Over the last decade, sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby have steadily come to light, culminating in 46 women coming forward against the once-beloved comedian and a court ordering him to give a deposition in a sexual abuse lawsuit. It has been fairly recently - within the last year or so - that the media has expanded coverage of the allegations as more and more women have come forward and the lawsuit has picked up steam.

It is a disturbing series of allegations: dozens of stories of women who were lulled into a false sense of security by Cosby, only to have their trust taken advantage of by being drugged and sexually assaulted. As I have followed the case and read these brave women’s accounts, I have had the uneasy feeling of having heard far too many variations of these stories before - stories of women and men who have had drugs slipped into their drinks at bars or parties and were then assaulted. Stories that I have read in the news, but also stories that I have heard from friends, acquaintances, and classmates.

The Cosby sexual assault case is a high profile example of an issue that goes far beyond Hollywood onto college campuses across the United States. Rape culture has permeated virtually every facet of society - normalizing acts of sexual assault, particularly against women, through victim blaming, sexual objectification, and denial of the issue of widespread rape, often with the result of outright public opinion against the victims and in favor of the rapists. Nowhere is this more prevalent than among those working towards higher education.

Time for some facts to catch you up:

• According to national statistics, one in four college women will be the victim of sexual assault during her academic career, and one in three American women will be sexually abused in her lifetime.
• According to RAINN, 68 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to the police, resulting in 98 percent of rapists never spending a day in prison. This is due to the unfounded shame and guilt victims often experience because of the stigma placed on them and their experience.
• The report rates are even lower among college women, as reported by One In Four - 11 percent of college women who experience rape report it to the police, meaning 89 percent of campus sexual assaults go unreported. Of the college women who experience an incapacitated rape, such as being drugged, only 7 percent report it.
• Of all the rapes reported by women - which, remember, are a fraction of those that occur - The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada found that 25 percent cite drugs as a factor.
• One in Four reports that 9 percent of college men have admitted to committing acts that meet the legal definition of either rape or attempted rape.

Campus sexual assault is a serious issue that has devastating consequences for the victims. Not only are sexual assault victims more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs, suffer from depression and PTSD, and contemplate suicide, but college women who are assaulted face the injustice of having to continue to live on the same campus as their rapist and fear backlash that could occur if they spoke up against their attacker.

All it takes is a quick Google search to find Emma Sulkowicz, a Columbia University student and rape survivor who carried a mattress around campus as her senior thesis endurance performance art piece until her rapist was either expelled or left the university, to see just how deep this issue goes. When you type in her name, the first suggested search is "emma sulkowicz liar," and debates continue to rage over whether or not her allegations were true, despite several other students coming forward with sexual assault claims against the perpetrator. No matter what, women, both in and out of college, are subject to ridicule and blame for the violence committed against them.

It is my hope that the Cosby case and related media, such as the viral hashtag #TheEmptyChair that was sparked by a stunning New York Magazine cover article on women assaulted by Cosby, will continue to act as a catalyst for discussions of sexual assault, in particular on college campuses. The time has come to face rape culture head on and support women who have been sexually assaulted. It does not matter if she was drinking. It does not matter how she was dressed. It does not matter if she had been intimate with the rapist before or was sexually active. It is never the victim's fault; it is always the perpetrator's. And it is time that we begin to take allegations seriously and promote justice so that our campuses can be safer places for everyone.