Sexual Violence On College Campus

Sexual Violence on College Campuses According to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control in 2011, one out of every five female college students experience sexual assault while attending college. Out of these women, an estimated twelve percent report the attack to the police (Associated Press, 2014). Concurrently, a survey given by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that five percent of male college students experience sexual assault (Jaschik, 2015). These statistics are alarming. This problem has not only been recognized by public health nurses, but also by the U.S. Department of Education, the president, and the nation. People all across the country are demanding to know what is being done in response to the sexual
assaults that have taken place and also what is being done to protect more students from becoming a victim of sexual assault.
The problem of sexual violence on college campuses has become widely recognized and action supporting change and restoration is in process. Campaigns and debates are constantly occurring, new laws are forming, updated policies and uniform standards are being implemented, education is becoming mandatory instead of suggested, and preventative programs are developing and being promoted rather than merely response and support programs. While sexual violence is being confronted in several ways, challenges and barriers surrounding the topic remain numerous. Public health nurses have played and will continue to play a vital role in influencing America’s perspective related to how culture is playing a role in the prevalence of sexual violence, advocating for just laws, ensuring that new policies are followed, proper education is imparted to the victims, aggressors, bystanders, and responders, and that preventative programs are funded and provided the resources necessary to allow them to be effective.
Culture
The Problem
Judy Norsigian, of the Boston Women’s Health Collective stated, “Rape is a pervasive cultural problem, a social ideology regularly sustained and perpetuated by the TV-movie-radio-newspaper-popular culture network (Young, 2015).” Several of the campaigns and debates presently taking place support or deny the claim that rape culture exists in America.
A recent occurrence involving two college students from the University of Ohio has gained considerable attention. The two students, one male and one female, participated in sexual activity together in front of a bank. At one point, there was an audience cheering the activity on, the male asked the female if she still wished to continue, and it appeared as though she gave consent and continued to participate without any indication of force (Young, 2015). This later came to the attention of the public after a video of the events was posted the next day on social media. The female reported the incident to the police as rape shortly after the video was posted. The public has been particularly divided in its support for the male and female, which has further fueled the “rape culture debate” with passion and intensity from both sides (Young, 2015). Situations such as these bring to attention the significant divide between opinions and perspectives related to sexual violence, how to define it, and what should be done about
it.
The Change
The way sexual violence is presented and portrayed in American culture has a significant impact on college student’s perceptions and opinions concerning sexual violence and the decisions they make. The shows and movies students watch, the music they listen to, the books and articles they read, and the posts they make on social networks impact students’ acceptance or rejection of interpersonal violence against women and acceptance or rejection of rape myths (Bryant & Oliver, 2009). Feminists like Judy Norsigian and Zerlina Maxwell challenge the desensitization our culture has undergone. They argue that rape culture is alive and report that the media presented must change in order for the number of male and female students being affected by sexual violence to decrease. Leaders hoping to produce change in the industry are attempting to shift perspectives regarding sexual violence and rape culture, clearly define it, and provide answers regarding what should be done about it (Young, 2015).
Law
The Problem
While culture significantly impacts what people think about sexual violence and how they respond to it, the law directly affects what is and can be done in response to the cases that are presented. One main issue concerning the law and sexual violence is: the majority of the existing statutes that address sexual violence are unsuitable or inapplicable specifically when handling campus sexual assaults. Two issues in particular that are not clearly addressed in the statutes are the matters of incapacitation and consent (DeMatteo, Galloway, Arnold, & Patel, 2015). Affecting the theories of what is causing such low reporting rates is the estimation that about 50% of sexual assaults against college women involve drug or alcohol use by the perpetrator, victim, or both. The involvement of incapacitation and questionable consent in reported cases make it complicated for the criminal justice system to provide fair trials and just punishment to those deserving it (DeMatteo, Galloway, Arnold, & Patel, 2015).
Furthermore, the dilemma of how involved the criminal justice system can and should be involved is in question. Should the schools themselves, where the incidences are occurring, be responsible for investigating and discharging penalty as they see fit, or should this fall under the authority of the criminal justice system? Questions such as these are being evaluated, laws addressing sexual violence are being restructured to better address campus sexual assaults, and new laws are being formed to provide ethical standards and systems that people can be held accountable to (DeMatteo, Galloway, Arnold, & Patel, 2015).
The Change
Existing legislation is in the process of being reinforced and stronger, more fair laws are being enacted. For example, in August 2014, California unanimously passed the “Yes Means Yes” bill (DeMatteo, Galloway, Arnold, & Patel, 2015). This bill requires all schools who receive funds from the state to enforce the requirements of this bill to receive money. “Yes Means Yes” defines consent as “affirmative, conscious, and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity” (Clark, 2014). Consent, as distinctly defined above, is required by all people engaging in sexual activity together in order to be considered legal. This bill directly tackles the matters of incapacitation and consent that were not previously addressed by the law.
In addition to bills such as “Yes Means Yes” being passed, the National Institute of Justice has produced a list of nine parameters that are necessary for universities to accomplish in order to obey and fulfill federal law.
These parameters range from defining sexual assault, to having a sexual assault policy, to promoting methods for students to report assault and policies that encourage reporting. The hope is that these parameters will stimulate the creation of uniform and all encompassing policies and standards at universities and campuses, thereby, enhancing reporting rates (DeMatteo, Galloway, Arnold, & Patel,
2015).