Sexual Assault on College Campuses
Abstract
Sexual assault has been a problem on college campuses for decades. Countless surveys have been conducted on campuses across the country to gather data on the issue. This article focuses on this data and how it can be used to lower the number of victims and prevent assault on campus. For example, a recent survey on sexual assault published by UNC revealed that almost half of women that don’t report being assaulted do so because alcohol or drugs were involved. Numerous surveys reveal the number of victims on specific campuses as well as variables that contribute to these numbers, such as alcohol use and rape culture on campus. Universities need to listen to the data being collected and begin to implement changes to make campuses a safer place. Eliminating sexual assault on campus is a huge step in the right direction for making college the safest and most exciting experience possible.
Introduction
The atmosphere on college campuses continually increases in tension as new reports and studies are published about the prevalence of sexual assault on campus. To help combat this issue, safety measures are being added to college campuses to attempt to protect students from these dangers. For example, UNC has implemented Safe Walk, which involves fellow students walking you home at night, as well as campus blue lights situated around campus that you can press in case of an emergency. However, these additions are proven not to be enough, since a recent survey published by UNC revealed the continued widespread issue of sexual assault across its campus. Studies have been conducted at colleges all across the country, and they all tend to reveal the same results: sexual assault on campus is an ongoing issue. Additionally, there is a perpetrator that is common in many cases of sexual assault; one that helps to clarify why this issue is centered around college campuses specifically: alcohol and drugs. Delving into the role that alcohol and drugs play in facilitating sexual assault could help towards discovering a fix to this seemingly never ending issue of sexual assault on college campuses.
Midwestern Campus Study
A study was conducted at a university in the midwestern United States to investigate the influence of alcohol and drugs on college students within a “party dorm” on campus. Within the first paragraph, the essay reveals a shocking fact: “At least half and perhaps as many as three-quarters of the sexual assaults that occur on college campuses involve alcohol consumption on the part of the victim, the perpetrator, or both” (Armstrong, E). Since the consumption of alcohol is most common at fraternity and house parties, the researchers thought it would be the most beneficial to study students frequently exposed to alcohol at these parties. The essay then explains why the combination of alcohol and frat parties can lead to unwanted sexual encounters. College students are constantly exposed to the idea during their high school years of getting to college and partying often due to their new freedoms. In fact, after surveying students at the midwestern university, the researchers found that “both partiers and non-partiers agreed that one was “supposed” to party in college” (Armstrong, E).However, these glorified thoughts of enjoyment at frat parties paired with the lack of mental capacity while intoxicated can lead to unwanted situations. The authors of the study explain that “cultural expectations that partygoers drink heavily and trust party-mates become problematic when combined with expectations that women be nice and defer to men” (Armstrong, E). The college girl’s yearning to fit in with the rest of the partiers makes her an easy target for men looking to take advantage of women.
The data within their study was collected through interviews and observations of a residence hall from the midwestern university. They observed the interactions of the 55 girls within the residence hall on evenings and weekends, times when they were most likely to go out to frat parties and consume alcohol. A common trend was found through observation and interviews on frat parties: women were looking for attention, and men were looking for sex. The two were related; men gave women attention in order to later have sex with them. The results found from the study of the activities that went on within frat houses were not surprising; the atmosphere and norms of these parties allowed for easy manipulation of women. The authors discussed the power the fraternity brothers had over their parties, mentioning that “fraternities control every aspect of parties at their houses: themes, music, transportation, admission, access to alcohol, and movement of guests” (Armstrong, E). With this power, it was easy for women to be taken advantage of, as promises of more alcohol were offered in exchange for coming to a more private area of the fraternity. While these conditions make it easy for sexual assault to take place, the action taken by the assaulter is still required. After all, “women’s vulnerability produces sexual assault only if men exploit it”…say it louder for the people in the back… (Armstrong, E). Rape culture plays a huge part in the amount of sexual assault that takes place on college campuses. Making society aware of these normalized acts at frat parties is a step in the right direction to eliminate sexual assault on college campuses.
