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Rape culture on campus essay
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In our society, the amount of coverage that is received of the rape culture among college campuses and universities continues to become more prevalent each and every day. Sexual assaults on university and college campuses are most likely to happen amidst the student population. According to Burnett, Mattern, Herakova, Kahl Jr, Tobola, and Bornsen (2009), every two minutes in the United States, someone is raped, and the chances of being that victim are four times greater for a college female student than for any other age group. Rape is described as being non-consensual vaginal, anal, or oral penetration by force or even threat of force. Twenty-five percent of women on college campuses have said that they have been raped or has experienced an …show more content…
According to Richardson and Shields (2015), a 2004 study showed that 72 percent of rape victims were intoxicated at the time of their assault. Another study found that an astounding 76 percent of males who committed a sexual assault on a college campus used alcohol to weaken a women’s objection in order to have sex with them. Alcohol can also intensify aggressive and antisocial behavior in males. On college and university campuses, it has been found that fraternity men and sorority women are more likely to use alcohol before having sex than non-fraternity and non-sorority members. Students that attend parties at fraternity or sorority houses often times are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Unfortunately, it is not surprising that a sexual assault is more likely to occur when drugs and alcohol come into play. It also seems that alcohol is a contributing factor of the time that sexual assaults on campus are most likely to occur. Richardson and Shields (2015), states that of more than 5,000 undergraduate female students, 72 percent of assaults occurred late at night and 90 percent of female students who were incapacitated by drugs or alcohol reported late night assaults. An unfortunate reality is that alcohol can also prevent victims from speaking out on the crimes committed against them. The presence of alcohol can make victims of assault less likely to report …show more content…
According to DeMatteo, Galloway, Arnold, and Patel (2015), roughly 75 percent of universities have policies that outline procedures in case of a sexual assault, but unfortunately only half of the universities provide students with a phone number to report an assault and less than half actually provide a phone number that can be used after hours. If universities provided effective measures to guarantee that a victim can report an assault, then less victims will feel like they do not have a voice or someone that they can turn to for help. A recent study found that a mere 50 percent of universities provide a hotline for victims of assault, 44 percent of universities allowed sexual assaults to be reported online, and 8 percent of universities provided anonymous reporting (DeMatteo et al, 2015). Another starting point would be if policies were put in place to protect victims of sexual assault rather than blame them. If university and college campuses could continue to implement preventative measures, then it is possible that more people will be educated on the occurrences of sexual assault on college and university
When it comes to sexual assault on college campuses there is also the question of what can colleges do to decrease the amount of sexual assaults. Bradford Richardson and Jon A Shields wondered the same thing, so they conducted an ...
“I felt his hands start to move down towards my shorts as if he was trying to unbutton them or pull them off. I was still crying at this point and felt so scared that I couldn’t move” (Henneberger, 2012). These are words written by a college freshman after she had been raped, but they are true for many others as well. According to the Rape Crisis Center of Medina and Summit Counties, “every two minutes someone in the US is sexually assaulted” (Get the Facts). “Girls ages 16-19 are four times more likely than the than the general population to be victims of sexual assault” (Get the Facts). These women may be described as slut, cheap, or ready for action, rather than victim, sufferer, or survivor. Rape myths encourage these demeaning terms for women and conceal the reality of rape culture. I will describe the pervasiveness of sexual assault on college campuses as well as the systems and procedures in place to address it. Power plays a role in this issue, including the powerful men on campus such as athletes and fraternity members as well as the administrators in power who regulate the punishments and actions that are taken against the perpetrators. The influence of those in power often goes overlooked in our society because it has become so intertwined with our culture.
According to an interview by Beckett Brennan with Katie Couric “95 percent of victims that were sexual assault on college campuses do not report the sexual assault” (The Case). Majority of sexual assaults that happen on a college campus, will never be reported. Colleges should have more of a responsibility when it comes to the sexual assaults on campuses. Colleges need to own up to the sexual assaults, and take responsibility for the sexual assaults. Colleges need to stop pushing sexual assaults away, and need to stand up and do something about the sexual assaults on college campuses. Although sexual assaults are an individuals responsible, colleges should also be responsible in the sexual assaults that happen on college campuses.
