Sexual Assault at UNC
Abstract
In this paper, I will be discussing the prevalence of sexual assault on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill, as well as the factors that increase the instances of sexual assault and what can be done to decrease this problem. Recently, a survey was done on many college campuses and the results at UNC were troubling. According to the survey, 1 in 3 women have been sexually assaulted during their time at UNC. This is much higher than the national average, which is only 1 in 5. This article will specifically focus on the prevalence of sexual assault at UNC, as well as different factors that may increase or decrease this. The sources that will be analyzed will be the national survey that was released, the crime and safety reports for the town of Chapel Hill, as well as some studies that were done on the safety of college campuses. The number of sexual assaults on UNC’s campus has increased drastically and is incredibly concerning. By examining the factors that contribute to increased sexual assaults, we can hopefully reduce the number of women who are sexually assaulted here. It is imperative that women can feel safe on campus and do not have to live in fear of being sexually assaulted during their time at UNC.
History of Sexual Assault on College Campuses
Sexual assault has been a prevalent issue on college campuses in America for many years. The first published study about sexual assault on college campuses was published in 1957, and was about “Male Sex Aggression on a University Campus”. After this study was published, people began to be aware of sexual assault, but it was not a well-known issue yet. About 20 years later, the term “date rape” was established by Susan Brownmiller who described it as when “an aggressor may press his advantage to the point where pleasantness quickly turns to unpleasantness and more than the woman bargained for.” The coining of this term led many people to realize that they had experienced sexual assault, they just were unaware that is what it was. In 1985, the first survey was done of undergraduate men and women, discovering that 1 in 4 female college students had experienced a rape or attempted rape (Zimmerman 2016). Over the past few decades, the number of conversations about sexual assault have increased. This increase in conversations about sexual assault will be instrumental in solving the issue of sexual assault. The more sexual assault is talked about, the more able we are to find solutions in order to prevent others from being sexually assaulted.
Shocking Survey
Recently, a national survey was done to examine the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses in the United States. The survey, by the Association of American Universities, was called the Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct and included 33 different public and private institutions. The purpose of the survey was to “gain understanding of the general climate on campuses across the country regarding sexual assault, sexual harassment, intimate partner violence and stalking” (Murphy, 2019). The university also participated in this same survey in 2015, however the questions are slightly different, making it difficult to compare to the recent survey. There was a 20.8% response rate of the survey, meaning that of the 28,889 students, 5,996 students responded to the survey. This response rate could indicate some bias, as it is only a small proportion of the student population. However, the results were frightening. According to the survey, 1 in 3 females at UNC have been sexually assaulted. Most of the offenders are other students, often even someone that they knew. Many times, alcohol had been consumed either by the offender or the victim. Another staggering statistic is that almost half of all survey respondents had experienced at least one type of harassing behavior. Sadly, very few people who are sexually assaulted seek help. Many students only told family and friends, not seeking help from any professionals (Murphy, 2019). In comparison to other schools, UNC had many more instances of sexual assault. This is because sexual assault is not talked about enough here. Many women at UNC are not worried about sexual assault, causing them to often make risky choices that increase the risk factors. The country’s average was 1 in 5 women experiencing sexual assault. These horrific statistics have shocked many people, concerning them about how frequent sexual assault is at UNC.
Shedding Light on UNC
Although the tremendous amount of sexual assault in the country is very troubling, it is even more concerning that at UNC, sexual assault is much more widespread than in the rest of the country. Sexual assault is much more widespread at UNC due to the lack of conversation about it. Many women do not realize that sexual assault is so prevalent here, causing them to make unsafe decisions that put them at an increased risk for sexual assault. Since 2015, the percentage of women who have been sexually assaulted at UNC has increased from 23% to 33% (Murphy, 2019). Although this does not seem like a huge increase, it is a tremendous increase, especially for only 4 years. Officials are trying to figure out why sexual assault is so much more frequent at UNC than the country on average. In the past 4 years, there has been much more media coverage on sexual assaults, bringing light to this issue. In the past, the university has been infamous for incorrectly handling sexual assault claims (Waggoner, 2018). In 2018, it was decided that UNC Chapel Hill violated Title IX because of the way it has handled sexual-assault and harassment complaints in the past. The civil-rights officials stated that they were concerned if the school had provided “prompt and equitable responses to complaints of sexual harassment and sexual violence, of which it had notice; and, if not, whether such failure allowed individuals to continue to be subjected to a sexually hostile environment” (Waggoner, 2018). This trial was a result of 4 former students who filed a complaint 5 years ago, stating that the university did not do anything to help them or find the offender when they said that they were sexually assaulted at UNC. Thankfully, the university has since developed many resources to help those who have been sexually assaulted, such as Campus Health Services, Equal Opportunities and Compliance, and Gender Violence Services Coordinator. These services are a good start towards helping those who are survivors of sexual assault, but they do not solve all of the problems.
