I first off wanted to say thank you. More people need to speak up for situations and issues they are passionate about. I truly believe the people who change the world are the ones who go against the grain - speaking up for "taboo" topics and "touchy" subjects most are scared to bring up. Thank you for fighting for humans. Thank you for fighting for West Chester University and every student that goes here. I can't imagine the impact you must create at your University - because you have made a ripple on this campus. I know we don't know each other - but I am confident you are doing great things at Drexel and in your life... and this will follow into your professional life.

I am a senior music education student here at West Chester University. Basically I spent crazy hours in Swope - our music school - and when I am not in class... I sometimes spend the wee hours of the morning practicing my primary instrument (piano) while trying to stay sane. Trust me - it is a fine and tricky balance. Music students are often isolated from the majority of the campus... but one thing is for certain - this does not change the impact the sexual assaults and rapes have on me as a student.

I will be honest with you - I am (by definition) a huge feminist. According to the Merriam Online Dictionary, "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes." I don't like to call myself a feminist because I personally believe all human beings have the right of attaining any happiness and achievement through their personal standards - and there should not have to be a definition for it. Anyway - advocating for equality is one of my passions. People like Amy Schumer, Tina Fey, and Claire Danes inspire me every day.

West Chester University has experienced many tragic events over the past few years... and it not only makes me sad, but it angers me. My sophomore year spring semester there was a sexual assault reported on campus WEEKLY. The news even came, "Yes, I go to the school where sexual assaults happen basically every day." Not a statement to be proud of. As worded in the BuzzFeed article - West Chester is NOT the only school struggling with implementing standards regarding this matter - giving complete justice to the victims and student population, and also punishing the attackers.

If you missed the email all this fuss is about, here is the original email from Intern President, Dr. Christopher Fiorentino. I highlighted the part which ticked off a majority of students everywhere:

Campuses are by far not the only place injustices are occurring. Sexual assaults, abuse, and sexism occur around us on a DAILY BASIS. Most incidences are kept "hushed." Most incidences we are unaware of - we are not always looking for the injustice - so we don't always see it... until somebody who is hyper aware makes it a big deal.

I know West Chester is not the only school where (some) girls dress for the men at the parties. The shorter the skirt or dress - the better. The more revealing? You got it girl. This itself is a double standard. There are also girls out there who are curvy (like myself) or enjoy the cute "party" clothes, but don't dress for the male attention. Because girls created this competitive culture with one another, it often encourages sexual attention from the opposite sex. Showing more skin or having a curvy body has become an assumption for male attention. This is a shame. Just because my butt looks really big in skinny jeans does not mean I enjoy being hollered at when I cross High Street. Actually - I not only hate when people comment on me in a sexual way, but I despise cat calling. I will be going about my day - just like everybody else - and the sexual attention is thrown at me when I don't want it. It is incredibly insulting to be judged solely on what I look like, which happens to be the current "beauty" standards of the 21st century. There is a difference between a compliment and somebody creating discomfort due to unwanted, loud sexual attention. It needs to stop.

Girls - stop competing with each other. Stop gossiping about your "best friend" when they are not around. Stop fishing for compliments. Stop looking for somebody to complete you. Stop making a big deal out of getting your period. Stop with all the sneaky hiding of the feminine products when you very much are "PMsing." Stop saying only women are sexually assaulted. Stop making yourself the victim. Learn to fight for yourself - whether it is emotionally or physically. I could keep going. This stuff is happening everywhere.

We have all seen Mean Girls correct? If you are familiar with the plot, Kady basically loses who she is to fit in with the "plastics." Africa is part of her identity. She completely loses it to fit in. Instead, she begins introducing negative and unhealthy activities into her life. She trades her real friends for fakes (duh the plastics), she changes what she looks like, the way she dresses, she "dumbs" herself down, she begins investing in ways to make her "friends" feel horrible about themselves, and ultimately - she becomes very unhappy.

Unhappy lifestyles reap poor decisions and situations. Sometimes, we don't realize we are making poor decisions until they are over. Sometimes, poor decisions give an opportunity for bad situations out of our control to occur. I am not just saying this for no reason. I have been in those shoes. I have experienced those situations. I have watched people I love get into these situations. Once you open the door for a negative situation to occur, when something bad happens, you don't always have control over the outcome - especially if you are not surrounded by trustworthy people. We can all have fun and be responsible, but some take this statement for granted.

If you attend West Chester University you know it is a dry campus. By signing up to attend West Chester University, you also took and passed an alcohol education exam. Yes - despite being a dry campus, West Chester has a bit of a reputation. This is also the case for various other Universities throughout the country. Let's be real - compared to most other places around the world, the United States and young adults in the United States drink more than most young adults and people throughout the world. Ask any foreigner about America and the drinking - they will tell you straight up. One of my best friends lives in Denmark - the drinking age is much younger. It is "normal" for teenagers to drink. By "drink" I mean having one or two drinks - not so many to the point where people lose consciousness and blackout. The United States has a drinking problem. In my opinion, it does NOT help we make a huge deal out of drinking. If it was the "norm" to have a drink with dinner... or to go out with friends for one or two drinks - I don't think young people would be needing to get their stomach's pumped, throwing up because of intoxication, or feeling pressured to pursue dangerous situations and activities.OK I am going to say it - if we as people would put our health first and be responsible, I do believe this would decrease the amount of sexual assaults and rapes. I also think being responsible and healthy would reduce the amount of crimes and bad situations that happen often to intoxicated individuals.