With one in five college students experiencing sexual assault during their college career who wouldn’t be afraid? This remains especially true for young women between the ages of 18-24 (“The Realities of Sexual Assault”). While a woman’s freshman and sophomore year of college are when she is at a most risk for assault, it can happen at any time. According to Robin Gray in the article on sexual assault statistics, “between 20% and 25% of women will experience a completed and/or attempted rape during their college career,” (Gray). At Northwest Missouri State University for the 2016-2017 academic year there are 5,618 undergraduate students enrolled. With the ratio of male to female students being 44% to 56%, there are about 3,147 female students. In terms of the statistics estimated by Gray, 630-787 of the female student population at Northwest Missouri State will experience rape during their college career (“Northwest Missouri State University”). This is a disturbingly large figure. Women are not the only ones susceptible to these acts, but men are too. It is said about “10%” of all sexual assault cases involve male victims (“The Realities of Sexual Assault”). While this number is slightly lower for men it is often believed that male victims of sexual assault do not often report their crime due to the social stigma surrounding their assault. Men may feel
A. Background Information: The next four years of the students’ lives after high school mark the moment they become independent. Because of the freedom, college students are more susceptible to careless actions like drinking, doing drugs, and even committing sexualt assualt. Sexual assault has been around for years and the actions to prevent this heinous crime has been minimal, especially in colleges and universities. In 2015, Brock Turner, a student from Stanford, sexually assaulted a young woman on campus. Turner claimed that because he was drinking, was with friends, and saw a “promiscuous” female student, that pressured him into committing such a heinous crime. This was because Stanford University didn’t teach its students sexual assault prevention which caused the victim to be harm and violated. By teaching college students about sexual assault prevention, it decreases the number of sexual assault cases on campus, prevents psychological damage to the victim’s mental state, and educates other students to know the signs
Have you ever been encountered in a circumstance of being raped or knew an individual that was a victim of rape? Every one-hundred and seven seconds an American is sexually assaulted (RAINN). Rape has become a continuous problem causing controversy due to the way colleges cover up or simply hide incidents of rape throughout campus. More college students are also being raped by their own acquaintances rather than random strangers. Students, parents, and politicians question the way schools protect students and how their campuses can become more effective and efficient in preventing further occurrences of rape. Over the past years there has been a series of incidents where rape has been an extreme problem on college campuses in America that have been kept quiet until something traumatic happens. The prevalence of rapes on college campuses is continuing to rise due to lack of security, surveillance and awareness.
In "Fraternities and Collegiate Rape Culture" Ayres Boswell and Joan Z. Spade analyze the social perspective of the gendered relations in male fraternities that add to the high rate of violence against women on many college campuses. They list a host of factors that distinguish higher-risk from lower-risk atmospheres discussing the rates of rape in colleges and state how "1 out of 4 college women say they were raped or experienced an attempted rape" (217). Additionally, "1 out of 12 college men say they forced a woman to have sexual intercourse against her will" (Boswell, Spade 217). In other words Boswell and Spade indicated that the rates were high when it came down to women getting raped in colleges by men who also attended those colleges. In addition, Boswell and Spade specify in how most people are aware of rape but know very little about rape culture (Boswell, Spade 217).
