Oftentimes I feel like many college students, admittedly myself included, only pay attention to issues as they are relevant on their own college campus or in their own lives. This is unfortunate, but pretty much inevitable. And honestly, I totally get it; we have a ton going on and cannot pay attention to every issue we see pop up on our newsfeed or we hear about on the news.
That being said, I think it is vitally important that every college student, both guys and girls, become aware of the issue of sexual assault and rape on college campuses—aware of the fact that it is a problem for males and females. It is a problem that has could've happened at a party you attended. It is a problem that might even be happening on your campus as you read this article.
In the Netflix documentary, "The Hunting Ground," this widespread issue is highlighted throughout the entire film. Let me just tell you that describing the reality of the statistics as eye-opening would be a massive understatement. Describing it as disturbing would be fitting, but describing myself as speechless after watching it would be the most accurate.
Upon watching this film, I started thinking about my own experiences, observations and thoughts on the topic. Although we all want to believe that we are too smart to ever fall victim to this or that things like this don’t happen at our own school, the reality is that this is not the case. There are definitely ways to protect ourselves or become educated on the topic, but no one is completely safe, unfortunately.
Victims of sexual assault and rape are often blamed for being too drunk, too out of control or too unaware of their surroundings at the time of the assault. Although it may be true that victims are often the most vulnerable when they’re intoxicated or distracted by a cell phone, there are still plenty of instances where this is not the case. In the same light, many will argue that girls who fall victim to sexual assault in college are those who are “asking for it” by wearing a slutty outfit to the bars or a frat party. Sure, some girls may make themselves more “available” than others, but this by no means suggests that they are asking to be sexually assaulted or raped.
This is certainly not to imply that going out practically naked to a party or blacking out is encouraged, but it's college. Students are going to drink, they're going to hook up and there will be some regretful decisions made in the process of it all. Like I said, it's college. However, if every college student watched this documentary or became aware of the reality of this issue, those "regretful decisions" might not be so heavy and life-altering. The victim of the aftermath of one bad night might not be experiencing PTSD for the rest of their life because the person doing it might have decided to think twice.
Watching "The Hunting Ground" made me realize how much society needs to stop blaming victims and start listening to them. Universities need to stop being so worried about their school’s reputation that they lose all sense of compassion and willingness to help their students in the process. The public needs to stop hiding issues that are life-changing for people who have lived them. Ignoring the issue and turning a blind eye to problems that are entirely too real for college students especially will only encourage this behavior in the future.
No matter how you fit into the culture of college life, if you're involved in Greek Life, Student Government or whatever it may be, this is relevant to you, I promise.
