rape victims experience depression, 81% experience PTSD, 33% have suicidal thoughts, and 13% of the victims will attempt suicide. Victims of assault face harassment, victim shaming, threats, neglect, and abuse. Universities and their security will put huge pressure on the victims in order to discourage them from reporting it. In some instances, campus security has disobeyed privacy policy by exposing the name or case file to the university staff. Due to the stigma of reporting rape, many females do not bother to report their rape at all. Coming out about experiencing a sexual assault can severely alienate the victim from their friends and family, not to mention how difficult breaking the news to them might be. This produces two huge problems. Firstly, this misrepresents the frequency on rape on campus which produces statistics that will downplay the severity of the problem. Secondly, the victim will find no justice for their crime which leads to severe mental trauma. In a Bachman study, only 25% of victims reported their assaults to the police. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center reported that more than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault. Following this logic, whatever statistic currently exists for assault frequency, is only about a fourth of the true frequency. Victims risk their dignity, personal privacy, and standing at the university for reporting their assault. Victims may also be reluctant to report their assault because they may have already been doing an illegal activity, like drinking alcohol or doing drugs. If universities were more accepting of victims and were more inclined to embrace the statements of the victims, more people would come forward which would result in more prosecution of campus assaulters, making campus a safer place. In addition, proper treatment of the victim often leads to full recovery and mental stability. Another way to eliminate victim shaming is to work to eliminate the ‘Rape Culture’ environment. A common example would be, “Did you see her dress? She was totally asking for it.” or, “I treated her great and she didn’t even let me smash.”  Creating an environment of expectations of sexualization is detrimental to the progress of eliminating rape culture. If colleges discuss the severity of the consequences committing an act of sexual assault has to its students, they would be more inclined to respect the rules out of observance of the ‘law’. There is also a huge problem with the way male sexual assault is handled. Most males would not take an individual who claimed he was raped seriously for two reasons. Firstly, having sex for males is seen as an accomplishment. It is hard to imagine a male being pressured or forced into sex when he is the bigger or more masculine person. Secondly, it’s assumed that all victims of rape are women, due to the frequency and reports in the media. Once again, it’s difficult to imagine a male as a victim of sexual assault. The same RAINN study that evaluated the age of female rape reported that 1 out of 10 victims of rape are men, and 1 in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college. It’s safe to assume that genders other than female are misrepresented as well. This also includes transgender individuals and individuals of all sexual orientations. Sexual assault against transgender individuals is often brutal and a form of hate crime. The CDC produced a study that reported gay and lesbian individuals are just as likely, if not more, to experience sexual assault than straight individuals are. Although females are the primary risk category, all genders and orientations are at risk for sexual assault and all are often misrepresented and discriminated when they step forward to report their crimes. Sexual assault is an extremely severe topic that should be taken very seriously and with the highest form of respect for the victim, no matter the gender or orientation of the individual.

There is some discussion as to the level of responsibility that the universities have in addressing rape. Some argue that universities are inadequate in disciplining these cases due to the fact that they are untrained and they are not the level of power that should be addressing these cases. They argue that these cases should rather go to court where a trained judge, legal representation, and a jury are. Jane Manning, a former sex crimes prosecutor and lawyer, reported to the New York Times, “Lack of real training is the problem. Universities offer little or no transparency about the supposed training of their staff on how to conduct investigations and hearings, but anyone who has ever been through a university investigation knows the training is inadequate.” She explains that these cases need to fall into the hands of professionals with sexaul assault investigation expirience. Her argument raises a lot of important points and also exposes the inadequacies of university discipline. The fact that universities are not qualified to conduct these trials does not mean that their previous efforts at holding trials are accepted. It is not morally justifiable to have inadequate representation determining the fate of a helpless victim and their perpetrator. As I have previously mentioned, trials can be extremely traumatizing to victims, being in the same proximity or their assaulter and having to see whether a court finds them responsible for their crime or not.  Cases of sexual assault are very serious and should be handled with the utmost care. If a university feels inadequate in handling the case, it should be legally obligated to bring the case to a higher authority.

As a female freshman in a large state university, rape has become a very prominent problem in my time at university. Before weekends, I will often get calls from my parents asking me to stay safe and stay in large groups- never be alone. I know individuals in my personal life who have been affected by campus rape and have been severely abused at the hands of college administration. I feel as though I am not alone in this concern, nearly all college females are aware of their chances of being sexually assaulted and have to take precautions to avoid this. The media has recently been focused on the Brock Turner rape which drew a lot of attention to the obvious problems in the way college rapes are handled in the country.

Sexual assault has the power to affect any individual. They way a university handles assault on it’s campus determines how much it cares for the safety and wellbeing of its students. The college environment is currently a very dangerous environment for females, males, and the LGBTQ alike. Universities need to dramatically change the safety quality of their campuses in order to better protect their students from crimes that have the power to both affect their image and the security of their students. By implementing better campus security, like night patrol officers or emergency blue lights, campuses can prevent assault or offer immediate response to the victims. Improving the offices and facilities in which victims go to report their assaults and offering services to help victims will also dramatically change the environment so that more people will be inclined to report their assault. An accepting and professional environment is the best way for traumatized victims to seek help. Lastly, a highly trained staff for the trials is also needed. Assault is a very severe case and should be handled with the highest level of professionalism. If this means bringing the cases from the university to court, so be it. Victims and the assaulters are both entitled to proper legal representation and a fit trial. Victims should also not face discrimination for their crimes. Universities that neglect and abuse their victims are only concerned for their image, and clearly do not care for the safety and wellbeing of their students as well as the safety of their campus. It is crucial that we stand with victims of all institutionalized sexual assault and give all of our efforts to comforting and rehabilitating them, as well as preventing future victims from sharing their fate.