In the Universities of Michigan students are implementing the self-policing. This strategy consists of students volunteering to patrol parties attended by fraternity and sorority members, who have been noticeable for being destructive and out of control. Michigan’s president, Mark Schlissel, has addressed the connection between drinking and campus sexual assault. The 2015 fact sheet from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimated that alcohol was a factor in 97,000 cases of sexual assault and rape each year among college students. As a result, Kegs were banned in any fraternity parties, as well as handles of drinks being passed around. These facts triggered students to start their own prevention method creating the student self-policing. These patrols monitor and supervise parties to prevent any student from committing sexual assault. Students can be able to volunteer for their own interest in safety. The Universities of Michigan have made this strategy into a requirement for parties. In order for students to have a party, there has to be a form of supervision. Students often prefer for other students to maintain safety because they feel more comfortable. This gives greater opportunity for the self-policing method to
According to a statement addressing the sexual victimization of college women The Crime and Victimization in America states that, “ One out of four women will be sexually assaulted on a college campus.” This disturbing fact has not minimized throughout the years, instead it is continuing to worsen throughout college campuses. Sexual assault is not an act to be taken lightly. Society must stop pinpointing the individuals who commit these crimes one by one, but rather look at the problem as a whole and begin to understand the main cause of sexual assault and possible methods to reduce these acts of sexual coercion.
A survey from the Association of American Universities of 150,000 students found that more than one in four women experience sexual assault during their four years in college. Over the four year college period, 27.2% of female students are victims of unwanted sexual contact that ranges from touching to rape (6). Sexual assault is far too common and it is an epidemic that faces many students in college. Many students suffer from the consequences of sexual assault, which is a result of many social and cultural deficiencies, but it can be fixed through a multifaceted approach. The problem of sexual assault can be fixed through the education of the community, a positive and helpful school environment, and classes focused on prevention.
These are alarming statistics, especially since we know that rape is widely underreported, suggesting the percentages of rape might be even higher. College students drink more alcohol than the normal public (as cited in Gunby, Carline, Beynon, 2012, p. 88). This is troubling for women because alcohol is known to increase the risk of victimization. In most alcohol-involved rape situations, women voluntarily drank large amounts of alcohol before being raped. It is more common for college women to be raped after being incapacitated by alcohol than it is for them to be raped by force (as cited in Messman-Moore, Ward, DeNard, 2013, p. 50).
Rape is on the top level in the college girls and women which are the most common crime on college campuses in America today. In the Rape in the United States, 60% of the victim girls and women who reported being raped were under 18 years old by someone they knew. Rape is defined as forces which include vaginal, oral, and anal intercourse, where the survey found that out of 1 in 6 girls and women had experienced acquaintance rape who were underage. Acquaintance rape is a sex crime done by someone who knew the victim (friends, classmate, co-workers, family member, spouse, medical doctor or religious official). Acquaintance rape is also called date rape. More than 70% of rape victims knew their attackers, but 90% of the rape victims didn’t report
Sexual Assault Each fall, college campuses make a concerted effort to create a welcoming campus for their students, whether that be organizing activities or featuring distinguished guests. However, colleges contribute to victimization instead of protecting its students from sexual assault. Stories of sexual assault victims substantiate that claim that colleges adopt a policy of indifference towards sexual assault, letting college ranking affect their willingness to support the victim and pursue the aggressor. Campus rape is a national problem. Universities’ attitudes intensify emotional turmoil for victims of sexual assault.
According to the University of the Pacific, a women’s basketball player Beckett Brennan, was sexually assault in 2008, and felt like everyone on campus knew about the sexual assault, and Brennan said if she knew what she knows now she would not have reported the sexual assault (Parham). The cases of Brennan puts into question are colleges responsible for the sexual assaults that happen on college campuses. Supporters for college campuses being responsible say everyone is responsible because it is on America, to be responsible for the sexual assaults. Those who oppose that college campus are not responsible say that it is on the women, because women need to stop getting intoxicated, and need to prevent the sexual assaults themselves. Sexual assaults
Throughout my life, I have seen and heard nauseating stories about sexual assault in college as well as the world. Not only have I heard these stories through media, but some of those who are close to me have gone through these appalling tramus. Because of these horrid stories, I have always been paranoid about rape and sexual assault. Going to college next year, I have found that it is important to be aware of the sickening sexual assault that is happening on college campuses everyday. It is crucial for every college student to understand what sexual assault is and the effects of it. I have realized some do not understand that sexual assault is more than having intercourse, if one forces another to do anything sexually without their consent,