Sexual Assault On College Campuses

“If nothing changes, more than 100,000 college students will be sexually assaulted in the upcoming school year.” (The Hunting Grounds). College campuses must be more productive when harassments occur. Universities have strong systems in place such as Title IX, Haven, and other preventive methods. But what happens when a sexual assault case actually occurs? Why is there such a large amount of stories about college campuses trying to silence the stories of victims? Why is there a different result in cases when there is a college athlete involved? As a society, we need to hold universities accountable in their methods of handling sexual assault cases, despite who the perpetrator is. An excellent film regarding sexual assaults on campus is called

I’ve noticed when researching data for this paper, there has been an overwhelming amount of evidence regarding the silencing of victims who experienced sexual assault perpetrated by college athletes. The story tends to be the same across the country. A college athlete sexually harasses another student, and is either given a lighter sentence or the victim is made to look like a liar. There is also a lot of stories regarding athletes who committed crimes such as sexual assault prior to joining a college athletic team. One story in particular stood out to me, and it regarded a student athlete named Luke Heimlich. He molested a 6 year old girl when he was 15. Heimlich became a registered sex offender, and when he moved to Washington to play baseball years later, as he was one of the nation’s top pitcher, he didn’t properly register his sex offender status. Law enforcement flagged him in the public court records because of this, which alletered the local papers. When the baseball coaches and athletic directors were questioned on whether or not they were aware of his status as a sex offender, they refused to comment. “Their silence raises concerns among sexual assault prevention advocates, as some have accused college athletes of receiving preferential treatment and being shielded from consequences, even for an offense as severe as sexual assault.” (Tracking Athletes Sexual Offenses). When an assault was

Silence is not the answer when it comes to horrific events such as sexual assault taking place. “Baylor University’s former head football coach covered up his players’ sexual violence and other troubling behaviors for years, new court documents allege. But the university is not alone in protecting athletes from punishment.” (The Black Hole of College Sports). Coaches should be ensuring the community that the type of behavior their athlete partook in won’t be tolerated, as opposed to staying silent. And beyond even just that, coaches need to be doing more extensive background checks. “News that Oregon State’s top pitcher was a sex offender startled the community and prompted questions: How closely should institutions monitor sexual assault convictions by their athletes?” (Tracking Athletes Sexual Offences). If there is something concerning that comes up about a potential player, they need to be honest and handle situations properly. “Though many coaches and administrators take time to learn about their players, there’s an incentive for them to stay oblivious to prior sex offenses, said Laura Dunn, founder and executive director of SurvJustice, a nonprofit dedicated to sexual assault prevention. The standard for being found liable under the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the federal law prohibiting gender