Dear Mr. and Mrs. _______,
We would like to congratulate you on your son/daughter's acceptance to our nationally ranked university.
We hope that your child will excel here and become involved in what interests them. Here, we have so much to offer. We have sports, clubs, Greek life and much more.
We have one of the highest graduation rates in the country, one of the lowest drop-out rates, and one of the highest average GPA’S.
We also have the highest record for unreported sexual assault.
It’s estimated that 1 out of the 5 female students and 1 out of 16 male students on this campus will be sexually 
Do you think nationally ranked universities would continue to get the tens of thousands of applications they get each year if they allowed negative information like this to be so easily put out for society to see?
Would parents feel the same way about universities if they knew how many of their negativities were hidden?
Would you feel safe going to a school where the administration cares more about the institution than the students?
There’s more that goes on behind closed doors than you think. Most reported sexual assaults are not actually followed through by the university or police. Many Universities try to make the process of reporting the crime as difficult as can be so there are less reports and less convictions.
Reputation is the priority.
In 2012, 45% of America’s Universities reported zero sexual assaults. ZERO. I have been in college for one year and I have already heard stories about more sexual violence than that in my school alone this year.
Any college student across the United States can tell you those statistics impossible.
At the University of Virginia, there were 205 reported assaults between 1998 and 2013, and zero resulting expulsions.
There were 183 expulsions for cheating and other honor code violations during the same time period.
Sexual Violence is not the top of most universities lists of issues that need to be tended too.
Some examples of unacceptable punishments given for sexual assault by different universities are:
$25.00-$75.00 fines
An essay on what they did wrong
A one-day suspension
The police are defined as a separate entity from schools and universities; in multiple cases, victims have been told not to go to the police or that the university will handle it. In many other cases, the police did not take any action.
In the Documentary “The Hunting Grounds” a student who was the victim of sexual assault states, “There was more information online about what to do if you're accused of rape, than if you are raped.”
Many victims of sexual assault choose not to report, because they think nothing can be done.
68% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police
98% of rapists will never spend a day in jail or prison.
It shouldn’t be that way. Sexual violence is a serious problem and a serious crime.
Many people say our generation today lives in a “rape culture”
Changes are being made however, there are men and women all over the United States who are fighting for victims of sexual assault and changing the how the entire system works.
The Title IX law has been used against universities who try to throw sexual violence under the rug again and again, and now there are multiple Universities across the country that are under investigation because of the activism of students.
Title IX states that: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
If a University fails to take action on a sexual violence case, you have the grounds to file a Title IX complaint.
If you want to learn more about sexual assault on college campuses or the Title IX law check out…
"The Hunting Grounds" (Netflix)
