Sexual Assault On College Campuses Research Paper
Tanya McClarty
4/30/2015
English Comp 101 6:00
Professor Seaman
Sexual Assaults on College Campuses
Understanding Sexual Assault on College Campuses: An issue that should be taken seriously or just an exaggerated problem.
In America, 1.3 women are raped every minute, 78 every hour, 56,160 every month, and approximately 683,280 women will be sexually assaulted by the end of this year. The attacker could be a perfect stranger or someone she knows, either way creating an emotionally damaging situation. The majority of sexual assaults are committed against women between the ages of 15 and 25, making college-aged women the group with the highest vulnerability to being assaulted. In fact, one in four women will be raped during their college experience. …show more content…
Furthermore, during one’s freshman year, they are at the highest risk time for assault. Date rape can be called many things. It is also known as social rape, silent rape, or acquaintance rape. In these instances, the victim knows the assailant, possibly because they are dating, they are a family member, friend, classmate, or neighbor, or they are just familiar with them in a social context. Out of all rapes reported, around two-thirds of those victims knew their attackers. According to the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, 35.5% of survivors are raped by fellow classmate, 34.2% by a friend, 23.7% by a boyfriend or ex-boyfriend and 2.6% by an acquaintance.
One reason the frequency of sexual assault on campuses continues to be high is that schools are in denial about the scope of the problem, say advocates and victims.
“Universities tend to have fragmented reporting channels rather than a centralized system where a student knows to come to,” said Sarah Dunne, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington.
Women report incidents of assault in various ways. They may call the police, tell a friend or a faculty member, go to the sexual assault counseling center, or tell their doctor.
A federal law known as the Clergy Act, requires schools to report sexual assault statistics. But a data analysis by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Public Integrity shows that there is a wide discrepancy between the official numbers universities report and the numbers seen by campus and community sexual assault counseling centers or other places victims seek help. That’s partly because a woman seeking aid through a campus counseling center may not want to report the incident.
“We help them make a decision about what they want to do,” said Melissa Tumas, director of the Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Information Center at the University of Washington, who sees about 160 cases a year, including stalking and domestic violence cases. About 40 percent of her case load involves sexual assaults. But unless the victim wants to press forward with either a police report or a university hearing, she will not disclose the incident.
Certain professionals, such as trained counselors, are not required to report the assaults, if the student does not want to have it reported. Even faculty members, who are required to report incidents as part of Title IX rules may feel conflicted about this role.
Marilyn Derby, director of Residence Life at Willamette University in Oregon, said she feels obligated to let students know that telling her about an assault could launch a formal investigation. When a student starts a conversation about sexual assault, Derby said, “I usually stop them pretty quick into the conversation and tell that that Title IX requires us to investigate reports.”
The University of Washington says it does require faculty to report incidents, if a student comes forward. But won 't proceed with an investigation or hearing into the matter without the victim 's permission.
"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," said Shannon Bailie, director of Health and Wellness for the Division of Student Life.
Sexual assault crosses all barriers, gender included, and same-gender assaults are not uncommon on college campuses or elsewhere, says Rebecca Norman, development director of the Bradley Angle House shelter in Portland.
“Sexual assault in general, on a theoretical level, is not about sex or sexual attraction at all. It’s ultimately about power and control and violence,” she said. “If you’re looking at it like that, it doesn’t matter” what the gender of the victim and perpetrator or what sexual identity those people have. Indeed, a recent study of sexual violence in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community in Eugene, Oregon, found that sexual minorities reported assault in numbers that at least matched those in the heterosexual community. Ten percent of gay and bisexual men reported being raped. Between 15.5 and 16.9 percent of lesbian and bisexual women reported being sexually assaulted as adults.
Maria Paladino is director of Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) in Eugene, which conducted the study in partnership with the University of Oregon. She said university students were included in the study and do come to SASS for services. Their issues are little known in part because fewer victims who are sexual minorities report than heterosexual victims. In a campus setting, there are additional barriers to reporting for victims who are sexual minorities.
“Those are plenty of our clients, but there is absolutely no incentive to (report to the university) knowing even how heterosexual survivors are being treated in university systems,” Paladino said. University conduct processes tend to focus more on protecting schools from lawsuits then protecting victims of sexual assault and helping them cope with trauma, she said. Most heterosexual victims find the process unhelpful, she said.