The Daily Tar Heel
A recent newspaper article published by The Daily Tar Heel went in depth on the struggle UNC has had with sexual assault on its campus. Similar to the study on the midwestern university, it was made clear that rape culture plays a big role in the ongoing problem. In fact, sexual assault is so normalized at UNC that “when a UNC first-year goes to a cocktail and experiences a drug facilitated sexual assault,” it is considered a “knocktail” (Karstens, A). Having a name for such a despicable act would be thought to be enough to enact change in the way rape culture is perceived to not only the university, but to the state of North Carolina, however, this is not the case. The article mentions later that “in North Carolina, a bill that would explicitly criminalize this act-knowingly altering another individual’s drink, which could be harmful to their health- has not been passed” (Karstens, A). Not only is the way the university handles sexual assault allowing for it to continue, but the way the state legislates these issues also plays a part in this rape culture. The fact that such a simple bill has failed to pass develops the idea that such a law is not important, further encouraging a culture that looks at sexual assault as just a part of the college experience.
Another Daily Tar Heel article published about a month before the sexual assault article discussed whether there was still a need for campus blue light call boxes. These boxes were installed over 30 years ago all across campus to allow people walking by to press on the box in the case of an emergency. They were placed in an effort to reduce the amount of assaults on campus. However, 30 years later, it is still an issue. While placing the boxes showed initiative in keeping students safe, it obviously is not enough. Police Operations Captain John Backer mentions in the article that “call boxes are not needed on campuses in an age of mobile phones and safety apps” (Heffernan, E.). While this is true, it should also be noted that the combination of the blue light call boxes, mobile phones, and safety apps are still not enough to keep college students safe from sexual assault. Figuring out ways to lower the amount of assaults on campus rather than finding cost effective ways to remove deterrents from campus would be a better use of administration’s time.
UNC Sexual Assault Survey
A survey was recently published revealing the shocking amount of sexual assault that goes on within UNC’s campus. It was reported that 29.5% of undergraduate women had experienced “nonconsensual sexual contact by physical force or inability to consent since entering the school” (safe.unc.edu). While there has been quite a bit of tension on campus since the survey was released, nothing has been done so far to attempt to lower this number. Another troubling part of the survey was the amount of women who did not report being assaulted after it occurred. Only 33.4% of women reported an incident involving penetration after it occurred (safe.unc.edu). Even more troubling, 49.8% of women who were assaulted did not report the incident because drugs or alcohol were involved (safe.unc.edu.). While UNC does offer immunity in the case of an emergency, women likely don’t take advantage of this immunity because they don’t consider their assault an “emergency”. By putting more focus into altering the stigma behind reporting sexual assault and teaching victims that it is a big deal, (27.5% of women did not report their assault because they were “too busy”), assaulters will begin to have more consequences for their actions, and hopefully realize that it is not worth it (safe.unc.edu).
Conclusion
Sexual assault on college campuses has been brushed off for years through inaction after traumatic events occur. Colleges continuously fail to implement successful prevention methods for sexual assault. Because both college administration and legislators fail to put effort into solving the problem, the assaulters assume the crimes they are committing are not a big deal. It should not be a normalized act that is considered to be “part of the college experience.” While changes that are 30 years in the making are being considered to be eliminated due to their ineffectiveness, nothing is being implemented to actually put a stop to this horrifying issue. Beginning with the stigma around reporting sexual assault, coupled with the investigation of the role drugs and alcohol play in facilitating sexual assault and the overall atmosphere of frat parties are steps in the right direction to lowering the amount of assaults on campus. On a larger scale, passing bills that would protect potential sexual assault victims from being unknowingly drugged would also help in lowering the amount of victims. While the end to sexual assault cannot be implemented over night, small but effective changes need to begin occurring so that the next time a sexual assault survey comes out, the results are not as shocking.
Works Cited
Armstrong, E. A., Hamilton, L., & Sweeney, B. (2006). Sexual Assault on Campus: A Multilevel, Integrative Approach to Party Rape. Social Problems, 53(4), 483–499. doi: 10.1525/sp.2006.53.4.483
Beaver, W. (2017). Campus Secual Assault: What We Know and What We Don’t. The Independent Review, Vol 22, Iss 2.
Heffernan, E. (2019, August 26). Do we still need campus blue light call boxes?. The Daily Tar Heel, p. 1.
Karstens, A. (2019, October 11). Grappling with drug-facilitated sexual assault at UNC. The Daily Tar Heel, p. 1.
Subotnik, D. (2018, July 10). Measuring Sexual Assault on Campus: The Clery Report Challenge. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12129-018-9713-5
2019 AAU Campus Climate Survey. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://safe.unc.edu/create-change/aausurvey2019/.
