According to RAINN, women between the ages of 18 and 24 are at an elevated risk of sexual violence and among undergraduate students in the country, almost one fourth of females and 5% of males experience rape or sexual assault. Sexual violence is more prevalent at colleges and universities compared to other crimes. It is therefore safe to say that campus sexual violence is a pervasive epidemic.
In my most recent 2 years at Temple University, the school has attempted to tackle this social issue more head-on through a mandatory online tutorial (after being under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for their mishandling of sexual assault and harassment cases). This year, the tutorial was called "Not Anymore". The tutorial takes approximately 30-45 minutes to complete, and all students must pass it by a specific date, or a hold will be placed on their accounts. Though I can appreciate Temple's efforts, they just aren't enough. The tutorial is very easy to click through as opposed to having to sit and actually learn the presented material. Students simply did the tutorial because they were forced to, and Temple simply provided the material because they were under public scrutiny. As a survivor of sexual violence, a certified sexual assault counselor and a college student, I have my own ideas about how college campuses across the nation can better educate students about this gruesome issue. As well, I had conversations with close friends of mine at Temple, other universities, old peers, and those who candidly had an opinion and saw discrepancies in the present system. Of course keep in mind that this list is not all-inclusive nor solidified, but it's a start:
1. The Hunting Ground premiered on Netflix in 2015 and completely elevated my trajectory on how I view campus sexual violence. This documentary, which received two Emmy nominations, exposes how universities attempt to cover up these violent crimes without giving survivors any justice, as well as how school officials even take measures to protect select groups of students who are sometimes perpetrators. I believe that all incoming college freshman need to be required to watch this documentary in their seminar class and, following the viewing, have an honest and productive conversation about the content. Understanding your rights if ever assaulted, how a university is supposed to handle a sexual assault case, as well as how your school may be operating behind closed doors is crucial. Students deserve to know what measures to take and how to fully protect themselves.
2. My roommate's older sister attended Temple almost fifteen years ago and recalls taking a women's self defense class in August 2003. At the time, this course was a gen-ed that was available to students who needed to fill those requirements, but now the course no longer exists. All colleges and universities, including Temple, would benefit from having a health gen-ed focused on campus sexual violence, consent, alcohol and drugs, and other related topics, including self-defense. Maddie Murphy and Bridget Bolton both brought up a similar idea when I asked them about how colleges and universities could better educate their students about campus sexual violence. "I think there needs to be more conversations about why it's happening, not 'travel in large groups and don't drink' (what's rape culture, what is consent, are all topics incoming freshman should have to talk about). Conversations need to happen", said Maddie. Bridget's statement was along the same lines: "Changing the conversation from 'don't get raped' to 'don't rape'. I think even a mandatory 1-3 credit course freshman year would be helpful. A lot of young people don't realize that sexual assault/harassment isn't just only between males and females or only penis and vaginal penetration, it can be a plethora of non-consensual sexual acts between multiple genders/sexual identities or even more than two people".
Especially when drugs and alcohol are involved, the lines of consent get thinner and finer. Part of general college sexual education absolutely needs to include party and hook-up culture. The reality is that college students won't stop having sex while heavily under the influence, no matter how much the current system tries to push for this outcome - this is similar to the failed abstinence-only education. Thus, education should be focused on consent and safety. There are situations where both people did not or were not able to consent and are therefore victims, and then this is where the education needs to come in. In those cases, what happened should be acknowledged and then the parties can be taught why what happened wasn't consent and why it was sexual assault so that it can be prevented in the future. Not enough people, especially college students, understand that when drugs and alcohol are involved, a person under the influence cannot legally consent to sex. "It definitely is messy when both partners are victims and perpetrators by having drunk-non-consensual sex with one another. But it's not about figuring out how to point fingers, it's about figuring out how to avoid those situations to begin with by teaching everyone about consent and safety", stated recent Temple grad Emily Acuna.
3. Art has a knack for unifying people and, even more importantly, validating their feelings and experiences. "Short films, visual, dance, slam poetry - showcasing student's expression is raw and honest and effective and engaging for other students. I think events like this, whether they're free or a fundraiser or once a year or every month, help people connect on a more intimate level", said Mj Smith when asked how colleges and universities could better educate their students about campus sexual violence. Mj is absolutely right - just like The Hunting Ground had a profound effect on me, other forms of art in relation to this topic would be equally as effective. The topic of sexual violence is taboo at some institutions, and one that people may believe is too uncomfortable or inappropriate to highlight in front of public audiences. However, the reality is that growth will only come from discomfort. Sexual violence is uncomfortable for survivors to talk about, for their loved ones, and everyone who has been touched by this epidemic. The discomfort is why sexual assault needs to be heavily discussed.
4. Widely assumed across colleges and universities is that fraternity houses and large sports teams are breeding grounds for rape, molestation, and harassment. Generalizing an entire group is neither productive or correct, so I want to make clear from the get-go that I do not buy into this stereotype. Nonetheless, because the primary focus of this article is education, I find it important to note that statistically, these groups overall have higher rates of sexual violence in comparison to their other college and university counterparts. Numerous studies have found that fraternity men are three times more likely to commit sexually violent acts than other college men, and that situations of sexual violence on college campuses involving athletes are often gang rape. Often with college athletes comes a sense of a celebrity status, a value placed on aggression within the sport itself, and a tradition of impunity. Athletics and fraternities both have a large presence on many college campuses, and their members are people that some may view as leaders and who hold a lot of merit within the university. It is therefore that much more important that these groups gain regular, up-to-date education on campus sexual violence, consent, and other related topics. For example, colleges and universities could implement rules that if athletes and fraternity members do not go through mandatory semester/yearly sexual violence trainings, they cannot be on that particular team or that particular fraternity cannot have a presence on campus.
Nearly one in five students has seen someone behaving in a sexually violent or harassing manner, and more than 90% of victims of rape on college campuses don't report their assault. Campus sexual violence is a national epidemic that we are all either primary or secondary victims of. The time to open the dialogue is now, because campus rape culture is only continuing as this article is being read. The conversations are on us, the way we engage with one another is on us, the way that we communicate about sex is on us, and the ultimate change is on us. Protect yourself. Protect one another.
If not me, who? If not now, when?