At the University of Oregon, where vandals recently painted swastikas on the campus LGBTQ office, students who gay or transgender are even less likely to feel comfortable. And in general, Paladino notes there are more barriers to reporting sexual assault in these communities than in the mainstream. Respondents to SASS’s survey, for example, said that police, medical personnel and the criminal justice system are ill-equipped to deal with sexual violence in the gay and transgender communities.
University must do more to address sexual assault culture. OCR (Office of Civil Rights) stated all complaints must be filed within 180 calendar days of the allegation.
Create a better understanding of “consent.” The single most effective way to prevent rape at our school is to ensure that all students know what rape means.
Provide more comprehensive support for victims. Victims on campus should have access to full comprehensive victim care (Help with transportation to treatment center). Offer counseling and a 24-hour phone number for victims.
Enforce harsh punishments for offenders. Punishment must be severe. Convicted offenders go to prison, University should implement the harshest punishment possible from a school: expulsion.
.
WORKED CITED
Smith, Carol, and Lee VAN DER VOO.
"Colleges ‘in Denial’ about Campus Sexual Assault Problem, Advocates Say." Investigate West. Investigative Journalism for the Pacific Northwest, 25 Feb. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.invw.org/node/939>.
VAN DER VOO, Lee. "Sexual violence on campus: not just a crime of men again women." Investigate West. Investigative Journalism for the Pacific Northwest, 25 Feb. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.invw.org/node/941>.
“THE REALITIES OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ON CAMPUS." BestColleges.com. Best Colleges.com, © 2009 - 2015 Copyright BestColleges.com. Web. 29 April 2015.
<http://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/preventing-sexual-assault/>.
Lisa Gerstley. "Name of the Post, Page, or Resource." Opinion. Daily Trojan. © University of Southern California/Daily Trojan., August 16, 2013. Web. 29 April 2015. <http://dailytrojan.com/2013/08/16/university-must-do-more-to-address-rape-culture/>.
Kingkade, Tyler. "Fewer Than One-Third Of Campus Sexual Assault Cases Result In Expulsion." Huff Post: Breaking the Silence Addressing Sexual Assault on Campus. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc., 29 Sept. 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/29/campus-sexual-assault_n_5888742.html?utm_hp_ref=college>.
*Not a real
name*
4/30/2015
English Comp 101 6:00
Professor Seaman
Sexual Assaults on College Campuses
Understanding Sexual Assault on College Campuses: An issue that should be taken seriously or just an exaggerated problem.
In America, 1.3 women are raped every minute, 78 every hour, 56,160 every month, and approximately 683,280 women will be sexually assaulted by the end of this year. The attacker could be a perfect stranger or someone she knows, either way creating an emotionally damaging situation. The majority of sexual assaults are committed against women between the ages of 15 and 25, making college-aged women the group with the highest vulnerability to being assaulted. In fact, one in four women will be raped during their college experience. …show more content…
Furthermore, during one’s freshman year, they are at the highest risk time for assault. Date rape can be called many things. It is also known as social rape, silent rape, or acquaintance rape. In these instances, the victim knows the assailant, possibly because they are dating, they are a family member, friend, classmate, or neighbor, or they are just familiar with them in a social context. Out of all rapes reported, around two-thirds of those victims knew their attackers. According to the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, 35.5% of survivors are raped by fellow classmate, 34.2% by a friend, 23.7% by a boyfriend or ex-boyfriend and 2.6% by an acquaintance.
One reason the frequency of sexual assault on campuses continues to be high is that schools are in denial about the scope of the problem, say advocates and victims.
“Universities tend to have fragmented reporting channels rather than a centralized system where a student knows to come to,” said Sarah Dunne, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington.
Women report incidents of assault in various ways. They may call the police, tell a friend or a faculty member, go to the sexual assault counseling center, or tell their doctor.
A federal law known as the Clergy Act, requires schools to report sexual assault statistics. But a data analysis by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Public Integrity shows that there is a wide discrepancy between the official numbers universities report and the numbers seen by campus and community sexual assault counseling centers or other places victims seek help. That’s partly because a woman seeking aid through a campus counseling center may not want to report the incident.
“We help them make a decision about what they want to do,” said Melissa Tumas, director of the Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Information Center at the University of Washington, who sees about 160 cases a year, including stalking and domestic violence cases. About 40 percent of her case load involves sexual assaults. But unless the victim wants to press forward with either a police report or a university hearing, she will not disclose the incident.
