The Affects Of Sexual Harassment On College Students

While trying to obtain an education, nearly half of the students in America will face sexual harassment at school. Sexual harassment is usually found to begin in middle school and may prolong into higher education. A few examples of sexual harassment students may experience are: unwelcome sexual comments, jokes and gestures, name calling, being shown inappropriate pictures, touched in an inappropriate manner, and being forced to engage in sexual activities. Sexual harassment comes in all shapes and forms and effects students of different economic statuses, race, cultures, and genders. A publication written by Alison K. (2011) states, “Girls were more likely than boys to experience sexual harassment (56 percent versus 40 percent). (p. 6,12&13)”

For each victim, the trauma comes in different ways. For that reason, the DOE (2017) provides many different ways to help a victim cope with there pain. The interim measures they take are “Counseling, extensions of time or other course related adjustments, modifications of work or class schedules, campus escort services, restriction on contact between the parties, changes in work or housing locations, leave of absence, increase security and monitoring of certain areas of campus, and other similar accommodations. (para. 1, 2 & 3)” These accommodations are very helpful for college students, and while these interim measures cannot erase what happened, it helps them cope with the pain. Another effective factor for students at the middle school and high school levels are to involve parental control. Parental involvement ensures the students, officials, and schooling personnel, their actions are being taken in a very serious manner. No harassment victim should be alone when trying to manage life after this burden was forced upon

Many people believe that the school system is failing on how they approach cases of sexual misconduct. In an article written by the Sneed, T. (2015), Sneed brings light to the unjust a young girl faced while reporting her assault. “Daisy Coleman switched high schools after allegations that another student had raped her sparked outrage and national headlines. Still, the 17-year-old's struggle to live a normal life was made even harder recently, when her new principal told her she could not attend prom because, according to Coleman's mother, the school couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't be harassed there.”(para. 1) Many victims of sexual assault face inequitable situations similar to Daisy Coleman’s and because of that, Obama’s administration took action. In an Edify article, Larkin (2017) released a statement made by former Vice President. “We are the first administration to make it clear that sexual assault is not just a crime, it can be a violation of a woman's civil rights,” Biden said. “The vice president projected indignation and heartbreak, a tone that President Obama and their administration kept up.”(para.2) Following that statement, the Department of Education has taken serious steps into how sexual harassment cases must be handled in school systems. In an Article written by Nicole E. Smith (2016), she lists the ways campuses are approaching cases of sexual