There is a difference between blaming someone for horrible actions versus looking at the facts. You're right - "Alcohol does not cause rape." People rape people. At the same time, if intoxication did not result in negative consequences - people would be allowed to drive intoxicated. If intoxication was "safe" - there would not be punishments for "being under the influence" in specific situations. When we take things personally, it is easy to get away from what is actually happening here. Honestly - this situation is complicated. It is extremely hard to not look at this situation and NOT take it personally. Some of us know rape and sexual assault victims - including myself. Some of us are sexual assault and rape victims. I go to West Chester. A lot of people go to University's and we are all seeing the consequences of victims NOT receiving the proper justice. This is beyond frustrating and I cannot create words coming close to how wrong this is.

The problem is - there are two separate issues occurring - and unfortunately both issues are colliding. First of all - society is a huge problem. Sexism is alive and thriving. Remember when I randomly brought up Mean Girls? (Hint: it actually was not random - I did it on purpose). Tina Fey delivers an important message through this work - society is a huge problem, and patriarchal issues are part of the issue, but are not always where we should be pointing the finger. You know how these structures start? By people introducing certain things are OK - and hugely - by people not speaking up for REALLY important problems. Did somebody make a joke about how women belong in the kitchen? Well everybody laughed and you did not speak up. You get where I am going with this? I personally believe a lot of the issue stands in the way women present themselves to the world. Not you specifically - but as a whole. This means mothers also need to raise their sons MUCH differently. It is more than treating women or people with respect - it is about treating everyone like a human being. I know I made a huge stink out of women and their role in society - but I again feel it necessary to shed light on the fact that women are not the only ones who get raped. Women are not the only ones abused. You often hear about this happening solely to women... but maybe it is because men are often afraid to admit what's happened to them too. We as a society need to stand together for important issues -not just women's issues.

The second situation here is there are people in higher positions who need to follow rules and regulations in order to keep their jobs. This means discouraging the use of alcohol on dry campuses through various resources. Our staff and professors generally want to see us happy and succeed. They also need to reinforce the rules. The majority of educators at our university are trying their BEST to follow the rules and keep their students safe and happy.

It is against the law to suffer legal consequences if someone's life is in danger due to alcohol consumption. I know so many people who would rather "wait and see how their friends feel in a few hours" than call 911 after a night of blacking out. This is not safe. This is how we lose our friends. I was at a party recently and somebody was passed out cold. His friends refused to get him help from alcohol poisoning because "he needed to learn." I had to literally leave the party so I could safely call 911 for help. This has nothing to do about learning a lesson or being "too cool for school" but everything to do with saving somebody's life.

We want to have fun but not suffer the consequences. You CAN do this. You just need to be smart about it. Go to the parties. Live in a frat house - whatever you want to do. This does not mean you have to be reckless. We have lots of choices - and you are making all of them. It also does not mean you can't help friends who are in danger. The bottom line is we need to start speaking up. We also cannot afford to be reckless and except nothing bad to happen.

Go out with friends you trust. Don't do something out of peer pressure - if you feel pressured you are not spending time with people you trust or REAL friends. These types of people are not worth your time. Don't try sneaking alcohol in your dorm room. Be well informed of the rules around you and the dangers that could be presented by breaking them. Be aware of situations that could happen because you are in "possible unsafe environments." We can all still have fun and be smart about it, but to do this, we need to act as a team and support each other.

Don't wait for something big to happen to start breaking stereotypes. From those who don't go to West Chester and would like to know, the interim president sent out a follow-up email last Thursday night,

This was all a huge misunderstanding which I now think Dr. Christopher Fiorentino cleared up nicely. He said it himself, "while alcohol use is a problem on this campus, it is not the cause of sexual assault." Let's start taking responsibility for our actions. DON'T let your friends walk home at night - even if they say no. If a friend has alcohol poisoning and is unconscious - CALL 911. Girls - stop letting men treat us like D-bags. Can we just stop fulfilling the situations Big Sean and Drake rap about?

Alcohol is not the cause of rape, but we can reduce situations getting out of hand and danger from occurring by keeping ourselves in check. We can still have fun and go to parties, while still keeping health and safety in mind. People make unclear and poor decisions when under the influence. People have "sexually assaulted" and "raped" in an unclear state of mind. The only way this will change is by taking care of our friends and those we love... while speaking up for even the SMALLEST moments of injustice. Don't let a stranger slap you on the butt. Say no if you don't want sexual attention. Sometimes when we stand up for ourselves, bad things still happen. Unfortunately, the people out there conforming to the stereotypes concerning the bar scene, are not helping. Let's continue making a difference by challenging perception. Let's continue seeking justice. Let's continue supporting those we love when unfortunate situations occur.