Sexual Assault on College Campuses


      Image result for sexual assault college

      For some of us, when we think about college we think about our futures. We think about a campus where for the most part you fit in and everyone on the campus is a mature group of individuals who have left all the baggage of high school behind. We also think about our education and how that school is a safe space to learn in.
      At least that's how colleges market themselves to us. I'm sure you've seen the generic commercial for X college with plenty of smiling faces of people telling you how great their experience is. And for the most part, I'm sure it's somewhat legitimate. But what colleges like to hide is their high rates of sexual assault that occurs on campus. According to the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network, better known as RAINN, college women between the ages of 18-24 are 3 times more at risk for sexual assault. There is no doubt that victims of sexual violence have a hard time speaking up about their experiences. I was watching a documentary on Netflix called The Hunting Ground and it interviewed several victims of sexual assault and for many of them, when they were finally able to tell school administrators about their experience, they were basically brushed off and questioned. It was clear that many of these administrators were looking to put the victim at fault and were not even willing to expel the perpetrator. School's don't want sexual assault to be the first thing their applicants think about. Colleges have a reputation to uphold and high rates of sexual assault on their campus really ruins that. 
      The marketing strategies many universities have chosen to use has effectively silenced victims of sexual abuse on campus. Victims who have finally chosen to speak up are being shut down and told it was their fault for what happened. What would be the point of telling anyone if you're just going to be told you're lying? 
      In the end, it all comes down to money. Current Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback, Jameis Winston was accused of rape during his time at Florida State University. Winston was a star athlete at Florida State University and eventually became the youngest person to ever win the Heisman trophy. Even though there was DNA evidence proving Winston guilty, the school refused to expel Winston. He was a money maker for the school and there was no way that another student was going to end that for them. Cases such as these are telling victims of sexual assault that they don't matter and it tells rapists that what they are doing is okay. These universities are not only hurting victims but they are also putting other students in danger by standing by and doing nothing about it. Though reports of sexual assault have become more apparent on college campuses especially after Brock Turner, it is still an issue and colleges are still allowing the students they allegedly care so much about be in danger just so they can make their money.

SOURCE 
The Hunting Ground, Netflix
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jameis_Winston
https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 5, 2019 at 2:59 PM

    Interesting post, Claire! Most, if not all, institutions of higher education are for-profit. While they may make efforts to better the experiences of their students, their ultimate motive is to make money. Whether it be through recruiting future applicants, star athletes (like you mentioned), high-profile or celebrity children, and hiring renowned professors, they must keep their reputations up to boost enrollment and ultimately, their profit margins. I have to disagree with your claim that colleges are purposely endangering their students to make money—they may refuse to punish those charged with sexual assault, but from my own experience, many colleges are working to make their campuses safer. In 2011, the US Department of Education threatened to pull federal funding from schools that didn't address the safety concerns of their students. And many other schools have been reforming campus culture and educating all students about healthy relationships. Colleges definitely need to do a better job with protecting those who come forward with assault claims, but I'm hopeful that with the #MeToo movement and heightened awareness of sexual assault, we'll see improvements in the near future.

    Source: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2018-10-01/how-colleges-handle-sexual-assault-in-the-metoo-era

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 6, 2019 at 12:23 AM

    I really enjoyed your post! I also thought about the same incident that happened only a couple years ago. Brock Turner was a star swimmer at Stanford, when he was convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. Judges ended up sentencing Turner to, "half a year in county jail and three years’ probation set off a national outcry and drew attention to sexual assaults on college campuses. He served three months in jail." With Turner being an affluent, white male, it was most likely that they did not want to ruin the image they had. In June of 2018, Judge Aaron Persky was recalled of his position. This was the first time a judge has been recalled for poor decision making in 80 years! Fortunately now, "Mr. Turner lost his swimming scholarship to Stanford and had to register as a sex offender in Ohio, his home state. He is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life because he was convicted of trying to rape an intoxicated person." I also agree with Julia and I hope that there will be more action taken for campus assaults/violence.

    Source:
    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/us/brock-turner-appeal.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMarch 9, 2019 at 8:49 PM

    Really interesting post! It's quite horrible to think about how some people are given the "benefit of the doubt" even if they are just simply guilty of sexual assault, especially if those people are athletes. You mentioned Jameis Winston, who was clearly guilty of sexual assault, but wasn't expelled because he brought attention and money to the school. I thought this was a really fascinating concept so I decided to see if there was any more of an explanation behind why NCAA athletes aren't punished as much as any other college student accused of sexual assault. One article published by the Chicago Tribune cited that the sports culture helps to promote a certain image of college athletes and protects them when they get accused of sexual assault. According to the article, "athletes are often given preferential treatment and protection by athletic programs, boosters and even local enforcement." So in order to promote an equal punishment across the college, we must first examine this social construct that gives athletes preferential treatment. By doing this, I think we can start to change the rape culture that is found at college.

    Source: https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-spt-ncaa-sexual-assault-policy-punishment-20180330-story.html

    ReplyDelete

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