At this point, I think it's safe to say that we all know what constitutes sexual assault, or at least we should have some idea. In my own experience, I find that universities do a good job informing students of the threat of sexual assault and what to do if it happens.

Yet, sexual assault is still occurring on college campuses worldwide, both reported and unreported. Remember the story of Emma Sulkowicz, the student who carried her mattress around campus after her university failed to take her rape case seriously? I’m sure you’ve at least heard about it, if you didn’t follow the story for yourself.

Her story has trended on every social media, sparking numerous conversations about sexual assault and its prevalence on college campuses.

And while I don’t doubt for a second that her story has left a lasting impact on Columbia University, I can’t help but wonder about what it's changed for the rest of us.

For me? Nothing.

I go on, I live my life. I really don’t give sexual assault a second thought.

Have you ever been out on the weekend and seen someone who was visibly drunk? And maybe you turned to your friend and said something along the lines of, “Wow, that girl is trashed, she’s completely embarrassing herself!”

Or was it, “Shit, he’s so drunk he can barely speak”?

You watched them stumble around, and laughed at the way that they made fools of themselves, quite possibly judging them in the back of your mind.

I know I’ve said and thought the latter.

I remember watching a girl grind on a guy and, all the while, I thought to myself, "She’s wasted. Look at her. You can literally see her underwear. She’s too drunk."

I was disgusted by the way that this girl was acting and the way that the guy was loving it. She was half naked on the dance floor, and he was feeling up her body in front of everyone. It was embarrassing.

But for all I knew, they were dating. Maybe this was normal for them. Regardless, it wasn’t my business. They were probably together, and I shouldn’t give them a second thought.

So I didn’t.

But it isn’t always the stereotypical predatory male who takes advantage of a trashed female? Sexual assault can happen to anyone and can be done by anyone.

A friend of my once invited the guy she'd been crushing on over, and upon seeing them together I thought, "They're both too drunk for this." He could barely speak, she could barely stand.

I never did anything about it. I ignored the warning signs. I went against my own better judgement.

The next morning, my own life continued without pause.

And that wasn’t right. In every one of those situations, I should have acted differently. I know that. Honestly, we’ve all taken alcohol education, we all know how to ethically act in these situations. But we don’t.

Most of us look the other way and it is so wrong.

But we’re old enough to know right from wrong. When you see something wrong, do something. And when you’re the one doing something wrong, stop and think twice.

The problem starts with us.

We have a responsibility to ourselves and to our peers to make our campuses safe. So why do we keep choosing the opposite?