I'm sure that the large majority of those who read this will be female college students, or those of both genders who have been sexually assaulted. Not a large amount, especially males, feel like this subject affects them. But the fact of the matter is, at some point, it just might. I wish it wasn't that way, but it is. Sexual assault is a rising concern that has been climbing charts at an alarming rate.
And no one is doing a damn thing about it.
I recently read an article last week that Onward State posted about a girl who shared her story of how the University Health Services handled her report of sexual assault. The student asked to remain anonymous but told her story of how she went to those who we are told from day one to trust, and was treated as nothing more than a burden. She goes on to say how she was shuffled into a room where she spent hours answering hundreds of questions. The nurse then went on to preach statistics which did nothing but sound like straight victim-blaming. She wrote down the number of shots the girl had consumed. She asked why her friends had left her. Basically, she did nothing that was progressive or helpful.
Out of all the mind boggling things the nurse had said, one line stuck out to me the most, "She explained to me that my potential assault wasn’t important enough to alert State College Police." When I read this, I felt my heart dive to the bottom of my stomach. The University's most trusted employees with one of the most important jobs to students, advised in the school's best interest, instead of the student's. Once the nurse confused, scared, and successfully changed this girl's mind, she then told her that she would probably never really know if she was raped or not.
Now, I was raised in State College my entire life, I'm a "townie." I've grown up with Penn State and have always loved this school, and I don't think I have ever been more ashamed.
The second thing that compelled me to write this article was the horrific amount of PSU alerts we have received these past few months. These alerts range from stalking, to attempted kidnapping, to the highest of all, you guessed it: sexual assault.
I recently was told by a friend to watch a documentary about sexual assault on college campus's titled The Hunting Ground. This can be found on Netflix and I encourage all of you to watch it. Within the first five minutes of viewing, I was in tears. It goes on to name over 55 college campus's guilty of doing utterly nothing about the assaults on their campuses. From Harvard Law, to our very own Penn State, we are all at fault. One girl explained how she had told a university official about her assault and was assured that she would handle it. When that student went back to that same official after hearing nothing back, she looked at the victim and told her she had forgotten.
Both females and males share their stories through out the documentary. Dozens give their accounts of how their Universities covered up the crime and encouraged them to keep quiet. A couple even went against federal law to appeal the defendant, all to try and uphold the integrity of their precious schools. We pay thousands and thousands of dollars to an institution that doesn't even hold our safety as a priority.
So what has been done as a result? Well, my friends, here it is: nothing.
No security cameras, no actual screening or precautions taken of who enters in dormitories, no action from our precious University. Am I being too harsh? I'm sure many of you are thinking, "Well, what can the University do?" Here is what they can do.
A couple of friends and I came up with these ideas in under two minutes:
1. Make a mandatory freshman class about sexual assault because yes, students should know better, but apparently some do not.
2. Install security cameras.
3. Actual consequences for sexual assault, not just a couples weeks of suspension.
4. Improve their policies, including full definitions of sexual assault and the consequences that will be held.
5. A set and publicly known protocol of what will be done when an assault is reported (and actually follow through with it.)
6. A University Women's Resource center on every campus with psychological, physical, and LEGAL services.
7. Continued effort.
According to NSVRC:
-1 in 5 women, and 1 in 71 men will be raped in their lifetime.
-In 8 out of 10 cases of rape, the victim new their rapist.
-1 in 5 women will be assaulted while in college.
-90% of assaults go unreported on college campuses (I wonder why).
As much as we hate to face it, our college campuses have become hunting grounds. I am both angry and terrified that nobody seems to be doing a thing about one of the largest problems facing students today. A problem that puts their entire health and lives at stake. Stand up and make your voice heard. It really could happen to you.