Resources
Thankfully, of the students who reached out to the university provided resources after experiencing sexual assault, 71% said that these resources were extremely helpful (Murphy 2019). This is great news, as it means that these resources are making a difference and are helping those who have been assaulted. However, many students are unaware of these services, or decide not to reach out to them. According to the national survey, many students were not seeking help from resources because they did not believe the incident was serious enough. Over 80% of people who were sexually assaulted did not contact any resource or program. Their main reason for not seeking help was due to them feeling as though it was not serious enough. The students reported that they felt like it was not serious enough because either they were not injured or hurt, they thought sexual assaults were common, it began consensually, or because drugs or alcohol were present. However, this could not be any further from the truth. All sexual assault is incredibly serious and survivors need to seek professional help. Many students are unsure what to do and who to talk to after being sexually assaulted, so they only tell family and friends, not reporting it to any professional help. It is incredibly important that students seek professional help, as there are some incredibly negative effects of sexual assault. Survivors of sexual assault are much more likely to experience depression, PTSD, alcohol or drug abuse, or even have suicidal thoughts or actions. After the university’s previous mishandlings of sexual assault information, the university has implemented incredibly useful professional resources for anyone who is a survivor of sexual assault.
Prevention
Even though sexual assault is never the fault of the victim, there are some strategies that may be helpful in reducing the risk of sexual assault. One strategy is to form a buddy system when you are going out (Moreno, 2015). Make sure you all check in with each other often and that you all leave together at the end of the night. You can make a secret signal with your friends so that they know to intervene if you are in an uncomfortable situation. Also, you can watch out to make sure your friends do not get too intoxicated. If your friends do seem to get overly intoxicated or impaired by the use of drugs, you can take them to a safe place. Another strategy is to make sure you are being safe on campus. A major component of being safe on campus is to never walk alone at night. Always try to walk with some friends or call UNC Safewalk. If you must walk alone at night, make sure you know a well-lit route to get where you need to go. You can also protect yourself by not being distracted by your phone, as well as carrying pepper spray or even a personal alarm as a way to protect yourself. Lastly, it is important to be careful anytime you are consuming alcohol, as alcohol often plays a role in sexual assaults. Obviously these strategies are not foolproof in preventing sexual assault, but they can definitely reduce the risk of sexual assault.
Safe Strategies
Although UNC has increased their resources for those who have been sexually assaulted, they need to find more ways to help prevent sexual assaults on campus. One strategy to do this would be to install more lighting on campus. Greater lighting would allow people to more safely walk back to their dorms late at night. Another strategy would be to have a police presence on campus at night. Just having a few police officers patrolling campus at night, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, could decrease the instances of sexual assaults. Increasing more of the emergency poles on campus could also help to give students a means to connect with emergency personnel in case of an emergency. Another strategy would be to increase the hours of UNC Safewalk. Currently, the hours are only from 10–2, Sunday through Thursday. This means that there are limited options for students needing to walk back in the dark. It is dark out well before 10pm, and well after 2am. Students during these times often do not have a way to safely get back to their dorm or house. Not only does Safewalk need more hours, it also needs more days. Since it is only from Sunday to Thursday, students do not have a safe option to get back to their dorms or houses on Friday or Saturday night, the two most popular nights for students to go out. By implementing these strategies, the university can help to decrease the instances of sexual assault on campus. Sexual assault is obviously a terrible issue that is way to prevalent on UNC’s campus, and both the students and the university officials can make small differences to help decrease this issue.
Works Cited
Murphy, K. (2019, October 22). After ‘disturbing’ sexual assault rates disclosed at UNC, students call for solutions. Retrieved from https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article236492228.html.
Kalar, M. U. (2008). A comparative study related to the effects of alcohol, location and stranger on sexual assault in college women at UNC (Order №1553161). Available from ProQuest Central; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1512428044). Retrieved from http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1512428044?accountid=14244
Klein, L. “LB,” Graham, L. M., Treves-Kagan, S., Deck, P. G., DeLong, S. M., & Martin, S. L. (2018). Leveraging Data to Strengthen Campus Sexual Assault Policies. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 33(21), 3298–3314. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518798351
Moreno, M. A. (2015, December 1). Sexual Assault and Rape Among College Students. Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2474665.
Waggoner, M. (2018, June 26). Officials: NC university mishandled sexual assault claims. Retrieved from https://www.apnews.com/bbacf0d4f43347adbece0218902c82f8.
Zimmerman, E. (2016, June 22). Campus Sexual Assault: A Timeline of Major Events. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/23/education/campus-sexual-assault-a-timeline-of-major-events.html.
UNC researchers launch study of experiences and outcomes of women sexual assault survivors. (2014, October 13). Mental Health Weekly Digest, 52. Retrieved from https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A387516209/SCIC?u=unc_main&sid=SCIC&xid=5d27d329
