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sexual assault on campuses (how big of a problem is sexual assault (There…
sexual assault on campuses
how big of a problem is sexual assault
There is a wide range of rates, mainly due to the lack of official reports and survey/study response
The generally accepted rate of sexual assault in college is between 20-35%
Sexual assault affects people’s’ academics, social lives, and mental health.
If 1 in 5 female undergrads are sexually assaulted, it's impossible for any students to have no connections to sexual assault.
What groups are most at risk
Women in sororities are much more likely to be assaulted
and fraternity members are the largest pool of assaulters.
The higher rates of assault in greek life are often passed off because of alcohol, but a lot of research shows there are other factors besides alcohol intake.
Student athletes are the second highest group of assaulters, yet they're also the least convicted. A lot of the time they are shielded by their coaches or other faculty
"Fraternity houses are very dangerous places for female visitors, who are never on their own turf there, and never in gender equal situations. Many are strangers to themselves and others among men who are brothers" (Murty and Roebuck)
What are schools currently doing
Universities often provide mandatory prevention programs, but many students have spoken to the ineffectiveness of them.
There also isn't a good system in place that supports people who choose to report their experience, so many decide not to.
Very few people actually choose to report the situation. The report rates are somewhere between 10-18% and that needs to change
Schools breed a culture of compliance both through students and faculty, who sometime perpetuate rape culture or victim blaming.
What should students be doing
Lots of studies and articles emphasize how pre-existing norms and cultures make it hard to just stop sexual assault. Norms and climates don’t shift unless more people are educated about the issue and actually want to insight change.
I think a lot of understanding could be gained from this, both from awareness about actual sexual assault and about how daily actions can be impactful.
There is a lot of discussion about the culture of compliance on campus, and students are the ones who drive this.
If everyone walked around aware of the issue and ready to call people out for objectifying women or saying sexist things, the culture of compliance would be weakened and change would gradually start.
What should schools be doing
Schools need more effective prevention programs, particularly for at-risk groups. Some studies have even suggested it would be most effective to have at-risk members educate each other.
Some schools have started programs specifically for at-risk groups, rather than addressing the entire student population
Sorority members are another particularly at-risk group, so some have suggested prevention methods geared towards the greek system. Some studies suggest that using their value of 'sisterhood' to promote bystander awareness and intervention has been successful.
One reported success in lowering sexual assault rates from student athletes after choosing professional athletes who advocate against violence to come speak to the student athletes