When I sat down to write my article this week, I was torn on what to write about. I knew in the back of my head what I wanted to write about, but the final push came from an email that I received. As I sat comfortably in my bed, an email from the ASU Police flashed in the top right hand corner of my laptop. A sexual assault was reported on my campus. The most disturbing part about this is that it is not the first time at college that I have received an email like this, and it certainly won’t be the last.

From the moment we step onto a college campus, at orientation, they tell us that there is a one in five chance, as a female, to be sexually assaulted in our four years here. Great. One in five. For some perspective, there were twenty girls on my dorm floor last year. Simple math will tell you that one in four of those girls could potentially be a victim of sexual assault at some point during their college career. But really there’s no need to worry at all, because thanks to flyers and the internet, girls can read all about how not to get raped. What are some of the strategies I’ve heard?

1. Don’t drink before going out, you’ll be off guard and an easier target.
2. Don’t drink at the party because they may attempt to drug you.
3. Don’t go to the bathroom alone, there might be someone waiting for you.
4. Don’t wear anything that exposes too much, guys wont be able to control themselves when they catch a glimpse of your shoulder.
5. Don’t ride alone to a party, you might never make it to the party.
6. Don’t go outside alone with a guy.
7. Come home before 12, nothing good happens after midnight.
8. Take a safe ride to the library if it’s dark outside, you know how people get when the moon is out.
9. Bring pepper spray to fight off attackers, since you are probably weak and therefore an easy target.
10. Don’t flirt with a guy at a party, you might be leading him on.

(Side note, when I went to do research on statistics, the most popular google search was “how many sexual assault cases involve alcohol,” and “how many sexual assault reports are false” as if those are the issues here.)

And I’m sure there are more techniques. And I’m sure that guys were told all of these things, too, right? Maybe instead of telling me that I’m not allowed to leave my room after dark on a weekend, you could tell those sexual predators to not drug me, or to learn self control, or respect women, or really have any sense of human decency. So maybe one day the students at App and students across the country don’t have to receive emails like this. Emails that make us imagine what it might be like to go through any of this and then have to find the courage to report to a system that hardly ever convicts rapists.

While we're on the subject, let's talk about a statistic that they seem to leave out. Maybe they leave it out because it discourages females to report sexual assaults, which I understand, but it sickens me to know how little sexual assault cases lead to a conviction. According to a new analysis by RAINN of Justice Department data, only three out of every 100 rapists will serve jail time. Three percent. I don’t know why it seems to be so difficult to prove that someone was sexually assaulted. I don’t know why the trial has to be just as damaging as the actual event. I don’t understand any of it. The laws are disgusting and unfair. They favor rapists. We unfortunately live in a world that genuinely believes that 20 percent of college aged females are crying rape. I feel like young adults are finally finding the strength to report sexual assaults, but statistics tell us that less than half will report. The terrifying part about that? With only half of victims reporting, who knows if one in five girls is even accurate.

The numbers are disturbing, but their effects on females are even worse. I once had a discussion with a male friend of mine about how walking from my car to my apartment can be scary. He was mind blown. But yes, walking from the inside of a grocery store to my car is scary, walking from my parking lot to my apartment is scary, walking to the library at night is scary, and walking outside of a fraternity party is scary. Nothing bad has ever happened to me in any of these scenarios, but that doesn’t mean the I haven’t heard of an instance when something did go wrong. I don’t want anyone to think that I live in constant fear, because that just isn’t true. But for victims of sexual abuse, that is their reality from that day forward. Oh, and another tip for eluding rapists is to not appear to be in fear, as that will make you an easier target. Got it, I’ll try that, thank you.

There is one positive that I can take away from receiving this email, I suppose. At least the school I go to is taking this girl seriously and informing other students. Last year, a documentary titled “The Hunting Ground” picked up a lot of speed and really got my blood boiling. I watched it with a friend and we were completely disgusted by how these top tier schools handled sexual assault reports. I don’t know exactly how Appalachian State processes such accusations, but I hope to God that it is nothing like those girls described. If you haven’t seen the film, I recommend it, it is something that we all need to be aware of. It is a depressing film, but it’s the reality that we live in.

Overall, I’m furious. I’m mad at the system for perpetuating sexual abuse. I’m mad at anyone who thinks that this kind of behavior is acceptable. I’m just mad. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be a victim of violence and be bombarded by the Brock Turner case or any other case before it. I can’t imagine what any of this must be like. All I know is I’m angry and I wont stop being angry until something is done about this. We need to stop looking at these girls and guys as statistics and start uncovering the problem with our society and those in charge of our safety. We just need to do something.