Certain professionals, such as trained counselors, are not required to report the assaults, if the student does not want to have it reported. Even faculty members, who are required to report incidents as part of Title IX rules may feel conflicted about this role.
Marilyn Derby, director of Residence Life at Willamette University in Oregon, said she feels obligated to let students know that telling her about an assault could launch a formal investigation. When a student starts a conversation about sexual assault, Derby said, “I usually stop them pretty quick into the conversation and tell that that Title IX requires us to investigate reports.”
The University of Washington says it does require faculty to report incidents, if a student comes forward. But won 't proceed with an investigation or hearing into the matter without the victim 's permission.
"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," said Shannon Bailie, director of Health and Wellness for the Division of Student Life.
Sexual assault crosses all barriers, gender included, and same-gender assaults are not uncommon on college campuses or elsewhere, says Rebecca Norman, development director of the Bradley Angle House shelter in Portland.
“Sexual assault in general, on a theoretical level, is not about sex or sexual attraction at all. It’s ultimately about power and control and violence,” she said. “If you’re looking at it like that, it doesn’t matter” what the gender of the victim and perpetrator or what sexual identity those people have. Indeed, a recent study of sexual violence in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community in Eugene, Oregon, found that sexual minorities reported assault in numbers that at least matched those in the heterosexual community. Ten percent of gay and bisexual men reported being raped. Between 15.5 and 16.9 percent of lesbian and bisexual women reported being sexually assaulted as adults.
Maria Paladino is director of Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) in Eugene, which conducted the study in partnership with the University of Oregon. She said university students were included in the study and do come to SASS for services. Their issues are little known in part because fewer victims who are sexual minorities report than heterosexual victims. In a campus setting, there are additional barriers to reporting for victims who are sexual minorities.
“Those are plenty of our clients, but there is absolutely no incentive to (report to the university) knowing even how heterosexual survivors are being treated in university systems,” Paladino said. University conduct processes tend to focus more on protecting schools from lawsuits then protecting victims of sexual assault and helping them cope with trauma, she said. Most heterosexual victims find the process unhelpful, she said.
At the University of Oregon, where vandals recently painted swastikas on the campus LGBTQ office, students who gay or transgender are even less likely to feel comfortable. And in general, Paladino notes there are more barriers to reporting sexual assault in these communities than in the mainstream. Respondents to SASS’s survey, for example, said that police, medical personnel and the criminal justice system are ill-equipped to deal with sexual violence in the gay and transgender communities.
University must do more to address sexual assault culture. OCR (Office of Civil Rights) stated all complaints must be filed within 180 calendar days of the allegation.
Create a better understanding of “consent.” The single most effective way to prevent rape at our school is to ensure that all students know what rape means.
Provide more comprehensive support for victims. Victims on campus should have access to full comprehensive victim care (Help with transportation to treatment center). Offer counseling and a 24-hour phone number for victims.
Enforce harsh punishments for offenders. Punishment must be severe. Convicted offenders go to prison, University should implement the harshest punishment possible from a school: expulsion.
.
WORKED CITED
Smith, Carol, and Lee VAN DER VOO.
"Colleges ‘in Denial’ about Campus Sexual Assault Problem, Advocates Say." Investigate West. Investigative Journalism for the Pacific Northwest, 25 Feb. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.invw.org/node/939>.
VAN DER VOO, Lee. "Sexual violence on campus: not just a crime of men again women." Investigate West. Investigative Journalism for the Pacific Northwest, 25 Feb. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.invw.org/node/941>.
“THE REALITIES OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ON CAMPUS." BestColleges.com. Best Colleges.com, © 2009 - 2015 Copyright BestColleges.com. Web. 29 April 2015.
<http://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/preventing-sexual-assault/>.
Lisa Gerstley. "Name of the Post, Page, or Resource." Opinion. Daily Trojan. © University of Southern California/Daily Trojan., August 16, 2013. Web. 29 April 2015. <http://dailytrojan.com/2013/08/16/university-must-do-more-to-address-rape-culture/>.
Kingkade, Tyler. "Fewer Than One-Third Of Campus Sexual Assault Cases Result In Expulsion." Huff Post: Breaking the Silence Addressing Sexual Assault on Campus. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc., 29 Sept. 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/29/campus-sexual-assault_n_5888742.html?utm_hp_ref=college>.
*Not a real
name*