The American Association of Universities (AAU) released the latest survey on sexual assault this past week. Their key findings reveal that in the 27 universities involved in the survey, 23 percent of female undergraduate students have experienced an incidence of sexual assault. The survey also found that the number of victims actually reporting those incidences was overall low. The survey found that the most common reason for not reporting was that victims believed their assault wasn’t serious enough. Others were “embarrassed, ashamed,” worried “that it would be too emotionally difficult,” and because they “did not think anything would be done about it.”

The University of Dayton reported for the 2011-2013 years around 22 on-campus sexual assaults. These numbers go up slightly when non-campus and public property areas are added. The University of Dayton has been trying to keep up with the demands of those who want an increase in sexual assault awareness and reporting. For example, they have implemented the Sexual Violence Prevention Education Coordinator, Kristen Keen, and a whole team behind her to help support the increasing awareness about sexual violence.

Keen’s position was finalized about three years ago, initiating a program that was recommended by the Violence Against Women Act. This act focuses on the prevention of sexual assault, whereas previous acts, such as Title IX and the Clery Act, have focused on equality between the sexes and reporting sexual assault.

Having a separate center and staff for sexual violence prevention is useful, but also expensive. Finding space, staff, and money for this program is difficult for some universities, and the reality is that sexual violence issues often go to other centers or programs that aren’t specially equipped to deal with them.

While some campuses struggle to find a space for sexual violence prevention on their campus, for UD, the biggest struggle, according to Keen, used to be getting men involved in the conversation. During the 1990s and early 2000s, sexual violence prevention education was based on victimizing women and criminalizing men.

Young girls were being told how to not get raped with tips like "don’t go out alone" and "don’t wear suggestive clothing." This was isolating to women who didn’t want to be told that their actions could lead to sexual assault, when sexual assault is never the victim’s fault. The conversation was equally isolating to men, who were told even as young boys “don’t rape” and “stop raping.”

“Boys in fourth, sixth, and eighth grade were getting this talk,” Keen said. Men grow up expecting to be called the perpetrator when sexual violence comes up in the conversation and immediately shut down.

Now, Keen mentions that they have recently hired a male graduate assistant, Vet Smelko, who has brought a new way to connect with men on campus. He has implemented a men’s discussion group, called “Manversations,” that talks about the pressures men face and why men are predominantly the perpetrators of violence in America. They talk about how men are perceived in American society, and why “real” men are expected to be violent, tough, and unemotional.

The Green Dot program deviates from the traditional sexual assault conversation by addressing everyone as bystanders. The seven-hour training that runs on Saturdays teaches students how to recognize “red dot” behaviors, or behaviors that could lead to sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and stalking. Students learn the definition of sexual assault as well as how bystanders can stop it. For students, this program can be surprisingly enlightening.

“I’ve had students come up to me after and say ‘I didn’t know I was sexually assaulted until now.’” Keen said. Defining these terms is just as important as spreading awareness. Especially when the AAU’s survey states that more than 50 percent of victims are not reporting the incident because they believe it isn’t serious enough. When victims know the definition of assault and consent, they may be more likely to actually report.

The good news is that most students who did report their assault “said their experience with the agency or organization was very good or excellent.” Universities have reformed how to handle sexual assault after someone becomes a victim. But prevention and education systems are still not reaching the mainstream. Victims are still blaming themselves because of the culture of violence that is ingrained in their everyday lives. It’s a culture that needs to change.

While Green Dot is a way to get the conversation started in a neutral way, there are dozens of other tactics that people like Mary Margaret Whitney, a Peer Advocating for Violence Education (PAVE), can use. For Whitney, the conversation begins with student-to-student conversations. In the past two years, a new program has started at UD that targets incoming freshmen, especially during the “red zone.” The red zone includes the first six months of college, which has been found to be the time when students are most likely to be sexually assaulted.

Fourteen peer educators, like Whitney, will give 65 presentations within the first three and a half weeks of classes at UD. PAVE participants go into dorms and begin the conversation about sexual violence early. They define things like the red zone, a terrifying topic, with a relatable student face. Having a peer talk about these things helps students realize the reality of the red zone, but also helps the students feel less hopeless.

Whitney and other PAVE members are there to be a reliable resource and tell them about other resources if they need help. Educating students early on about resources is an important step that UD has taken. The AAU’s survey found that only a quarter of students at the 27 universities involved consider themselves knowledgeable about the resources on campus for sexual assault.

The University of Dayton has other initiatives to help educate and raise awareness, including a Relationship Sexual Violence Programing (RSVP). RSVP is a resource that different organizations on campus, like fraternities, sororities, or on-campus employers can use to address different issues surrounding sexual violence, like hook-up culture or supporting victims. RSVP can be personalized to suit the needs and situation that a particular group is experiencing.

Other on-campus events include a poster campaign with sayings like, “The test didn’t rape you.” This is one way to help people realize their language and how they may have been unknowingly contributing to rape culture.

Bigger awareness events take place in the spring. Take Back the Night is a bigger event that occurs in March. Students walk through the student neighborhood and survivors tell their stories. This helps other survivors out there realize that it is okay to talk about their assault, encouraging conversation. Project Unbreakable is a campaign that photographs survivors with their attackers words written on poster board held up in front of them. Last spring, the University of Dayton’s Take Back the Night combined with this project. Because of the smaller nature of our campus, the participants’ faces were left out, and their stories were submitted anonymously. But their powerful message was still heard.

One Billion Rising is an international event that UD has participated in for the past two years. One Billion Rising is a flash mob that coordinates the same song and dance on the same day, Feb. 14. Their message is to show one billion people standing up against the violence that will happen to one third of women in the world in her lifetime. The organization uses that statistic: one billion women across the world will be raped or beaten in her lifetime.

The challenge of changing the way people view sexual assault may seem like a daunting task, but these groups not only on UD’s campus, but also across the world, are willing to take it on. The recent awareness of the prevalence of sexual assault and the lack of reporting on campuses has led most universities to respond with implementing more resources, like Kristen Keen.

Soon, every campus may see this type of position implemented as a California Senator Boxer’s bill moves through legislation. This would require “colleges and universities to establish an independent, on-campus advocate to support survivors of sexual assault.” This advocate would be confidential and would be able to help the victim with medical assistance and reporting.

This resource would be especially useful when dealing with the police. One of the standard questions asked is how much the victim had to drink, which can sound accusatory and like victim blaming. Really, the officer is trying to determine the victim’s blood alcohol level and if that level of alcohol led them to be incapacitated. Having an advocate there to walk victims through these difficult steps is one way to increase reports.

Keen described UD as “ahead of the curve” on this front. UD has had sexual violence prevention programs for almost four years, whereas other campuses are just getting started. This history has encouraged victims to reach out and report their crime, getting the help they need and taking steps toward ending on campus violence for good.